One Suspect In Sarah Stern Murder Pleads Guilty

FREEHOLD - One of the suspects in the murder of 19-year-old Sarah Stern pleaded guilty to seven charges in Monmouth County Superior Court today and agreed to testify against the man accused of strangling the young woman, according to nj.com.

Preston Taylor, 19, of Neptune pleaded guilty Monday to seven charges - robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, disturbing or desecrating human remains and two counts each of hindering and tampering with evidence - for his part in Stern's murder.

Taylor also agreed to testify against Liam McAtasney, who stands accused of murdering Stern to steal $10,000 that he split with Taylor.

Preston Taylor, 19, was charged with helping another high school friend, Liam McAtasney, dump Stern's body off the Route 35 bridge in Belmar early on Dec. 3. Stern's body still has not been recovered.

Taylor said in court it was McAtasney's plan to kill the young woman after she inherited money from her grandmother.

Taylor said he initially tried to talk McAtasney out of the plan, but eventually gave in.

Prosecutors agreed to drop the most serious charge against him -- felony murder. He could have faced life without parole if convicted of that charge.

"He came up with a few ideas to kill her and dispose of the body to get the money," Taylor said of McAtasney.

The only instruction Taylor gave McAtasney, acknowledged, was to tell him to avoid killing Stern during daylight hours.

McAtasney strangled Stern and then hid her body in a downstairs bathroom. He called Taylor and told him to go back to Stern's house, move her body outside and search for a cell phone he left behind, Taylor testified.

Taylor said he went back to Stern's house, pulled her body to the backyard, hide it in some bushes and covered it with leaves.

The two returned that night and went back to Stern's house to retrieve her body. McAtasney put her body in the front passenger seat of her car and drove it to the bridge, while Taylor followed in his car, according to the report.

When McAtasney couldn't get Sarah's body over the rail, Taylor testified he helped him heave it over the side.

When McAtasney finished work for the night, the pair went back to Stern's house to retrieve her body, Taylor said. He said McAtasney put her body in the front passenger seat of her car and drove it to the Route 35 bridge while Taylor followed in his car.

McAtasney couldn't get her body over the railing, so Taylor drove his car behind Stern's and helped his friend toss it over the side, he said.

"You're certain the body went over the side?" Taylor's attorney John Perrone asked his client.

"Yes," Taylor said.

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Image: Patch file photo