The December 2016 disappearance of 19-year-old Sarah Stern led to shocking discoveries about a grisly crime that occurred right under everyone’s noses. A confession made by someone close to home – Stern’s childhood friend Liam McAtasney – confirmed the news of her murder. Her body was never found.
McAtasney incriminated himself when he admitted choking Stern and robbing her of a few thousand dollars. He also enlisted his former roommate Preston Taylor’s help to throw her body off a New Jersey Bridge. The confession was recorded as part of a sting operation, leading to two arrests.
Later, Taylor pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He then testified against McAtasney, who was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
An upcoming episode of Oxygen’s Dateline: Unforgettable will further delve into Sarah Stern’s baffling murder case this Wednesday, July 26. The episode, titled The Betrayal of Sarah Stern, airs on the channel at 8 pm ET.
An official synopsis of the episode says:
“Keith Morrison revisits a story that has haunted him for years; when detectives find a missing woman’s car abandoned on a bridge, their investigation uncovers a tangled plot involving money, friendship and a deadly betrayal.”
Sarah Stern’s murder: A disappearance, a chilling confession, and the ultimate story of betrayal for money
1) Stern went missing in early December 2016 from her house
According to reports, Sarah Stern, 19, was last seen alive on December 2, 2016, before she went missing from her Neptune City, New Jersey, home. The next day, she was reported missing. Her abandoned car, with the keys still inside, was found on the bridge over the Shark River. Initially, after speaking to her family and friends, authorities believed she either ran away or committed suicide.
Nearly a week after the disappearance, Stern’s father organized a search party to look for the teenager. Hundreds of people from the community volunteered to participate in the same but to no avail.
2) Her childhood friend Liam McAtasney told authorities she was suicidal
The Cinemaholic reported that while being questioned by authorities, Sarah Stern’s childhood friend Liam McAtasney told them she had suicidal tendencies. McAtasney’s mother, Megan, informed authorities that Stern once told her younger daughter that she desired to move away from New Jersey.
“She [Sarah Stern] had expressed that to my daughter that she wanted to move to either Canada or California, and Liam told me that that was something that she was going to be doing in the future,” Megan McAtasney said, according to ABC News.
3) Truth about Sarah Stern’s disappearance was revealed in a chilling confession
About a month after Stern was reported missing, her childhood friend Liam McAtasney allegedly confessed to an amateur filmmaker, Anthony Curry, that he murdered her. Curry reported the same to authorities and cooperated for a sting operation. He secretly recorded a video of McAtasney in his car while he admitted to murdering the 19-year-old.
In the recorded confession, McAtasney admitted choking Stern for about a half-hour to kill her. He then robbed her of a few thousand dollars. He enlisted his former roommate Preston Taylor’s assistance to load the body in her car, driving it to the bridge over the Shark River. The two then tossed her body into the river, never to be found again.
4) Stern’s murder had been in the works for about six months
Liam McAtasney mentioned that the motive was financial. He revealed that he had been planning the murder for about six months after he saw Stern find a show-box full of cash left by her mother, who died of cancer in 2013. Along with the cash was a note in which her mother mentioned that she left the money as an inheritance.
According to ABC News, McAtasney claimed he had expected more money, but she only had $10,000.
“The worst part of it is I thought I was walking out [with] $50,000 to $100,000 in my pocket. She had one safe that she took money out [of], and she only had $10,000,” he said.
5) Preston Taylor pleaded guilty and testified against Liam McAtasney
A father’s relief as jury convicts Liam McAtasney on all 7 counts for the robbery/murder of daughter Sarah Stern in the 8th week of trial @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/sYeIATBn2W
The Daily Beast reported that Taylor accepted a plea deal and agreed to testify against the killer, McAtasney. As part of the deal, he pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, and second-degree desecrating human remains, among other charges. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He will become eligible for parole in 2032.
On the other hand, Liam McAtasney was found guilty on seven counts, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, desecrating human remains, and tampering with evidence, in February 2019. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in June 2019.
Sarah Stern’s murder case will feature on Dateline: Unforgettable’s upcoming episode this Wednesday at 8 pm ET on Oxygen.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn