Judge Gives Sentence To Convicted Murderer In Sarah Stern Case

A New Jersey man was sentenced to life without parole on Friday for the murder of 19-year-old Sarah Stern, who went missing on December 2, 2016 and was never found, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

Liam McAtasney, 21, of Neptune City was sentenced by ;Superior Court Judge Richard W. English to life in a New Jersey State Prison without the possibility for parole on the first-degree murder charge.

McAtasney was found guilty on all counts by a jury on Feb. 26. A motion for a new trial was heard and denied on May 24 by English, according to the MCPO.

The sentence is the culmination of the almost two-month=long trial of McAtasney, who was found to have killed and robbed Sarah Stern in her Neptune City residence on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2016 and then discarded Stern’s body off of the Route 35 bridge between Belmar and Neptune with the assistance of McAtasney’s then-roommate Preston Taylor.

Stern’s remains were never found.

Taylor, 19, also of Neptune City, pleaded guilty to charges of first degree armed robbery as well other allegations. He faces a sentence up to 20 years when he returns before English on June 28.

Detectives determined that McAtasney was responsible for killing Stern and stealing property from her on Dec. 2, 2016. The investigation also revealed that Taylor provided assistance to McAtasney in the planning of the robbery and moving and ultimately disposing of Stern’s body in order to avoid detection.

During the investigation, a suspected former friend of McAtasney’s came forward to authorities with information as to McAtasney’s involvement in the killing. Detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office surreptitiously video-recorded a subsequent conversation between the two men.

In that video, which was played before the jury, McAtasney admitted to the murder and provided graphic details of the slaying.

Sarah's father, Michael Stern, said he was sickened by McAtasney's video confession: "Apparently his evil thoughts and motives were beyond any realm I could imagine." Read more: Video Shows When Verdict Reached In Sarah Stern Murder Trial

In the alleged confession video, McAtasney is apparently seen in the hidden camera videos, published by nj.com and The Asbury Park Press, telling his friend, Anthony Curry, that the "biggest problem was the dog" when the murder allegedly took place.

"Her dog laid there and watched as I killed her," he said on the nj.com video.

In the same video, McAtasney said he and Taylor worked together to dispose the body, eventually, off the Belmar bridge. McAtasney said he "had timed everything out," and that he and Taylor even had walkie-talkies.

They eventually were able to get Stern's body into a car and to the bridge, he said. "The two of us throw the body over and we're out," he said on the video that was also published by The Asbury Park Press.

Trial testimony revealed that at approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday December 3, 2016, the Neptune Township Police Department responded to an abandoned vehicle on the Route 35 Bridge. Neptune Township Police then contacted the Neptune City Police Department to request a welfare check of the registered owner of the vehicle.

Upon arrival at the address of the registered owner, who was Stern’s grandmother, the residence was found unlocked but no one was home. Further investigation determined Sarah Stern was the missing driver of the vehicle and her family did not know of her whereabouts.

As a result of Stern’s vehicle being found unoccupied and on the bridge, the Belmar Water Rescue Team was called to search Shark River for any evidence of her body. Divers, boats and helicopters from those units searched the Shark River, but attempts to locate Stern’s body were unsuccessful.

On Sunday, December 4, 2016, detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office joined the investigation in an effort to locate Stern. Detectives from the prosecutor’s office and the Belmar and Neptune City Police Departments continued to investigate her whereabouts, according to the MCPO.

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