The Case of Sarah Stern

Sarah Stern, 19, was murdered by her childhood friend Liam McAtasney at her home in Neptune City, New Jersey, on December 2, 2016. McAtasney strangled Stern during a robbery motivated by her inheritance and enlisted his roommate Preston Taylor to help dispose of her body. Her abandoned car was found on a bridge the following day, but her remains have never been recovered.

Sarah Stern was a 19-year-old college student from Neptune City, New Jersey. She had grown up in the area and had known Liam McAtasney since childhood. The two had attended school together and belonged to the same close group of friends. Stern's mother had died from cancer in 2013, leaving Sarah with an inheritance. She kept money from the inheritance in a lockbox at her home. According to prosecutors, McAtasney learned about Sarah's money in 2016 and began planning to steal it. McAtasney was living with Preston Taylor, another childhood friend of Sarah's who had previously been her junior prom date. Prosecutors alleged that what began as a plan to rob Sarah eventually developed into a plan to kill her.

On December 2, 2016, McAtasney went to Sarah's home in Neptune City. According to evidence presented at trial, he attacked Sarah and strangled her to death. He then stole property and money belonging to her. McAtasney contacted Taylor and enlisted his help in disposing of Sarah's body. The two men transported Sarah's body to the Route 35 Bridge over the Shark River between Neptune and Belmar. They threw her body from the bridge into the water. Her body was never recovered. The men then left Sarah's vehicle on the bridge, leaving the keys inside, in an attempt to make the disappearance appear to be a suicide.

Sarah was reported missing after she failed to return home. In the early morning hours of December 3, police discovered her abandoned vehicle on the Route 35 Bridge. Because the vehicle had been left on a bridge over the Shark River, investigators initially considered the possibility that Sarah had jumped into the water. The investigation soon expanded beyond a missing-person case. Police questioned people close to Sarah, including McAtasney and Taylor. Taylor eventually admitted his involvement and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. In April 2017, Taylor pleaded guilty to charges related to the robbery, conspiracy and disposal of Sarah's remains. Taylor told investigators that McAtasney had killed Sarah and that he had helped dispose of her body. A second major breakthrough came through a sting operation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. In January 2017, investigators secretly recorded McAtasney during a conversation with his friend Anthony Curry. Prosecutors argued that McAtasney confessed during the conversation, describing his involvement in Sarah's murder and the disposal of her body. Investigators also recovered evidence connecting McAtasney to Sarah's stolen money. McAtasney was arrested and charged with murder, robbery, conspiracy and offenses relating to the concealment and disposal of Sarah's remains. At trial, McAtasney denied responsibility and his defense argued that Sarah could have disappeared voluntarily or committed suicide. The prosecution relied heavily on Taylor's testimony, the secretly recorded conversation and other evidence establishing the robbery and murder.

On February 26, 2019, a Monmouth County jury found Liam McAtasney guilty of first-degree murder and all other major charges against him. He was convicted of seven counts, including murder, robbery, conspiracy, desecration of human remains, tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension. On June 21, 2019, McAtasney was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus a consecutive 10-year sentence for desecration of human remains. Preston Taylor, who cooperated with prosecutors and testified against McAtasney, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the robbery and disposal of Sarah's remains. Sarah's remains have never been found.

The case became notable as a no-body murder prosecution, with McAtasney convicted largely through the testimony of his accomplice, a secretly recorded conversation and other circumstantial evidence despite Sarah's remains never being recovered. It was also particularly disturbing because McAtasney and Sarah had known each other since childhood, and prosecutors established that he had planned the robbery and killing in order to obtain money from her inheritance.