New documents obtained by NJ Advance Media say Liam McAtasney went with Sarah Stern to the bank before he strangled her at her Neptune City home.
NEPTUNE CITY -- The man accused of strangling Sarah Stern went with her to the bank where she retrieved a safety deposit box filled with at least $7,000 before the pair returned to her Neptune City home where Liam McAtasney allegedly robbed her, new documents obtained by NJ Advance Media reveal.
McAtasney, 19, of Neptune City, admitted to a friend in a taped recording that the trip to the bank took place on Dec. 2, the day he is suspected of killing Stern. He also said in the recording that he recruited his roommate, Preston Taylor, to help dump her body over the Route 35 bridge in Belmar, the court documents said.
The documents, obtained by NJ Advance Media through the state's Open Public Records Act, largely echo what prosecutors have already stated publically in court hearings for McAtasney and Taylor, 19, of Neptune City.
However, the documents reveal how Stern obtained the cash McAtasney allegedly stole and approximately how much he is suspected of stealing.
After strangling Stern, the documents said, McAtasney told a friend he removed the safety deposit box containing approximately $7,000 and buried it in Sandy Hook. Prosecutors have said another safe had been found buried in Shark River Park containing pieces of Stern's clothing.
The documents do not say if McAtasney voluntarily went with Stern to the bank, or if he forcefully made her deposit the cash. NJ Advance Media has reached out to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office to seek that information.
It also is still not known how Stern, a 19-year-old from Neptune City, had $7,000 in cash stored away in a safety deposit box in the bank. The court documents say McAtasney knew Stern had "recently come into possession of" money.
Stern's father, Michael Stern, and the prosecutor's office, have not spoken publicly about where the money came from.
The information stated in the court documents comes from a taped recording with McAtasney and a friend.
McAtasney's attorney, Charles Moriarty, has called into question the reliability of the video recording between McAtasney and the witness and Taylor's statement to investigators. He said they sounded more "scripted" than a supposed recollection of events.
"The videos are disturbing because both boys are talking about something that didn't happen," Moriarty said of McAtasney's taped conversation with the witness. "It's unusual, people talking like this, like they're talking about going to dinner."
The documents state that Taylor has given police a statement confirming what McAtasney told the friend in the recorded conversation.
Taylor's attorney, John Perrone, has challenged the reliability of his client's confession to police because he doesn't know under what circumstances Taylor gave those statements.
Assistant Prosecutor Meghan Doyle has told a judge that McAtasney demonstrated to the friend how he strangled Stern and then watched her take her last breaths, timing exactly how long it took her to die.
After allegedly plotting to kill Stern for six months, Doyle has said that McAtasney called Taylor from a bank and told him he was going to carry out his plan.
"I'm at the bank. I'm going to do it now. I'm going to take her out," Doyle said McAtasney told Taylor.
He called back later saying, "Dude, I did it," Doyle said.
McAtasney is charged with murder, felony murder, conspiracy, hindering apprehension and disposal of human remains.
Taylor is charged with conspiracy, hindering apprehension and disposal of human remains.
The two grew up in the same Neptune City community as Stern and also went to high school with her. Taylor and Stern went to junior prom together.
Both men have been ordered by a judge to remain behind bars pending a trial.
NJ Advance Media reporter MaryAnn Spoto contributed to his report.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.