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

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jleighb said:
I haven't seen any articles that suggested the Prosecution gave their remarks first...
Click to expand...

I found this re: NJ law

NJAC 1:7-1 Opening and Closing Statements in a Jury Trial

(a) Opening Statement. Before any evidence is offered at trial, the State in a criminal action or the plaintiff in a civil action, unless otherwise provided in the pretrial order, shall make an opening statement. A defendant who chooses to make an opening statement shall do so immediately thereafter.

(b) Closing Statement. After the close of the evidence and except as may be otherwise provided in the pretrial order, the parties may make closing statements in the reverse order of opening statements. In civil cases any party may suggest to the trier of fact, with respect to any element of damages, that unliquidated damages be calculated on a time-unit basis without reference to a specific sum. In the event such comments are made to a jury, the judge shall instruct the jury that they are argument only and do not constitute evidence.
 
So the jury members have a whole weekend to sit on their opinions and get that opinion cemented in their head already. Wonder if there'll be a big difference in opinions when they gather or consensus and a quick agreement.

I just knew the defense had to go there in their statement, the "no body so no murder" spin, because what else do they have left, really. It's desperate damage control I'd think, and I hope the jury concurs. Looooooooooong weekend ahead.
 
Gardenista said:
I found this re: NJ law

NJAC 1:7-1 Opening and Closing Statements in a Jury Trial

(a) Opening Statement. Before any evidence is offered at trial, the State in a criminal action or the plaintiff in a civil action, unless otherwise provided in the pretrial order, shall make an opening statement. A defendant who chooses to make an opening statement shall do so immediately thereafter.

(b) Closing Statement. After the close of the evidence and except as may be otherwise provided in the pretrial order, the parties may make closing statements in the reverse order of opening statements. In civil cases any party may suggest to the trier of fact, with respect to any element of damages, that unliquidated damages be calculated on a time-unit basis without reference to a specific sum. In the event such comments are made to a jury, the judge shall instruct the jury that they are argument only and do not constitute evidence.
Click to expand...
Thank you for posting this, Gardenista.

The “... parties may make closing statements in the reverse order of opening statements” part is rather unusual, IMO.
 
Gardenista said:
From your link, it looks like they haven't even charged the jury yet:

On Monday, Judge Richard English will charge the jury, reading and explaining each charge McAtasney faces, before jurors begin deliberations.
Click to expand...
Prosecutor’s Office is reporting the same:

“Trial summations are complete in the trial of Liam McAtasney, accused of the 2016 murder of missing teen Sarah Stern. Judge Richard English asked jurors to return Monday morning when they will be given instructions before beginning their deliberations. #mcponj”
Monmouth Prosecutor on Twitter
 
“An attorney for Liam McAtasney, the man accused of killing his childhood friend and then dumping her body off a bridge in 2016, said there are ‘mountains of reasonable doubt’ that Sarah Stern is not dead.

Prosecutors on the other hand say they have the evidence, including a secretly-recorded confession from McAtasney and his accomplice admitting to helping dispose of the body, showing McAtasney is guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Stern, 19.

The clashing assessments came during more than four hours of final arguments Friday in McAtasney’s murder trial in Superior Court in Monmouth County.

McAtasney’s fate will now be in the hands of a jury when the panel begins deliberating Monday morning after several weeks of the trial.

[SBM]

‘There is reasonable doubt that Sarah is dead,’ defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo told the jury. ‘The evidence tells us this. There is reasonable doubt that Sarah was murdered. There is reasonable doubt Sarah was robbed. Because of this, you have to find Liam McAtasney innocent.’

Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Decker, at the start of his closing argument, said: “Let’s be clear. Sarah Stern is not in Canada. Sarah Stern did not kill herself. That is ridiculous.

‘Sarah Stern, unfortunately, is not with us anymore,’ he said.

For the second time in the trial, the jury watched a video recording of McAtasney talking in chilling detail to friend Anthony Curry in Curry’s vehicle in Bradley Beach about how he strangled Stern and then watched her die.

[SBM]

As Decker played the video, he would stop it after certain clips to show how the state has corroborating evidence to back McAtasney’s assertions. McAtasney, for example, talks in the video about how the money he took from Stern --approximately $8,000 -- was old, like it was from the 1980s. That money, shown to the jury, was located in a safe buried on Sandy Hook that was recovered by detectives.

‘He describes the old money,’ Decker said. ‘How would he know what Sarah Stern’s money looks like?’

[SBM]

Diaz-Cobo, however, contends what his client told Curry, an amateur horror movie director, was a made-up story to pitch him a film idea.

‘It was a fantasy,’ Diaz-Cobo said. ‘It was an audition.’

Decker disagreed.

‘This is not a movie,’ he said. ‘It’s not a story. There is no doubt this man killed Sarah Stern. He told you.’

[SBM]

In his closing argument, Diaz-Cobo went through several of the state’s 25 witnesses and poked holes in the testimony.

The testimony from state’s key witness, Preston Taylor, was rehearsed, Diaz-Cobo claimed. And he alleged Taylor had something to gain by giving testimony that helped prosecutors -- a plea deal that will get him anywhere from 10 to 20 years in prison, which is down from the more than 50 years he was facing.

[SBM]

Diaz-Cobo said detectives with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t find any fingerprints, DNA or evidence that implicates his client in Stern’s disappearance.

‘The physical evidence tells you it didn’t happen,’ he said. ‘This case presents us with more questions than answers. This case is wrong. Something is not right.

The state’s case, Diaz-Cobo continued, is a ‘jigsaw puzzle that that just doesn’t fit.

‘There’s no medical examiner report. There’s no body,’ Diaz-Cobo continued. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no body. Why?’

But not having a body isn’t reasonable doubt, Decker explained, ‘when you have the two people involved saying they killed her and threw her body off the bridge.’

Decker implored the jury to ‘decide that this is not a story.

‘It’s real life. It’s murder,’ he said. ‘It is time to end (McAtasney’s) charade once and for all.’
Defense closes with one last ‘Sarah Stern may not be dead and confession was actually horror film audition’ pitch
 
inmyhumbleopinion said:
“An attorney for Liam McAtasney, the man accused of killing his childhood friend and then dumping her body off a bridge in 2016, said there are ‘mountains of reasonable doubt’ that Sarah Stern is not dead.

Prosecutors on the other hand say they have the evidence, including a secretly-recorded confession from McAtasney and his accomplice admitting to helping dispose of the body, showing McAtasney is guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Stern, 19.

The clashing assessments came during more than four hours of final arguments Friday in McAtasney’s murder trial in Superior Court in Monmouth County.

McAtasney’s fate will now be in the hands of a jury when the panel begins deliberating Monday morning after several weeks of the trial.

[SBM]

‘There is reasonable doubt that Sarah is dead,’ defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo told the jury. ‘The evidence tells us this. There is reasonable doubt that Sarah was murdered. There is reasonable doubt Sarah was robbed. Because of this, you have to find Liam McAtasney innocent.’

Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Decker, at the start of his closing argument, said: “Let’s be clear. Sarah Stern is not in Canada. Sarah Stern did not kill herself. That is ridiculous.

‘Sarah Stern, unfortunately, is not with us anymore,’ he said.

For the second time in the trial, the jury watched a video recording of McAtasney talking in chilling detail to friend Anthony Curry in Curry’s vehicle in Bradley Beach about how he strangled Stern and then watched her die.

[SBM]

As Decker played the video, he would stop it after certain clips to show how the state has corroborating evidence to back McAtasney’s assertions. McAtasney, for example, talks in the video about how the money he took from Stern --approximately $8,000 -- was old, like it was from the 1980s. That money, shown to the jury, was located in a safe buried on Sandy Hook that was recovered by detectives.

‘He describes the old money,’ Decker said. ‘How would he know what Sarah Stern’s money looks like?’

[SBM]

Diaz-Cobo, however, contends what his client told Curry, an amateur horror movie director, was a made-up story to pitch him a film idea.

‘It was a fantasy,’ Diaz-Cobo said. ‘It was an audition.’

Decker disagreed.

‘This is not a movie,’ he said. ‘It’s not a story. There is no doubt this man killed Sarah Stern. He told you.’

[SBM]

In his closing argument, Diaz-Cobo went through several of the state’s 25 witnesses and poked holes in the testimony.

The testimony from state’s key witness, Preston Taylor, was rehearsed, Diaz-Cobo claimed. And he alleged Taylor had something to gain by giving testimony that helped prosecutors -- a plea deal that will get him anywhere from 10 to 20 years in prison, which is down from the more than 50 years he was facing.

[SBM]

Diaz-Cobo said detectives with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t find any fingerprints, DNA or evidence that implicates his client in Stern’s disappearance.

‘The physical evidence tells you it didn’t happen,’ he said. ‘This case presents us with more questions than answers. This case is wrong. Something is not right.

The state’s case, Diaz-Cobo continued, is a ‘jigsaw puzzle that that just doesn’t fit.

‘There’s no medical examiner report. There’s no body,’ Diaz-Cobo continued. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no body. Why?’

But not having a body isn’t reasonable doubt, Decker explained, ‘when you have the two people involved saying they killed her and threw her body off the bridge.’

Decker implored the jury to ‘decide that this is not a story.

‘It’s real life. It’s murder,’ he said. ‘It is time to end (McAtasney’s) charade once and for all.’
Defense closes with one last ‘Sarah Stern may not be dead and confession was actually horror film audition’ pitch
Click to expand...


This clown has a better chance of being a psychic than a filmmaker ... his movie pitch just so happens to include the amount and condition of her currency, the fact that two safes were missing and where exactly they were buried, that her car was backed out of th driveway, that he could delete her from his cell contacts as he would no longer be needing it.. not to mention the fact he frisked the guy he “pitched” the film idea to prior to “confessing”, the key to one safe was in his car, and the other was in his apt, he quit his job the day after stealing all of this money(despite having just moved out of his parents home and into an apt), sterns landline called his cell 4x.. I don’t know a single teenager that knows how to use a landline let alone know anyone’s number to actually dial it- if Sarah was calling him she would have used her cell.
 
Gnatcatcher said:
That defense was a sorry excuse for having held the trial in the first place. All the money spent, all the tears shed, all the gory details we can't unhear now. All for a couple of liars and a "I rest my case". Darn it. I hate this kid.

Hang on, sweet Sarah. Hang in there honey.
Click to expand...

Exactly. All of that evidence against him and McNasty still wanted a trial. I hate that he put Sarah's family/friends through this nightmare. And the defense was absolutely pathetic. He's a vile human being.
 
inmyhumbleopinion said:
“An attorney for Liam McAtasney, the man accused of killing his childhood friend and then dumping her body off a bridge in 2016, said there are ‘mountains of reasonable doubt’ that Sarah Stern is not dead.

Prosecutors on the other hand say they have the evidence, including a secretly-recorded confession from McAtasney and his accomplice admitting to helping dispose of the body, showing McAtasney is guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Stern, 19.

The clashing assessments came during more than four hours of final arguments Friday in McAtasney’s murder trial in Superior Court in Monmouth County.

McAtasney’s fate will now be in the hands of a jury when the panel begins deliberating Monday morning after several weeks of the trial.

[SBM]

‘There is reasonable doubt that Sarah is dead,’ defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo told the jury. ‘The evidence tells us this. There is reasonable doubt that Sarah was murdered. There is reasonable doubt Sarah was robbed. Because of this, you have to find Liam McAtasney innocent.’

Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Decker, at the start of his closing argument, said: “Let’s be clear. Sarah Stern is not in Canada. Sarah Stern did not kill herself. That is ridiculous.

‘Sarah Stern, unfortunately, is not with us anymore,’ he said.

For the second time in the trial, the jury watched a video recording of McAtasney talking in chilling detail to friend Anthony Curry in Curry’s vehicle in Bradley Beach about how he strangled Stern and then watched her die.

[SBM]

As Decker played the video, he would stop it after certain clips to show how the state has corroborating evidence to back McAtasney’s assertions. McAtasney, for example, talks in the video about how the money he took from Stern --approximately $8,000 -- was old, like it was from the 1980s. That money, shown to the jury, was located in a safe buried on Sandy Hook that was recovered by detectives.

‘He describes the old money,’ Decker said. ‘How would he know what Sarah Stern’s money looks like?’

[SBM]

Diaz-Cobo, however, contends what his client told Curry, an amateur horror movie director, was a made-up story to pitch him a film idea.

‘It was a fantasy,’ Diaz-Cobo said. ‘It was an audition.’

Decker disagreed.

‘This is not a movie,’ he said. ‘It’s not a story. There is no doubt this man killed Sarah Stern. He told you.’

[SBM]

In his closing argument, Diaz-Cobo went through several of the state’s 25 witnesses and poked holes in the testimony.

The testimony from state’s key witness, Preston Taylor, was rehearsed, Diaz-Cobo claimed. And he alleged Taylor had something to gain by giving testimony that helped prosecutors -- a plea deal that will get him anywhere from 10 to 20 years in prison, which is down from the more than 50 years he was facing.

[SBM]

Diaz-Cobo said detectives with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t find any fingerprints, DNA or evidence that implicates his client in Stern’s disappearance.

‘The physical evidence tells you it didn’t happen,’ he said. ‘This case presents us with more questions than answers. This case is wrong. Something is not right.

The state’s case, Diaz-Cobo continued, is a ‘jigsaw puzzle that that just doesn’t fit.

‘There’s no medical examiner report. There’s no body,’ Diaz-Cobo continued. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no body. Why?’

But not having a body isn’t reasonable doubt, Decker explained, ‘when you have the two people involved saying they killed her and threw her body off the bridge.’

Decker implored the jury to ‘decide that this is not a story.

‘It’s real life. It’s murder,’ he said. ‘It is time to end (McAtasney’s) charade once and for all.’
Defense closes with one last ‘Sarah Stern may not be dead and confession was actually horror film audition’ pitch
Click to expand...


One of the best points ..

In his closing argument, Diaz-Cobo went through several of the state’s 25 witnesses and poked holes in the testimony.

The testimony from state’s key witness, Preston Taylor, was rehearsed, Diaz-Cobo claimed. And he alleged Taylor had something to gain by giving testimony that helped prosecutors -- a plea deal that will get him anywhere from 10 to 20 years in prison, which is down from the more than 50 years he was facing.

Decker said he wondered why someone would do any jail time for something they didn’t do.

“Remember, he pleaded guilty to something (the defense) says didn’t happen,” Decker stated. “Ten to 20 years for something that didn’t happen?”
 
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