Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill’ exploring the dispute between Lauren Kanarek and Michael Barisone that turned near-tragic, we get a poignant documentary. That’s because it delves deep into every aspect leading up to the August 7, 2019, incident that left the dressage competitor with two bullet wounds to her chest at the hands of her then-trainer. The former Olympic equestrian never once denied pulling the trigger, but he did successfully claim the insanity defense during trial, much to her and her father, Jonathan Kanarek’s chagrin.
Jonathan Kanarek Supported His Daughter’s Dreams in More Ways Than One
A native of New York, Jonathan “Jon” Kanarek reportedly was just a young boy when he first developed a keen interest in both the dynamic world of finance and the pleasure of helping others. Therefore, not long after he graduated from Wellington C. Mepham High School in North Bellmore and served a brief stint in the US Army, he chose to enroll in Hofstra Law School. He reportedly earned his Juris Doctor in 1977, shortly after which he worked hard to pass the bar exam, secure registration in his home state, earn his license, and kickstart his career.
According to ’48 Hours,’ Jonathan went on to thrive as a Wall Street Attorney, all the while being a good family man who was devoted not only to being a good provider but also to being a great father. He was quite involved in all 3 of his daughters’ lives, determined to do everything in his power to fulfill their dreams – their happiness has always been the only thing that has mattered to him. It thus comes as no surprise that he bought his eldest a horse of her own when she completed high school, knowing she had already fallen in love with the animal and was ambitious about being an equestrian.
Jonathan didn’t particularly understand the field of Lauren’s passion at the time since he had only ever seen horses run awild or race, so the whole concept of Dressage (aka horse ballet) was strange to him. Nevertheless, he supported her every step of the way – whether it be offering inspiration and motivation or financially backing her training, competition fees, grooming fees, etc, he did it all. So, of course, he was furious when he learned of the dispute his little girl was having with Michael Barisone in 2019, despite them actively paying him around $5,000 a month to train her. Yet, he never could have imagined the ordeal would culminate in her and her fiancé being shot at Michael’s property.
Related
Jonathan Kanarek Continues to Stand by His Daughters
Jonathan couldn’t believe it when he got the news of Lauren being taken to a hospital with two gunshot wounds to the chest, but he quickly got himself together and rushed to be with her. He reportedly had a feeling of what had transpired before the police even spoke to him, so while he waited for his daughter to wake up from her induced coma, he cooperated with them to the best of his abilities. In fact, he willingly let them know he had been in contact with both Lauren and Michael in the days preceding, but for drastically different reasons.
He offered his daughter advice on how to handle the situation and discussed business with the latter in hopes of smoothing things out as quickly as possible. Jonathan’s cooperation was significant, along with text evidence from the phones of all relevant parties, which is why they were a part of the prosecution’s case when Michael finally stood trial in 2022. However, despite their best efforts, the jury found the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity. They alleged he had suffered a mental break and did not even remember the crime, so he shouldn’t be held responsible for it, and the jury agreed.
In the aftermath of it all, the Kanarek family released a public statement indicating they unwaveringly stand by Lauren and will continue to speak on the matter because they do not believe justice was served. In fact, when Michael was permanently banned from all equestrian activities by SafeSport in December 2025, Jonathan provided an additional statement for the aforementioned original. He said, “…Michael Barisone attempted to murder my daughter by shooting her through the chest at point-blank range… She spent a month in a trauma center ICU on a respirator…No woman should have to go through that.”
