December 16, 2007
Behind-Bars Braunstein Holds No Bars in Crazy Interview

Peter Braunstein really loves the New York Post. The fashion industry reporter-turned-prison inmate, after being recently convicted of the kidnapping, sex assault, armed robbery and burglary of a former co-worker on Halloween in 2005, gives his first interview since being locked up this past summer to the tabloid.
He gives a number of choice quotes to the Post, who calls him "still-crazy." And how! Not only does he regret not killing his ex-girlfriend Jane Larkworthy ("I fantasize about going back in time and killing Jane" plus the knowledge that she's married now makes him "see red" whenever I see a bride and groom on television"), he also said that planning the attack on his colleague (a "substitute victim" for the violence he wanted to inflict on Larkworthy herself) "saved" him: "It gave me a reason to wake up every morning. Funny enough, I finally stopped using drugs and drinking alcohol because I was so excited and caught up in the planning."
But these days, at a maximum security prison upstate, Braunstin has been thinking about who else he'd like to kill:
At the top of his death list is New York magazine writer Vanessa Grigoriadis, who penned "The Fire Fiend and the Fashion Girls" while Braunstein was on the lam in December 2005.Well, there goes the appeal! Actually, Braunstein doesn't believe in appeals: He says, "It's a waste of time. Everyone here is working on an appeal.""I planned on coming back into the city in broad daylight - do it right, you know? - and blow her head off and throw the magazine on her corpse," he said nonchalantly. "I still think about doing that."
His ultimate plan was to "commit the firefighter crime in New York, commit a possible second crime, see America, then return to New York, liquidate it, and then die."
He also has a vile hatred of Scientologists, whom he describes as mindless cult members.
"I often have fantasies of doing a Columbine-like killing at a Scientologist church," he said.
Braunstein feels bad about the victim he chose, and said he never wanted to rape her. He also remarked how he loved her wardrobe and thought, "I wish I could have met her when I was normal. I think we could have been friends." We doubt the feeling is mutual - the victim's testimony was riveting and disturbing for the way Braunstein ruined her trust in the police and fire department since he gained access to her apartment by posing as a firefighter.
Braunstein is on a number of medications. He said of his 18-year sentence, "There's a million ways to end your life here. I want to die, so I'll find a way...Im subject to mood swings; I may feel differently tomorrow." And why he gave the interview to the Post, we don't know, but we do know that Braunstein does have a history with the paper - he planted an item in Page Six about his then-girlfriend Larkworthy (who would later testify against him during the trial) supposedly attacking him and placing him at Bellevue in 2004.
Here's Gothamist's past coverage of Peter Braunstein. And one possible way Braunstein is much like you and me: He watches a lot of Law & Order, only he does it from his jail cell.




He seems to be a nice level headed psychopath. It's only fair that the court system lets him out and let him fill out his fantasies.
The only thing I see wrong with him is that he needs a shave and haircut. Otherwise he's perfect material for a job on Wall Street given he has a masters degree.
Something tells me his personality is par for the course in the fashion industry.
I sincerely hope that Braunstein is someone's "wife."
At least he's, um, honest. I liked him better when he looked like John Turturro.
WTF, why the hell do you give this shitbag a platform? to get a few more site visits? yeah, it ran in the post, which is why I don't read that exploitive crap paper. I would have hoped Gothamist could have found just one more idea, article, or picture to comment on in this city than to perpetuate the abuse of the victim by this.
You suck gothamist.
Ah, hahahahahahahaha! If Braunstein has a lawyer who gives two cents about his client's interest, he must be shaking his head in utter frustration. Braunstein just guaranteed that he will never be paroled before he serves his full sentence.
Let him serve his full sentence and after his release he, like Robert Chambers, will be back in the slammer in no time.
Okay, I know people go on about the typos and bad grammar on this site, but this headline is pretty bad. The term is "no holds barred" and comes from wrestling -- it means someone is not holding back anything, that there are no rules. It does not mean someone is holding bars of any sort. Saying he "holds no bars" doesn't make any sense.
I love when shit like this happens to the fashion industry.
Yeah, but Braunstein is SO CRAZY that he "holds no bars." He's an island of no man. He pokes out his own eyes to make the world go blind.
It takes some real balls to just let the craziness show.