Deceased/Not Found NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 #3 *Guilty*

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A few things stood out

LM acts as though he was ready for a police visit when they initially arrived in the wee hours after car is phoned in to police.
~doesn’t ask what’s going on ? what happened? before “yeah, come on in”. Never asked “is she okay, what happened what’s going on?” Starts right in with the version of his story.
LM seems way to passive during all questioning. Not a lot of questions for the police or confusion from his end.
PT cries when the detectives initially question him. Plus, I believe PT could have confided in his mother from LM’s words in AC video.

Few Q’s: (stuck on my brain)
Why LM stops trusting PT. Moves money.
Why did SS move those storage containers?
Why does LM spill like that to AC and won’t tell the truth now? Will he eventually?
Did LM quit his job right after?
Why not show the footage of arrest?

Is it the case that 20/20 strives to remain objective in its presentation?
 
Fairtrade said:
A few things stood out

LM acts as though he was ready for a police visit when they initially arrived in the wee hours after car is phoned in to police.
~doesn’t ask what’s going on ? what happened? before “yeah, come on in”. Never asked “is she okay, what happened what’s going on?” Starts right in with the version of his story.
LM seems way to passive during all questioning. Not a lot of questions for the police or confusion from his end.
PT cries when the detectives initially question him. Plus, I believe PT could have confided in his mother from LM’s words in AC video.

Few Q’s: (stuck on my brain)

Why LM stops trusting PT. Moves money.
PT reportedly confessed quicker than normal. He was probably showing signs of being on the edge that made LM uneasy.
Why did SS move those storage containers?
I believe SS was having teenage angst of her father dating, and allegedly moved keepsakes of her Mum for safekeeping to trusted neighbor. I also don't believe there was anything more than typical parent teen friction here and NOT what LM attempted to portray of their father/daughter relationship.
Why does LM spill like that to AC and won’t tell the truth now? Will he eventually?
LM spills with AC because of his psychopathy/narc self belief he is smarter than others, and in control of AC. He first pitched his plan to AC prior to killing SS. He then denies AC a loan, and leaves him with veiled threat that PT might kill him because he has knowledge.
Did LM quit his job right after?
Not sure?? LM believed he was coming into some money and may have even given notice prior to murder as he was allegedly a conscientious, good employee. Wore his mask well....
Why not show the footage of arrest?
Arrest footage may not have been available to media at time of 20/20 filming. Also, we know that LM was already under advice of counsel when arrested.
Is it the case that 20/20 strives to remain objective in its presentation?
Click to expand...
Good observations.
See above. MOO
 
Convicted murderer's mom: My son didn't kill Sarah Stern

March 2, 2019

"NEPTUNE CITY — Liam McAtasney's mother does not believe her son is capable of killing anyone, including Sarah Stern....

Interviewed for an ABC News "20/20" two-hour special, Megan McAtasney said she thought her son's words in the video were only an act.

"Liam doesn't speak about things lightheartedly. That was not Liam to me describing an actual murder. That's not the tone he uses about something serious. It was an act," she said.

"With every bone in my body I do not believe Liam is capable of killing Sarah Stern who he loved and adored. I do not think Liam is capable of killing anybody," she said on the show, which aired Friday.

Up until her son was charged, McAtasney's mother said she thought Sarah Stern had run away.

"We grew up at the beach and when somebody goes in the water they wash up somewhere. And when Sarah didn't wash up anywhere it gave us hope that maybe she had run away," she said.

Megan McAtasney thought that Stern was running away because she had been moving her belongings into the homes of trusted friends. Her son had told investigators that Stern had thought about moving to Canada and that she had previously entertained suicidal thoughts and had a rocky relationship with her father, who was on vacation in Florida at the time of her disappearance.

"All these things were making sense and for some reason she felt she couldn't tell any of us," McAtasney's mother said. "That's what I was thinking and that's why I didn't understand why my son was being charged."...

He faces life in prison with no chance of parole at his sentencing on May 24."

Liam McAtasney's mom: My son didn't kill Sarah Stern
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Sarah Stern murder: 10 things we learned from the ‘20/20’ documentary (with clip)

March 2, 2019

"The ABC newsmagazine program “20/20” presented a two-hour documentary Friday night about the murder of Sarah Stern, which included interviews with a number of important figures on both sides of the trial that ended earlier this week when a jury found Liam McAtasney guilty of all charges in the killing of his childhood friend....

Here are 10 compelling observations from the documentary, which provided insight into the events of the past two years, which began for authorities in Monmouth County when Stern’s 1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight was found abandoned atop the Route 35 bridge over the Shark River, between Neptune and Belmar on Dec. 3, 2016:..."

https://www.app.com/story/news/crim...ings-we-learned-20-20-documentary/3037390002/
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New Jersey town rocked with Sarah Stern's mysterious disappearance: Part 1

Mar 2, 2019

"WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 20/20: 20/20: With Friends Like These Watch Full Episode | 03/01/2019

Stern, a 19-year-old athlete and artist, is reported missing after her car was found abandoned on a bridge over the Shark River on Dec. 3, 2016."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah Stern case investigators question Sarah's friends: Part 2

"After her 2016 disappearance, police talk to Liam McAtasney, Stern's close friend, who tells them she hadn't been happy and wanted to move to Canada."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Community comes together to search for Sarah Stern: Part 3

"Police continue to speak with Liam McAtasney, the last known person to see Stern alive. Her family organizes a search and police look at surveillance video."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
No leads three days into search for Sarah Stern: Part 4

"WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 20/20: 20/20: With Friends Like These Watch Full Episode | 03/01/2019

Liam McAtasney, a close friend of Stern's and the last known person to see her alive, stops talking to police and gets a lawyer. Police discover something about Sarah."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
YESorNO said:
Sarah Stern murder: 10 things we learned from the ‘20/20’ documentary (with clip)

March 2, 2019

"The ABC newsmagazine program “20/20” presented a two-hour documentary Friday night about the murder of Sarah Stern, which included interviews with a number of important figures on both sides of the trial that ended earlier this week when a jury found Liam McAtasney guilty of all charges in the killing of his childhood friend....

Here are 10 compelling observations from the documentary, which provided insight into the events of the past two years, which began for authorities in Monmouth County when Stern’s 1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight was found abandoned atop the Route 35 bridge over the Shark River, between Neptune and Belmar on Dec. 3, 2016:..."

Sarah Stern murder: 10 things we learned from the ‘20/20’ documentary
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Click to expand...
There were some new details with the 20/20 show.
 
Gardenista said:
I wish we could see all of the video evidence they presented at the trial.
Click to expand...
I have wondered if some video or info that we knew about but didn't make it in 20/20 was held back intentionally. Like they never discussed in depth the idiot who swore he and son saw Sarah, and error in dates or convo with LE. It would have been 3 hrs if everything was included .
 
YESorNO said:
Convicted murderer's mom: My son didn't kill Sarah Stern

March 2, 2019

"NEPTUNE CITY — Liam McAtasney's mother does not believe her son is capable of killing anyone, including Sarah Stern....

Interviewed for an ABC News "20/20" two-hour special, Megan McAtasney said she thought her son's words in the video were only an act.

"Liam doesn't speak about things lightheartedly. That was not Liam to me describing an actual murder. That's not the tone he uses about something serious. It was an act," she said.

"With every bone in my body I do not believe Liam is capable of killing Sarah Stern who he loved and adored. I do not think Liam is capable of killing anybody," she said on the show, which aired Friday.

Up until her son was charged, McAtasney's mother said she thought Sarah Stern had run away.

"We grew up at the beach and when somebody goes in the water they wash up somewhere. And when Sarah didn't wash up anywhere it gave us hope that maybe she had run away," she said.

Megan McAtasney thought that Stern was running away because she had been moving her belongings into the homes of trusted friends. Her son had told investigators that Stern had thought about moving to Canada and that she had previously entertained suicidal thoughts and had a rocky relationship with her father, who was on vacation in Florida at the time of her disappearance.

"All these things were making sense and for some reason she felt she couldn't tell any of us," McAtasney's mother said. "That's what I was thinking and that's why I didn't understand why my son was being charged."...

He faces life in prison with no chance of parole at his sentencing on May 24."

Liam McAtasney's mom: My son didn't kill Sarah Stern
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
Mother clearly never knew her son. Or knew him and will protect him at ALL costs . Neptune City getting mighty small.
 
Sarah Stern's murder's mom says her boy didn't do this

The mother of convicted murderer Liam McAtasney says her son didn't kill Sarah Stern. Last week a jury in Monmouth County came to a different conclusion. Liam McAtasney was convicted of the December 2016 murder of his friend Sarah and sentenced to life in prison. It's only natural that a mother would not want to believe that her own son would be capable of such a heinous crime. But with the testimony of his roommate and his own video admission of the act, his fate has been sealed.

You can't imagine being in her position. A son you raised and known to be a good, decent, normal kid, could do such a thing, and to a friend. The fact that he so calmly cooperated with the authorities, even helping in the search shortly after her disappearance. If not for his classmate and friend coming forward with the story of Liam's bizarre tale of a similar story a week before it happened and his cooperation with authorities to get Liam to spill his guts, this murder may have never been solved. The whole story was expertly laid out by ABC's 20/20 broadcast this past Friday night. If you haven't seen it, go on demand and find it. There's no re-enactment. The whole thing was chronicled from the beginning by the Neptune City Police and the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office.

After watching you have to wonder how any lawyer could defend this monster. But every person in our society that's accused of a crime deserves a defense and Carlos Diaz-Cobo, his attorney, did his best to provide that. You have to wonder with the evidence presented, how he continued on, but he did to the best of his ability. But to continue on as a mother, Megan McAtasney has to cling to some hope and belief that the boy she raised couldn't possibly be capable of the horror and pain he inflicted, not only on Sarah, but on an entire community and humanity as a whole. This crime and how and why it was acted out is more painful than any of us could bare, especially the mother of the convicted killer. No wonder she's in denial.

And what of Sarah's father Michael Stern. The pain he's endured can only be described as unbearable, yet he carries on, and one only wonders how. Our hearts went out to him from the very beginning. We found this video from our site on his Facebook page

That was recorded when there was still some shred of hope for a better ending to this story. It's a snapshot in time just like the facebook pages of people involved.
Sarah's Facebook page is still there. So is Liam's with the most recent post of people wishing him a happy birthday in July of 2016.

There's no sense that can be made of any of this, other than to know that evil can lurk anywhere among us. But with the outpouring of love and caring from all of the people that watched this story unfold, there is incredible good in this world too. Hopefully enough to heal all of the people in Sarah's life who loved and miss her.


Sarah Stern's murderer's mom says her boy didn't do it
 
Last edited:
A lengthy but very interesting read. Wish I could forward to
LM's mum.

When Your Child Is a Psychopath

Psychopaths have always been with us. Indeed, certain psychopathic traits have survived because they’re useful in small doses: the cool dispassion of a surgeon, the tunnel vision of an Olympic athlete, the ambitious narcissism of many a politician. But when these attributes exist in the wrong combination or in extreme forms, they can produce a dangerously antisocial individual, or even a cold-blooded killer. Only in the past quarter century have researchers zeroed in on the early signs that indicate a child could be the next Ted Bundy.
[...]
Researchers believe that two paths can lead to psychopathy: one dominated by nature, the other by nurture.
[...]
A trained eye can spot a callous and unemotional child by age 3 or 4. Whereas normally developing children at that age grow agitated when they see other children cry—and either try to comfort them or bolt the scene—these kids show a chilly detachment. In fact, psychologists may even be able to trace these traits back to infancy. Researchers at King’s College London tested more than 200 five-week-old babies, tracking whether they preferred looking at a person’s face or at a red ball. Those who favored the ball displayed more callous traits two and a half years later.

As a child gets older, more-obvious warning signs appear. Kent Kiehl, a psychologist at the University of New Mexico and the author of The Psychopath Whisperer, says that one scary harbinger occurs when a kid who is 8, 9, or 10 years old commits a transgression or a crime while alone, without the pressure of peers. This reflects an interior impulse toward harm. Criminal versatility—committing different types of crimes in different settings—can also hint at future psychopathy.
[...]
The first abnormality appears in the limbic system, the set of brain structures involved in, among other things, processing emotions. In a psychopath’s brain, this area contains less gray matter. “It’s like a weaker muscle,” Kiehl says. A psychopath may understand, intellectually, that what he is doing is wrong, but he doesn’t feel it. “Psychopaths know the words but not the music” is how Kiehl describes it. “They just don’t have the same circuitry.”

bbm
 
Sarah Stern murder: On her birthday, father says 'She should have been here with us'

NEPTUNE — The flowers and balloons caught in the wind as Sarah Stern's father stood at her memorial on Sunday, on the Route 35 bridge where the young woman's body was thrown into the Shark River in 2016.

The sunny afternoon would have marked Sarah's 22nd birthday, but she was murdered in December, 2016, and her death made to look like a suicide.

Flowers surrounded Sarah Stern's memorial. A white angel rested atop her white-framed portrait. Michael Stern, her father, wiped tears from his eyes and tied balloons to the bridge railing.

"I miss Sarah," said Michael Stern, of Neptune City. "But this is a nice tribute to her. She should have been here with us."

Liam McAtasney, 21, of Neptune City, her childhood friend, was found guilty of her murder last month. His former roommate, Preston Taylor, pleaded guilty to helping McAtasney rob Stern. Taylor admitted helping throw Stern's body off the bridge and help to create the impression that she had committed suicide, all for a 30 percent cut of the robbery proceeds, or $3,000.

"We do have justice for Sarah," Michael Stern said. "That’s a good thing. A very good thing.”

Sentencing of both men is scheduled for May 24.

Sarah's body was never recovered. For more than two years, this shrine has existed on the Route 35 bridge, but Sunday it was resplendent with balloons and fresh flowers, most of them purple — Sarah's favorite color.

“Her heart will live on forever and ever," Michael Stern said.

The wind across the bridge tore at the balloons, sailing one after another into the sky.

"We love you, Sarah," Michael Stern said as one broke free. "That one's really going to Heaven ... free as the wind blows."

He stopped at his daughter's portrait and kissed it.

"Hey Sarah," he said. "Rest in peace, baby."

Sarah Stern murder: On her birthday, father says 'She should have been here with us'
 
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