Bridge of Lies: The Trial

[0:00] This is Deborah Roberts here with another weekly episode of our latest true crime series from 2020 [0:05] and ABC Audio, Bridge of Lies. Remember, you can get new episodes early by following Bridge of [0:11] Lies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you're listening now. Now, here's the [0:19] next episode of Bridge of Lies. Ladies and gentlemen, as you're aware, this is the trial [0:29] on the matter of state of New Jersey versus Liam McItasney. It's a date 17. It's January 2019, [0:35] more than two years since Sarah Stern's car was found abandoned on the Belmar Bridge. [0:41] Liam McItasney is now standing trial on seven charges, including first-degree murder, robbery, [0:48] and desecrating human remains. He could face life in prison if he's convicted. The wood-paneled [0:54] courtroom fits a little over 50 people, and today, it's packed. Michael Stern and Sarah's [1:02] friends and family are on one side, the McItasney family on the other. Monmouth County Assistant [1:09] Prosecutor Megan Doyle takes the floor to give the state's opening statement. [1:15] Ladies and gentlemen, Sarah Stern will not be walking through those doors into this courtroom [1:21] at any point. She will never send her father another text. She will never hug him or tell him [1:28] she loves him. Her friends and family will never get to enjoy her company, her smile, her laugh, [1:36] or being with her. That's not because she drove to the top of the Route 35 bridge in Belmar. [1:42] It's not because she disappeared to Canada, created some false identity, and is living her best life. [1:49] It's because this defendant's murder path. Doyle walks the court through the kind of evidence [1:58] they should expect to see over the next few weeks of trial, including testimony from two close [2:03] friends of Liam. One, she claims, helped Liam plan Sarah's murder. The other, she says, [2:09] helped police record Liam describing how he did it. But Liam's attorney, Carlos Diaz-Cobo, [2:18] urges the jury to be skeptical, to question the evidence, and just how little of it, he argues, [2:24] there actually is. Trials very much are like a puzzle, crossword puzzle, if you will. And there has [2:34] to be pieces that fit in order for that puzzle to reveal itself to you. And in this case, throughout [2:43] the entire trial, you will be asking yourselves, that doesn't fit. This doesn't. Something's not right. [2:52] Something's missing. He says there isn't enough to show Liam had anything to do with his 19-year-old [3:01] friend Sarah's disappearance. Like the lack of physical evidence, he says if Sarah was harmed, [3:08] why was nothing found at her house or in her car? No blood, no urine, no fingerprints. [3:15] The defense argues there isn't enough evidence to support the testimony the court will hear from [3:21] the prosecution's key witnesses. So Diaz-Cobo says that what the jury should expect to hear from [3:28] these witnesses are lies. And if the state's evidence doesn't give you a complete picture [3:37] and firmly convince you that Liam is guilty, you must find it not guilty. Sarah's case has been a dark [3:50] cloud over her family and friends, especially her father, Michael. The trial will bring to light new [3:57] details about the investigation that at this point have never been heard. The prosecution says she [4:04] was murdered by her childhood friend, someone she trusted, who they say spent months planning how he'd [4:11] kill her and steal her money. But the defense says that couldn't be true. Sarah wasn't dead because they [4:20] have someone who says they saw her the day she went missing. From ABC Audio and 2020, this is Bridge of Lies. [4:30] I'm Juju Chang. Episode 6, The Trial. [4:37] Your right hand. Do solemnly swear or affirm the testimony you give, shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing about the truth? [4:53] I do. The first person to take the stand is Liam's old roommate, turned lead witness. [5:01] Preston Taylor agreed to testify against Liam as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for a lighter sentence, a maximum of 20 years in state prison. [5:19] He pled guilty to six charges, including robbery and desecrating human remains. Now 21, he's wearing a blue suit and matching tie. [5:29] His short brown hair is neatly combed back, but he still has a five o'clock shadow. On the stand, he seems calm. [5:37] Prosecutors plan to use Preston to lay the groundwork for the state's case. But Assistant Prosecutor Chris Decker says, despite the evidence, this might not be an easy win. They're facing a unique challenge. [5:51] We're still dealing with a case where we had not recovered Sarah's body. So the way I always looked at Preston is that we want to also have them hear from Preston to say, like, [6:00] Listen, I found her in a bathroom and she was dead. I hid her. I then helped him put her in her own car. He drove her to the bridge and then we threw her off. [6:11] I mean, to me, there's something that was very helpful to be able to present someone who touched her body and could say that she was dead. [6:22] The prosecution wants Preston to start at the very beginning. And for them, the beginning is when Preston says he first learned that Sarah had found some money, a lot of money. [6:34] Preston testifies that Liam told him about the money when they were at home, but nothing more came of it. [6:42] The next time Liam mentioned the money, Preston tells the jury they were with friends at the Irish pub where he used to work. [6:49] Towards the end of his shift, as things were slowing down, Preston testifies that Liam and a couple of friends came by to hang out. [6:57] At some point in time, you go sit down with them and the money comes up. [7:02] Yes. [7:04] You said that Mr. McTazzy made a specific comment at that table. And what was that? [7:09] That it was the type of money that somebody would kill for. [7:11] It was the type of money somebody would kill for. [7:16] Preston testifies that he doesn't know if their friends knew about the money. [7:21] Liam immediately dropped it and Preston didn't ask any questions. [7:25] After that, Preston tells the court they'd only talk about the money whenever he and Liam were alone. [7:31] What a huge amount it was and what they could do with it. [7:35] Eventually, Preston tells the jury their conversations changed from daydreaming to scheming. [7:43] The conversation evolved into, well, what if we did have that type of money, specifically her money? [7:50] And that was when the idea to rob her came about. [7:57] He testifies that at first the plan was just to rob her. [8:02] They spent weeks planning how to do it. [8:04] And then Preston tells the jury something surprising. [8:08] That he and Liam actually did try to rob Sarah. [8:12] One month before she went missing. [8:15] Liam had gone over to Sarah's house with a six-pack of white bar lemonade. [8:20] He went over, they were hanging out, started drinking. [8:23] And the plan was that she would be drunk. [8:26] I would come in, take the money and leave. [8:31] On the witness stand, Preston says he was down the street in a getaway car with his walkie-talkie, waiting for Liam's signal. [8:38] But that night, they found out Sarah didn't have the money in her house anymore. [8:43] She'd put it in a safety deposit box at Kearney Bank. [8:47] So they came up with a new plan. [8:50] Preston testifies that Liam was going to convince Sarah they should plan a trip to Canada together to get her to withdraw the money. [8:57] But the roommates realized they couldn't just take Sarah's money. [9:02] If they wanted to get away with it, they needed to do something more drastic. [9:07] They started off as plans to either burglarize her house or to rob her personally. [9:14] And over time, the conversations progressed to killing her in order to obtain the money. [9:22] Where did that idea come from? [9:24] We didn't see any way that we would be able to commit a burglary or robbery without everything coming back on us. [9:34] Preston tells the court that they wanted to make Sarah's death look like a suicide. [9:42] When Liam and Sarah were alone, Preston testifies that the plan was for Liam to kill her and take her money. [9:50] Then he and Preston would throw her body over the Belmar Bridge. [9:56] He testifies that they even timed how long it would take to drive from Sarah's house to the bridge and then go home. [10:04] So about a month after the first attempt to rob Sarah, Preston tells the jury that Liam put this new, more deadly plan into action. [10:15] And a warning, his account of the murder is graphic. [10:19] Does he ever more specifically tell you about what he did to Sarah earlier that afternoon? [10:26] Yeah, he went into detail about how he killed her, so that he strangled her. [10:32] But it took quite a while for her to actually stop breathing. [10:39] And a half hour in the process, when she started throwing up, he stuffed a scarf down her throat. [10:47] And all the while, she said his name a couple of times. [10:53] Those horrifying details may sound familiar. [10:56] They align pretty closely with what Liam told his friend, Anthony Curry, when they met in his car, while police were recording. [11:06] As Preston walks through his version of what happened, the court camera briefly cuts to Sarah's dad, Michael Stern. [11:13] At one point, Michael looks down and closes his eyes. [11:17] A few people reach over to squeeze his shoulder. [11:21] It's harder to see Liam. [11:23] He's just a few feet away from Preston as he testifies. [11:27] But his back is toward the camera the entire time. [11:30] We only catch glimpses of his face. [11:32] He seems focused as his old friend lays out their darkest secrets. [11:37] Preston describes to the jury what happened when they got to the bridge and threw her body over. [11:45] Liam lifts her top half up, puts her over. [11:48] I push her feet over. [11:52] On the way down, there's a metal bang. [11:55] Leave. [11:56] We'll get back to the car. [11:58] Back in the driver's seat. [11:59] He gets in the passenger seat and take off. [12:03] This is when the prosecution argues their mission goes from crime to cover up. [12:09] Preston testifies they knew police would question them, so he and Liam had their stories ready to go. [12:15] Remember how they both said Sarah had a bad relationship with her father? [12:19] That she was depressed and that she wanted to move to Canada to get away from him. [12:24] According to Preston's testimony, that was all part of the plan. [12:28] Were there certain things that you told the police because he told you to? [12:34] Yeah, it had been close that he told me to let the police know that she had been falling out with their dad. [12:43] They've been having some arguments recently and some other things to just make her look unstable. [12:49] The kind of stuff that would make her look like she would actually commit suicide. [12:54] So Preston testifies that he and Liam mapped out every step of Sarah's murder, [13:05] from how'd they get her to withdraw the money from the bank, [13:08] to timing a practice run at the bridge. [13:11] It was all calculated. [13:13] But when it's time for the defense to cross-examine Preston, [13:16] Liam's attorney, Carlos Diaz-Cobo, questions his credibility. [13:21] He warns the jury, [13:24] Don't trust what Preston Taylor tells you. [13:27] He says Preston lied to investigators when they interviewed him after Sarah's disappearance, [13:33] and again after his arrest. [13:36] The defense questions Preston about a statement he made while in custody. [13:41] Preston initially told investigators that he was sexually assaulted as a child. [13:45] But when detectives said they were going to look into his allegations, [13:49] he took back his claim. [13:51] I made up a story about me being sexually assaulted with a child. [13:57] Just looking for a sympathy vote in the courtroom. [14:02] In an interview with ABC News in 2019, Diaz-Cobo said it's strange that Preston would lie about something like that. [14:12] Why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense. [14:16] I think that when you have a 19-year-old boy who's put inside an interrogation room and told that you're about to be charged with murder, [14:26] I think that he panicked and didn't know what to do. [14:30] In court, he argues that Preston has a history of lying. [14:34] The defense suggests that if Preston's lied in the past, who's to say he's telling the truth on the stand? [14:40] The prosecution pushes back. [14:44] They remind the jury that Preston's cooperation agreement hinges on Preston telling the truth. [14:50] Or else, he could be facing felony murder charges. [14:54] Over the next couple of weeks, the prosecution calls more witnesses. [15:01] Michael Stearns in the court every day. [15:04] Listening to things no parent should ever have to hear about their child. [15:09] Until it's his turn to take the stand. [15:13] Raise your right hand. [15:16] It's his chance to address the claims Liam and Preston made about his relationship with his teenage daughter. [15:23] Michael Stearns, S-T-E-R-N. [15:29] Michael's wearing a black sweater over a gray plaid shirt that's peeking through the collar. [15:34] His bright blue eyes stand out, even behind his glasses. [15:38] Assistant Prosecutor Megan Doyle starts her questioning by asking about Sarah's mother, Carla. [15:45] Michael testifies that Carla was sick for six years before passing away. [15:51] At any point during those six years, did you worry about Sarah's well-being? [15:57] No. [15:58] Did you think she would hurt herself at all? [16:00] No. [16:02] What about after Carla died? [16:05] She had some periods of sadness, but other than that, she seemed to be okay. [16:12] Doyle asks Michael about Sarah's career ambitions. [16:16] Sarah had been attending Brookdale Community College, but later dropped out. [16:20] She wanted to be an artist and she wanted to stick with the YouTube cherry. [16:26] Michael testifies that he was supportive of Sarah pursuing YouTube as a full-time career. [16:32] He knew how into social media she was and how much she loved going to fan conventions. [16:38] He also tells the court that he knew how much Sarah wanted to move to Canada. [16:44] Did you have a problem with her going to Canada? [16:47] No. [16:48] Did you have a problem with her wanting to pursue this as a career? [16:51] No. [16:52] I thought it was a good idea. [16:54] Michael testifies that he and Sarah talked about how she could make the move. [16:58] He suggested she go back to school, then transfer to a university in Canada and get a student work visa. [17:04] Sarah's aunt testified a few days earlier that the goal was for Sarah to move that summer. [17:10] It would give her enough time to save up, get a job, and find a place to live. [17:15] It's why she was moving boxes of her things. [17:18] She was getting ready for her big move. [17:20] Was she happy, sad, excited? [17:23] She was happy. [17:24] Sometimes she was excited about, you know, planning trips and stuff like that. [17:28] At any point during this time period, were you worried about your daughter? [17:32] No. [17:33] Did you have concerns about her well-being? [17:34] No. [17:36] So there was some truth to what Liam told investigators. [17:39] The prosecution wants the jury to know that Sarah did have plans to move to Canada. [17:44] Because she was a 19-year-old girl with dreams of building a future there. [17:49] She wanted to move to Canada to be an artist, not to run away from her dad. [17:54] To further prove that Sarah and her dad had a strong, loving relationship, prosecutors had Michael read some of their text messages. [18:07] Doyle asks Michael about Thanksgiving 2016. [18:12] He and Sarah were spending the holiday separately. [18:15] Sarah with her aunt in Florida and Michael in New Jersey. [18:19] But they were constantly texting each other. [18:22] The prosecution pulls up their text exchange from that day on the TV monitor. [18:27] The messages are shown on pictures of Michael's blue iPhone. [18:31] His texts show up blue, indicating Sarah's phone received them. [18:35] Sarah sent Michael a message early that morning, wishing him a happy Thanksgiving, and said she'd call him later. [18:43] Michael reads his reply back to the court. [18:46] Happy Thanksgiving, Sarah Lee Stern, and I love you. [18:49] And there's a bunch of turkeys and barts and smiley faces. [18:54] The prosecution shows more of their messages. [18:58] Texts about watching the National Dog Show. [19:00] A photo of Buddy, their dog. [19:03] What time Michael would need to pick Sarah up from the airport. [19:07] Soon after Sarah came back from Florida, Michael drove down to Disney World. [19:12] And did you have contact with your daughter while you were in Disney? [19:17] Yes. [19:18] Was there anything about your interaction with her prior to her leaving that had you worried? [19:22] No. [19:23] The prosecution pulls up the last text message Sarah sent Michael before she disappeared. [19:30] She replied to the photo he'd sent her of Cinderella's castle and said, [19:35] Wow, the castle looks so pretty with the lights. [19:40] Every message Michael sent after that shows up green, meaning Sarah's phone either had no service or was turned off. [19:50] Over the next few hours, Michael was desperately texting Sarah. [19:54] And each message got more and more frantic. [19:57] Sarah, are you up? [20:00] Sarah, what's going on? [20:01] Then, in all caps, call me as soon as you get this message. [20:06] Mr. Stern, the phone that we looked at with the pictures, where's that phone now? [20:15] My phone. [20:17] Right, your phone. [20:18] Do you still have that? [20:19] Yes. [20:21] Doyle is referring to the phone Michael was using when Sarah went missing, the one that appeared on the monitor when the prosecution was presenting his text messages. [20:30] Did you turn that phone in when you upgraded it? [20:34] Why? [20:37] I got all the texts and messages from Sarah. [20:40] Could you have saved them? [20:44] I don't know. [20:45] I know people have tried to transfer things and they've lost all the pictures and information, texts and contacts. [20:52] And I just didn't want to take the chance. [20:54] The chance that the last words his daughter sent him, the whole history of their communication, could be lost in some tech issue. [21:04] Doyle continues her questioning, but Michael just stares forward. [21:09] He reaches for the tissue box in front of him, removes his glasses and wipes his eyes. [21:17] Doyle asks Michael about Liam. [21:20] If he ever reached out when Sarah was missing, did he ever call or check in? [21:25] Did he ever ask what he could do to help find his daughter? [21:29] Michael says no. [21:35] Can you see Liam in court today? [21:36] Yes. [21:37] Can you point him out for me? [21:38] Right there at the defendant's table. [21:41] It's the first and only time Michael addresses Liam. [21:46] He points directly at him over the stand and Liam just stares down at the defendant's table. [21:52] When he's dismissed, Michael doesn't return to a seat in the audience. [21:56] He heads straight to the door and leaves the courtroom as people in the audience wipe their eyes. [22:03] The story of what might have happened to Sarah Stern is coming together for the jury. [22:12] But both sides have yet to present their star witnesses. [22:15] For the prosecution, Liam's former friend Anthony Curry, who went undercover to record him talking about Sarah's death. [22:23] And the defense, an eyewitness who says he saw Sarah alive the morning after she was reported missing. [22:32] A couple of days after Michael Stern gives his testimony, the prosecution calls Anthony Curry to the stand. [22:49] Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you give shall be the truth on the truth and that they brought the truth? [22:54] Yes. [22:56] Filmmaker, Jersey Shore native, and Liam's old friend, the one who got him to talk about murdering Sarah Stern on tape. [23:06] In a lot of trials, Preston, the accomplice, would be the star witness, the main attraction. [23:12] But in this case, he's sharing the spotlight because not only will prosecutors have Anthony tell the court what Liam did, [23:19] his testimony will allow them to play a recording of Liam describing in his own words what he did to Sarah. [23:27] Now, you know him from high school. Were you guys friends? [23:30] Yes. [23:32] Good friends? [23:33] Yes. [23:35] Anthony's answers are gruff. [23:38] He looks uncomfortable on the stand. [23:41] He's biting his lip and tapping his foot. [23:43] He's constantly reaching for the water bottle in front of him. [23:47] Anthony can't seem to sit still. [23:49] Why are you here? [23:52] I'm not doing anything. [23:54] On the stand, Anthony says he's doing the right thing. [24:00] The last time he saw Liam was two years ago, when Liam got into his car and told him how he killed Sarah. [24:10] And it was all caught on tape. [24:12] At the time, the video had never been made public. [24:16] Doyle pulls out a white envelope. [24:19] I'm going to show you what's been marked with S-82. [24:22] Do you recognize that? [24:23] Yes. [24:24] What is it? [24:26] The video of him telling me. [24:27] Right. [24:28] Your Honor, at this time, the state would like permission to play court exhibit two. [24:32] The lights in the courtroom dim and everyone's attention turns to the TV. [24:38] It's the first time the footage is being played publicly. [24:41] Not even Michael Stern has seen the tape. [24:44] Doyle hits play. [24:52] The TV in the courtroom shows Anthony as he drives to meet Liam. [24:56] He's blasting Bad Reputation by Joan Jett on the radio. [25:00] Then the music stops. [25:02] Liam gets into the car. [25:05] Good morning. [25:07] How are you doing? [25:10] How are you doing? [25:11] Everyone in the courtroom hears the same shocking story investigators heard two years earlier. [25:17] The same details that surprised and horrified them. [25:21] How Liam wastes no time telling Anthony about how he killed Sarah that day. [25:26] How he spent six months plotting her murder. [25:29] How he strangled Sarah and took her money. [25:32] My biggest problem was the dog. [25:34] And her dog lived there and watched and killed her. [25:39] And how Preston helped him throw her body over the Belmar Bridge. [25:45] And the worst part is we threw her off the bridge and the body never showed up. [25:52] This might be frozen. [25:53] This might be moving. [25:56] Michael's head is down. [25:59] He's sobbing into his lap. [26:01] A friend has his arm wrapped around Michael's shoulders. [26:05] About half an hour later, the video ends and the courtroom lights brighten. [26:11] The prosecution hopes the video sent the jury a clear message. [26:15] Liam McItasney killed Sarah Stern. [26:19] There's a lot in that video that just tells a story. [26:23] Assistant prosecutor Chris Decker in his interview with ABC News in 2019. [26:29] Like, while in this case it's interesting that it's one of the few cases you're going to see where you don't have Sarah Stern's body, [26:38] which is obviously something that normally you would have in a homicide. [26:42] But I would say, based upon that video, we know more about how Sarah Stern died than we almost ever know in other cases where we have expert testimony as to cause a manner of death. [26:55] But the defense has a totally different interpretation of that video. [27:00] When he spoke to ABC News, Carlos Diaz-Cobo said that Liam made up this story about killing Sarah to impress Anthony. [27:10] This videotaped statement was made to an individual that he admired, somebody that has engaged in the business of filmmaking. [27:22] And so that's something that appealed to Liam. [27:25] He wanted to be in his world, so to speak. [27:29] He wanted to be a part of that filmmaking process and be in this individual's world. [27:36] In his cross-examination, the defense prompts Anthony to talk about his directing career. [27:43] He tells the court he's been making movies since he was eight years old, long before he met Liam. [27:49] He now has his own production company. [27:51] So how many times would you say that Liam gave you ideas for, or possible ideas for movies over the course of your friendship? [28:03] Be more than five? [28:04] I mean, yeah, we talked about movies all the time. [28:06] So it wasn't something that was uncommon for him to bring you ideas for movies, correct? [28:13] Yep. [28:15] Diaz-Cobo says this isn't the first time Liam's made up larger-than-life stories. [28:22] He points to something Anthony told police, that Liam had told stories about his father being in the mafia. [28:29] Do you remember you stating something to the effect that Liam told you stories about his father being in the mafia, even though you knew that he wasn't? [28:39] Do you remember that? [28:40] Yes. [28:42] So, he did make up things to you when he spoke to you, correct? [28:48] Sure. [28:49] The defense is trying to show that Liam is a storyteller, someone who's willing to create these shocking stories to impress others. [28:59] Diaz-Cobo in his interview with ABC News. [29:02] He tends to make up things in order to make himself be either tougher than he is or different than who he actually is. [29:12] And I think that that's something that is characteristic of Liam. [29:17] And according to Diaz-Cobo, beyond Liam wanting to impress his friend, there just isn't any physical evidence to prove what Liam said in that conversation was true. [29:29] There's no urine whatsoever found in any area of the residence. [29:35] There's no sign of any struggle in the house. [29:39] There was no blood found in the side of the house. [29:42] There was some testimony or part of the confession that says that at some point that she may have vomited. [29:49] But that, again, there's no evidence. [29:52] And so that lack of evidence tells me that the false statement or false confession that he gave Anthony Curry is absolutely false. [30:01] During cross-examinations, he asks each investigator that takes the stand if they found any kind of physical evidence that could prove Sarah was harmed. [30:12] They all said no. [30:13] And again, the biggest piece of physical evidence missing from this case is a body. [30:20] Since no body was recovered, could investigators really prove that Sarah was thrown over the Belmar Bridge? [30:28] Could anyone really be sure that Sarah was even dead? [30:32] After four weeks of trial, the prosecution rests. [30:44] Now it's the defense's turn to call up their bench of witnesses. [30:48] And they start with someone who might be their star witness. [30:51] Someone who the defense argues could put into question everything the court's heard so far. [30:57] Craig Hetzel is a contractor and a Neptune City local. [31:08] He has dark gray hair and a strong build. [31:11] He says he's been a handyman working along the Jersey Shore for almost 50 years. [31:16] Toward the end of 2016, he testifies that he was helping his son get to work every morning. [31:22] They had a routine. Craig would hit the road by 4.30 a.m., pick up his son, then head to work together. [31:30] They cross the Belmar Bridge every day to get to the highway. [31:35] On the morning of December 30, 2016, do you recall what time you picked up your son? [31:41] It was right around 5 o'clock or 5.05. [31:44] They took their usual route. [31:46] He tells the jury there are barely any cars out at that time. [31:50] Occasionally, he'd see a homeless person walking around. [31:53] But that morning, he says he saw someone who made him do a double-take. [31:58] A young woman walking down the street. [32:02] I said to my son, I said, that is an awfully good-looking girl to be walking on the street at 5 o'clock in the morning. [32:09] That girl did not want to be seen. [32:11] I got a good look right in her face, stared right into her eyes the way I'm looking at you right now. [32:16] And she turned her head that way and ducked down an alleyway. [32:20] They passed the young woman and kept driving toward the Belmar Bridge. [32:25] And then over the bridge on 35, and just before the top of the bridge, there was a car broken down on the side of the road. [32:33] Craig testifies that the woman was wearing a leather bomber jacket with a fur collar, a headscarf, and heels. [32:41] It was just so unusual to see somebody well-dressed that early in the morning. [32:47] Now, you've never seen this person before? [32:52] No. [32:53] Did you ever see this person after that baby? [32:57] The person who I thought I saw was a person in a picture. [33:02] A couple days later, Craig tells the court he was with his son when they stopped by a 7-Eleven. [33:09] And on the front door was a picture of the woman he spotted by the bridge. [33:14] I said, that's who we saw. That's who I saw that day. [33:19] Do you know what picture that was that you saw? [33:24] I would, if I saw it. [33:26] The defense pulls up a picture on the monitor. [33:31] It's Sarah's senior portrait. [33:33] She's wearing a black graduation drape. [33:36] She has a soft smile, her dimples showing. [33:39] That's it. [33:41] This is the picture that you saw? [33:43] That's it. [33:44] And sir, is this the individual that you saw on December 3 in the morning at approximately 5 o'clock? [33:52] I would have identified that person as that person, yes. [33:57] Craig is confident that the person he saw on the bridge that morning was Sarah. [34:04] So according to the defense, that would mean Liam and Preston did not throw her off the bridge the night before. [34:12] Could Sarah actually be alive? [34:14] Craig testifies that the young woman he saw didn't look like she wanted to be seen and ducked into the alley. [34:22] But when the prosecution starts their cross-examination, they question the accuracy of Craig's story. [34:29] Craig tells the court that when he saw news that Sarah was missing, he didn't go to the police to report what he saw. [34:37] He talked to a private investigator first. [34:40] The first thing you told him about seeing Sarah Stern was that you saw her on Friday, December 2, 2016. [34:48] That's correct. [34:49] He then told you that the car was found on the bridge December 3, Saturday morning. [34:57] That's correct. [34:58] And then he asked you, well, you could be wrong about the date, right? [35:01] Mm-hmm. [35:02] And you said, yeah, I guess I could be wrong about the date. [35:04] That's correct. [35:06] So Craig acknowledges he could be wrong about when he saw Sarah. [35:10] He could have seen the woman in the leather jacket on Friday, December 2, the day before Sarah was reported missing, on Saturday, December 3. [35:19] There was also the issue of what time Craig saw the car on the bridge that morning. [35:25] The prosecution calls Detective Weisbrot to the stand to explain. [35:29] So when Mr. Hetzel had provided me with the information, I, of course, looked into it. [35:34] He had indicated that he had seen the car parked on the bridge at 5.15 a.m. on the 3rd. [35:40] The car was removed from the bridge at 2.46 a.m. [35:42] So it was apparent that if he did see a car on that particular day, it wasn't Sarah Stern's car because the car had already been impounded by the police at that point. [35:53] Craig wouldn't have seen Sarah's car at 5 a.m. because it was towed away shortly after her car was reported abandoned at 2 a.m. [36:01] Craig's confident he saw something. But would the jury believe it was Sarah? [36:06] The defense calls two more witnesses to the stand before resting its case. [36:11] The private investigator Craig Hetzel spoke to, who confirms the conversation they had. [36:17] And one of Liam's friends, who testifies that he doesn't want to see Liam get in trouble. [36:23] The prosecution had called 25 witnesses. After a month of trial, the case of Sarah's disappearance is finally coming to an end. [36:33] Both sides are ready to give their closing arguments. Without a body, did the prosecution do enough to prove Liam McItasney was Sarah's killer? [36:44] Or did the defense create enough doubt to leave the jury questioning his guilt? [36:50] Both sides take the floor to present their closing statements. [37:11] Assistant prosecutor Chris Decker approaches the jury. Behind him on the prosecution table is Sarah's safe and stacks of envelopes labeled evidence. [37:23] The biggest mistake Sarah Stern ever made was telling this man about this. [37:31] Decker holds up a thick stack of old bills for the jury to see. [37:38] The cash that Decker knows was found in Sarah's safety deposit box. And the safe Liam is accused of burying with Preston in Sandy Hook. [37:47] He runs through the other evidence the prosecution spent weeks presenting to the court. [37:53] Preston's admission to being an accomplice. The taped conversation with Anthony Curry. [37:59] But the most egregious part, Decker says, is how Liam took advantage of Sarah's trust, someone who was supposedly his close friend. [38:08] Decker argues Liam made Sarah believe that she could go to Canada and then made it look as if she ran away or died by suicide. [38:18] He says it was all part of his cold blooded betrayal. [38:23] He waited, as he told you, for a 19 year old girl to turn her back before he wrapped his arm around her neck and he choked her to death. [38:34] It is obvious that he purposely killed Sarah Stern for her money. [38:42] That is why he is guilty absolutely with murder, with felony murder and with robbery. [38:50] But the defense says, again, that there just isn't enough evidence to prove Liam is guilty. [38:57] No matter what anybody has said or testified in this case, there is reasonable doubt that Sarah is dead. [39:08] The evidence tells us this. There is reasonable doubt that Sarah was murdered. [39:15] There's reasonable doubt that she was robbed. And as a result, you must find Liam not guilty of these charges. [39:22] Diaz-Cobo tells the jury to question what they've heard. [39:26] To be wary of Preston, who was quick to throw his friend under the bus. [39:31] To be skeptical about why no physical evidence has been recovered. [39:35] And if the jury still has questions about the case after four weeks of trial, then they need to acquit Liam of any wrongdoing. [39:44] Michael Stern is in the audience during closing statements. [39:53] By the end of the day, after hearing both sides lay out their arguments one last time, [39:59] and reliving the details of how his daughter died, Michael again has his head in his hands, sobbing. [40:07] He described what it was like to be there in an interview with ABC News. [40:12] It's a little nerve wracking, but I had to be there. [40:15] And the other people that testified as to, you know, Sarah's disposition and everything, you know, [40:22] after hearing lies and misdirection from Liam McAtasney, just making up stories. [40:29] But as strong as he thought the prosecution's case was, he understood there was always a chance the verdict wouldn't go their way. [40:38] There's always a doubt because some people just don't, either they don't understand what they're hearing or they just think that, [40:47] well, I can't convict this person. [40:49] The conscious of a juror thinking, well, this is a kid that's 21 years old. [40:58] We can't do this still. [41:00] It's now a waiting game to see when the jurors will make their final decision. [41:06] On February 26th, the court reconvenes after just two days of jury deliberations. [41:16] The jury is ready to deliver a verdict. [41:19] The room is tense as everyone waits for them to file in. [41:23] The presiding juror stands. [41:25] And the court clerk starts to read through the list of charges, one by one. [41:30] Question number one. [41:34] How do you find as to count one of the indictment as to whether the defendant, Liam McAtasney, [41:38] committed the crime of murder by purposely or knowingly causing the death of Sarah Stern? [41:43] Guilty. [41:44] Count two of the indictment as to whether the defendant... [41:48] I heard the first guilty and I didn't hear anything after that. [41:53] I don't know what happened. [41:54] It just... [41:55] I just... [41:56] I heard voices talking, but guilty. [42:03] It's all I needed to hear. [42:08] The jury finds Liam guilty on all seven counts against him. [42:13] Four months later, he's sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole [42:18] and an additional 10 years for the desecration of human remains. [42:23] He'd later file two appeals to overturn his conviction, which were denied in 2023 and 2025. [42:31] At Liam's sentencing hearing, Michael takes the stand again. [42:36] This time to confront his daughter's killer. [42:39] If any of the contractors informed me, Sarah was murdered. [42:45] It was overwhelming. [42:48] It was never safe and not from shop. [42:53] It never felt so much overwhelming. [42:55] It was overwhelming pain in my heart and my soul. [42:58] For the most part, Liam keeps his head down as Michael speaks. [43:04] He looks older. [43:06] He's wearing a blue prison jumpsuit and handcuffs. [43:09] He's no longer that 19-year-old Jersey Shore teen police first visited over two years ago. [43:16] The one time Liam looks up to glance at Michael, tears stream down Liam's cheeks. [43:22] I have to deal with never any closure because Sarah's body has never been recovered. [43:28] The horrific act of what happened to Sarah's body is on me from this day and will go forever. [43:33] I will never be able without Sarah to tell her I love her. [43:39] Since his arrest, Liam has chosen to remain silent. [43:50] He didn't testify at his trial. [43:52] And when it came time for sentencing, Liam again chooses to keep quiet. [43:57] Preston Taylor, you can stand. [43:59] And when you're ready, just tell me what you want to say before I send you. [44:04] But Preston did speak to police at Liam's trial. [44:09] And when it comes time for his own sentencing, he decides to speak up once again. [44:15] So, Mr. Stern and all those who had the blessing of knowing Sarah, I'm sorry for your loss. [44:23] I don't know how apologies will bring her back or make any of this okay, but I'm truly from the bottom of my heart sorry. [44:30] There's so many things wrong with this scenario that I wish I could take back. [44:33] Honestly, most importantly to Sarah herself who have no doubt watches over us, I'm sorry. [44:42] But Sarah's dad doesn't hear Preston's apology. [44:47] Michael had abruptly left when Preston stood to speak. [44:51] Preston is sentenced to 18 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. [44:58] Thank you everybody. [45:02] It's been a long two and a half years for this journey. [45:05] Outside the courthouse, Michael addresses reporters. [45:10] He says they finally got justice for Sarah. [45:13] I love my daughter and everybody else did too. [45:18] She's a good kid. She was a talented artist. [45:23] She was a rising star. [45:26] Her life ended way too soon. [45:30] I miss her. I cry for her every night. [45:34] I'm just glad that finally justice is served. [45:39] That year, 2019, Michael and Neptune City High School established the Sarah Stern Scholarship for the Arts. [45:51] To support aspiring high school and college artists. [45:55] The scholarship is still active and the organization hosts a major fundraiser every March around the time of Sarah's birthday. [46:03] And on the Belmar Bridge, there's a memorial dedicated to Sarah. [46:07] It's Sarah's senior portrait in a small white wooden frame bolted to the side of the bridge. [46:14] People still stopped by the bridge to leave flowers. [46:17] At 19, Sarah was just starting to discover herself. [46:24] She had big plans for the life that lay out in front of her. [46:27] But all that promise was taken from her. [46:30] And to think, Liam might have gotten away with it if another one of his close friends, Anthony Curry, hadn't summoned the courage to cooperate with police in that daring undercover operation. [46:44] Michael can't help but think about the potential Sarah had and what she could have done with it. [46:52] I'm a daughter, smart kid, good kid, friendly, cared about people, never hurt anybody. [46:59] She was just a wonderful, a wonderful child. [47:03] You know, becoming an adult and starting to do live her own life. [47:06] And it was ended by somebody that's just the greed and the callousness of killing another human being. [47:14] It's just something I'll never understand. [47:19] But he's relieved that at least her killer will be behind bars for life. [47:25] I felt that Sarah got some justice. [47:28] It's all about her. [47:31] She deserved it and she got her justice. [47:36] Friends and family describe Sarah as creative and loving. [47:41] Someone who could make you laugh. [47:43] She was also trusting. [47:45] And it seems Liam McItasney took advantage of that. [47:49] He wasn't the close friend Sarah thought he was. [47:53] But even close friends can hide dark secrets. [47:58] Bridge of Lies is a production of ABC Audio and 2020. [48:19] Hosted by me, Juju Chang. [48:21] Produced by Sabrina Fang, Audrey Mostek and Camille Peterson. [48:25] Production help and fact checking by Annalisa Linder. [48:29] Tracy Samuelson is our story editor. [48:32] Our supervising producer is Sasha Aslanian. [48:35] Music and mixing by Evan Viola. [48:38] Special thanks to Katie Dendaz, Janice Johnston, Joseph Diaz, Avery Brooke, and Michelle Margulis. [48:45] Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. [48:49] Eamon McNiff is our executive producer.