I think the jurors are being careful in their deliberations. They would be putting away a 21 year old man for the rest of his life. That said, I'm getting a bit freaked out by their requests as well. IMO this case is very cut and dry. I can't even fathom someone viewing it differently, and yet they might.
Deceased/Not Found NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 #3 *Guilty*
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Seattle1
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I think they are feeling a lot of pressure-- especially after the juror misconduct x 2, and want to present the appearance of "thorough deliberation" and that's OK with me as long as they aren't in disagreement of the facts.
Surely they can't argue against the facts publicly known??
LM only defense is that SS is alive roaming alley's in the early morning.
The States witness would not agree to sit in prison for 1/4 of his life if there was any chance that SS was alive.
#justiceforsarah
Completely agree.
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Tuesday, February 26th:
*Trial continues (Day 14)-Jury Deliberations (Day 2) (@ 8:45am ET) - NJ - Sarah Stern (19) (Dec. 2, 2016, Neptune City; not found) - *Liam McAtasney (21/19 @ time of crime) charged (2/1/17) & indicted (2/2/17) with 1st degree murder, 1st degree robbery, felony murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, desecrating human remains (2nd degree), tampering with physical evidence & hindering his own apprehension. Plead not guilty. No bond. DA seeks Life.
Trial started 1/23/19; should last 4 to 6 weeks & will only be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays. Jurors: 7 women & 5 men.
Skipping over Day 1(1/23/19) thru Day 6 (2/6/19) - reference post #832 here: Still Missing - NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #2
Skipping over Day 7 (2/7/19) thru Day 8 (2/12/19) - reference post #962 here - Still Missing - NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #2
Skipping over Day 9 (2/14/19) thru Day 11 (2/21/19) - reference post #30 here: Still Missing - NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #3
2/22/19 Day 12: Judge gives jury instructions. Closing arguments. On Monday (2/25), Judge Richard English will charge the jury, reading and explaining each charge McAtasney faces, before jurors begin deliberations.
2/25/19 Day 13 (Jury deliberations-Day 1) – The jurors began their discussions late Monday afternoon (3pm), shortly after the judge completed his instructions to the panel. Jurors in the Sarah Stern murder trial requested to have some evidence video played back. We will resume court tomorrow morning (2/26) around 8:45.
His accomplice Preston Taylor (19) faces up to 20 years in state prison and is subject to the No Early Release Act. (Was facing up to life in prison on the felony murder charge and 51 years for the additional charges). He pleaded guilty (4/27/17) to 1st degree robbery, 2nd degree conspiracy to commit robbery, 2nd degree distributing or desecrating human remains, 2 counts of 3rd degree hindering apprehension & 4th degree tampering with physical evidence. His sentencing will be adjourned until later in the year, pending McAtasney’s trial. Testified at LMc's trial.
*Trial continues (Day 14)-Jury Deliberations (Day 2) (@ 8:45am ET) - NJ - Sarah Stern (19) (Dec. 2, 2016, Neptune City; not found) - *Liam McAtasney (21/19 @ time of crime) charged (2/1/17) & indicted (2/2/17) with 1st degree murder, 1st degree robbery, felony murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, desecrating human remains (2nd degree), tampering with physical evidence & hindering his own apprehension. Plead not guilty. No bond. DA seeks Life.
Trial started 1/23/19; should last 4 to 6 weeks & will only be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays. Jurors: 7 women & 5 men.
Skipping over Day 1(1/23/19) thru Day 6 (2/6/19) - reference post #832 here: Still Missing - NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #2
Skipping over Day 7 (2/7/19) thru Day 8 (2/12/19) - reference post #962 here - Still Missing - NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #2
Skipping over Day 9 (2/14/19) thru Day 11 (2/21/19) - reference post #30 here: Still Missing - NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #3
2/22/19 Day 12: Judge gives jury instructions. Closing arguments. On Monday (2/25), Judge Richard English will charge the jury, reading and explaining each charge McAtasney faces, before jurors begin deliberations.
2/25/19 Day 13 (Jury deliberations-Day 1) – The jurors began their discussions late Monday afternoon (3pm), shortly after the judge completed his instructions to the panel. Jurors in the Sarah Stern murder trial requested to have some evidence video played back. We will resume court tomorrow morning (2/26) around 8:45.
His accomplice Preston Taylor (19) faces up to 20 years in state prison and is subject to the No Early Release Act. (Was facing up to life in prison on the felony murder charge and 51 years for the additional charges). He pleaded guilty (4/27/17) to 1st degree robbery, 2nd degree conspiracy to commit robbery, 2nd degree distributing or desecrating human remains, 2 counts of 3rd degree hindering apprehension & 4th degree tampering with physical evidence. His sentencing will be adjourned until later in the year, pending McAtasney’s trial. Testified at LMc's trial.
inmyhumbleopinion
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A community-member-contributed post on the Brick, NJ Patch website:
“The Sarah Stern Trial...More Than A Murder”
“Attending the Sarah Stern Trial...The Judge Charges The Jury”
By Nancy Siegel | Feb 25, 2019 5:02 pm ET | Updated Feb 25, 2019 5:39 pm ET
“There were alot of Detectives,Attorneys Prosecutors& Family waiting outside the courtroom for this day to begin.This day in particular was a long time in waiting.
[SBM]
As we waited outside the courtroom friends and family began handing out purple ribbons they each tied around their wrists.
Purple was Sarah Stern's favorite color, and her Father wore purple each day of her trial.
[SBM]
Just around late morning about 1030 a.m. Meghan Doyle, one of the lead prosecutors came out of the courtroom and announced there was an issue with the jury. Apparently while the jurors were in the cafeteria area someone walked by and said, ‘Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!’ This was reported to the judge and now each juror had to be questioned as to their ability to remain impartial. Consequently the courtroom opened, the jurors were brought in, and each one was questioned individually at sidebar with the Judge Richard W. English and lawyers from both sides present. With no further delays the judge began explaining the process in advance of charging the jury.
During this process the courtroom is on lockdown and no one is allowed to enter or leave. The judge's instructions then began concerning the law that applies to the facts of the case on trial. In this case the deliberations are based on 7 charges.
[SBM]
Michael Stern, shared some upcoming fund raisers coming in the Spring at Neptune's High School. A Teachers vs Teachers football event at Summer Field to raise money for an Art Scholarship on behalf of his daughter. Dates and more information to follow.“ (BBM)
The Sarah Stern Trial...More Than A Murder...
Another reason for the jurors to take their responsibilities seriously, and for the judge to be extremely thorough, IMO.
“The Sarah Stern Trial...More Than A Murder”
“Attending the Sarah Stern Trial...The Judge Charges The Jury”
By Nancy Siegel | Feb 25, 2019 5:02 pm ET | Updated Feb 25, 2019 5:39 pm ET
“There were alot of Detectives,Attorneys Prosecutors& Family waiting outside the courtroom for this day to begin.This day in particular was a long time in waiting.
[SBM]
As we waited outside the courtroom friends and family began handing out purple ribbons they each tied around their wrists.
Purple was Sarah Stern's favorite color, and her Father wore purple each day of her trial.
[SBM]
Just around late morning about 1030 a.m. Meghan Doyle, one of the lead prosecutors came out of the courtroom and announced there was an issue with the jury. Apparently while the jurors were in the cafeteria area someone walked by and said, ‘Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!’ This was reported to the judge and now each juror had to be questioned as to their ability to remain impartial. Consequently the courtroom opened, the jurors were brought in, and each one was questioned individually at sidebar with the Judge Richard W. English and lawyers from both sides present. With no further delays the judge began explaining the process in advance of charging the jury.
During this process the courtroom is on lockdown and no one is allowed to enter or leave. The judge's instructions then began concerning the law that applies to the facts of the case on trial. In this case the deliberations are based on 7 charges.
[SBM]
Michael Stern, shared some upcoming fund raisers coming in the Spring at Neptune's High School. A Teachers vs Teachers football event at Summer Field to raise money for an Art Scholarship on behalf of his daughter. Dates and more information to follow.“ (BBM)
The Sarah Stern Trial...More Than A Murder...
Another reason for the jurors to take their responsibilities seriously, and for the judge to be extremely thorough, IMO.
Gardenista
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It's almost like these things are a set up for a mistrial.
Holy Crap! What's up with that? What do people think, this LM Don Corleone or something? This is no joke, trusted friends murdered Sarah Stern.
Bull*hit! These morons should be charged, for interfering with justice. There's a law against yelling fire in a crowded room!
Great find, Inmyhumbleopinion, and it answers the question why everything took endlessly long yesterday.
There's something to say, in my book, for having a case tried more compressed, tried in just all consecutive working days, getting it all done in a serious and urgent manner, like an alleged murder deserves. This dragged-out "a few days a week here and there" feels so lackadaisical, and allows for waaaaay too much time & opportunity for interference and mishap, as was evident for sure in this trial.
The idiotic waste of your life deserves some serious resolution and restitution, Sarah.
Godspeed today.
There's something to say, in my book, for having a case tried more compressed, tried in just all consecutive working days, getting it all done in a serious and urgent manner, like an alleged murder deserves. This dragged-out "a few days a week here and there" feels so lackadaisical, and allows for waaaaay too much time & opportunity for interference and mishap, as was evident for sure in this trial.
The idiotic waste of your life deserves some serious resolution and restitution, Sarah.
Godspeed today.
inmyhumbleopinion
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RBBM
Out of all of the items the jury requested to review, the one that stands out to me the most is the recording of the “phone call between a witness, Craig Hetzel, and a private investigator working for the defense.”
Murder confession or horror film audition? Sarah Stern jury asks to review pivotal hidden camera video
It was introduced as evidence during cross examination of the PI by the prosecution:
“[Christopher Decker, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor] pressed the private investigator about what Hetzel had told him. [Martin] Arasin said that while he met with Hetzel in person and took an affidavit from him in which Hetzel said he saw Stern on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2016, the private investigator said he was ‘hazy’ about a prior telephone conversation he had with Hetzel.
Decker played a recording of that telephone conversation in court. On it, Hetzel told Arasin he saw Stern on a Friday, not a Saturday.“
By that point in the proceedings, Hetzel had already contradicted himself more than once.
The defense also played “a recording of a telephone conversation between Arasin and Hetzel's attorney, James Hundley,” in which Hundley said, “The only thing I can tell you is, Craig told me it was the morning of the 2nd of December, which would have been a Friday, and I understand now the car was found on the bridge around 1 or 2 a.m. on Saturday morning” with Arasin identifying the voice on the recording as Hundley’s.
Sarah Stern murder: McAtasney won't take the stand, victim sighting rebutted
Further, during defense rebuttal, “Detective Brian Weisbrot of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office testified ‘he said that the girl that he saw in Bradley Beach resembled Sarah Stern’ ....” He also pointed out that while “Hetzel said he saw the car on the bridge about 5:15 a.m.,” [Sarah’s] car had been towed from the bridge hours earlier.
Sarah Stern murder: McAtasney won't take the stand, victim sighting rebutted
Among all of the evidence concerning Hetzel’s testimony, they phone call between him and Arasin seems relatively insignificant.
One explanation for the jury’s requests may be that some of the jurors cannot remember parts of the videos or recordings, or they forgot to take notes (in which case, I wouldn’t blame them at all; they have been working so hard, IMO), and they simply want to go over them one more time. Honestly, I think I would, too.
inmyhumbleopinion
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Deliberations scheduled to resume this morning in the murder trial of Sarah Stern after jurors want to rewatch some video evidence. We will be back at the Monmouth County courthouse all day. @MonCoProsecutor @News12NJ @CarissaLawson @KristinaBehr @NJmornings
Jim Murdoch News12NJ on Twitter
6:41 AM EST
Jim Murdoch News12NJ on Twitter
6:41 AM EST
Gnatcatcher
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I'm both encouraged and discouraged by the request for the videos. I'm encouraged, because those things will take a LONG time to get through, and knowing that, jurors don't ask for evidence unless they want to review it - whether that's because 11 are trying to prove a point to the 1 hold out, or because they all want to be thorough. But I'm discouraged because it takes a LONG time to go through that, and I believe, though I'm not sure, that the videos and audio have to be played inside the courtroom with laywers and anyone else present, rather than in the privacy of the jury room. If it was private in the jury room, they could que up to a part in question, and 11 people can point and go SEE? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. Whereas in the courtroom, it's played beginning to end, and that's a long time when you're looking for one piece of something.
Gardenista
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Wondering if they just requested all audio and video from the trial.
GM. Is there any significance to the jury’s gender make-up in regards to verdicts? Wondering if any of the jurors know the families involved. Is it allowed to sit as juror with an established ‘relationship’ to family memebers on either side? TIA
inmyhumbleopinion
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Welcome to WS, Fairtrade!
I did find a couple of articles in which those topics are addressed broadly (I’m sorry: I wasn’t able to find relevant statutes of New Jersey):
“Failing to answer a jury summons is a crime, and ‘getting out of jury duty’ is not an easy matter.
Yet all courts provide for the questioning of potential jurors to expose reasons why the individual might not make an ideal juror—one who can be impartial and fair. To that end, lawyers and the judge question each would-be juror, looking for evidence of impermissible bias. When such bias is uncovered, the individual will be excused ‘for cause,’ which means that the lawyer making the challenge can articulate to the judge an acceptable reason for rejecting that person.
...
Once the venire [potential jurors] has entered the courtroom, the questioning begins (in some courthouses, the judge conducts all of it; and in some places, lawyers are restricted to written questions only). The questions are designed to elicit bias and predisposition. ‘For cause’ requests for a dismissal will be granted by the judge if the potential juror reveals evidence of the following:
- Personal knowledge about a party to the case or someone connected to the case. Here, the problem is that the venireperson’s relationship might cloud his or her ability to view the evidence impartially. For example, the prosecutor’s next-door neighbor would ordinarily be excused for cause, as would someone related to a key witness.
While the prosecution and defense have an unlimited number of ‘for cause’ challenges, each side also has a set number of “no cause” challenges. These are known as peremptory challenges, which are ways to get rid of jurors who present no obvious evidence of bias or unsuitability.
...
Although lawyers don’t have to give a reason for using a peremptory, they may not use them in order to rid the jury of people of a certain race, religion, gender, or other protected status. If a pattern begins to emerge—the prosecutor excuses every Black juror but no White members—the judge will intervene. On the other hand, it’s perfectly okay to act on a hunch as to the ‘real motives’ of the person hoping to be a member of the jury (as long as that hunch isn’t based on that person’s protected status).” (BBM)
Much more at the link:
Permissible Reasons for Rejecting Jurors in Criminal Trials - Lawyers.com
“Lawyers and judges select juries by a process known as ’voir dire,’ which is Latin for ‘to speak the truth.’ In voir dire, the judge and attorneys for both sides ask potential jurors questions to determine if they are competent and suitable to serve in the case. Errors during jury selection are common grounds for appeal in criminal cases.
...
Challenges for cause are made when voir dire reveals that a juror is not qualified, able, or fit to serve in a particular case. Lawyers generally have an unlimited number of ‘for cause’ challenges available.
...
Implied Bias. Implied bias is present when potential jurors have character traits or personal experiences that make it unlikely for them to be able to be impartial, regardless of what they say during voir dire. So, a juror who is a close friend or relative of a key party, a witness, the judge, or an attorney for either side will be dismissed for cause.
...
In the process known as striking a jury,’ the prosecution and defense take turns arguing their challenges for cause. If the judge grants a challenge, the juror will be struck from the jury panel. Once there are no more viable challenges for cause, the sides alternate in striking jurors via peremptory challenges until thoseare exhausted or each side is satisfied with the jury panel.
...
Once the challenges are completed and there are enough jurors for a proper jury, the judge will place the remaining jurors in the jury box.
If the attorneys have any challenges to the demographic composition of the jury (claims that the other side used peremptory strikes to eliminate jurors on the basis of race, ethnicity, or gender), they must assert them at this time. Then, the jurors are sworn in, which ends jury selection and begins the next stage of the trial process.” (BBM)
Much more at the link:
Jury Selection in Criminal Cases
I am worried as well, that they want that Craig Hetzel phone call. Surely they cannot consider that credible evidence for EVEN reasonable doubt? Surely?
I just try to cling to the prosecutor's words, in closing : ( from article: Defense closes with one last ‘Sarah Stern may not be dead and confession was actually horror film audition’ pitch )
"Decker said he wondered why someone would agree to 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?”"
Some of the most unarguable words in this whole process. IMO. Hopefully the jury is merely doing due diligence, in requesting all the materials again. perhaps it's good and necessary, considering the whole process has lasted almost 2 months!!!! Nuts.
I just try to cling to the prosecutor's words, in closing : ( from article: Defense closes with one last ‘Sarah Stern may not be dead and confession was actually horror film audition’ pitch )
"Decker said he wondered why someone would agree to 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?”"
Some of the most unarguable words in this whole process. IMO. Hopefully the jury is merely doing due diligence, in requesting all the materials again. perhaps it's good and necessary, considering the whole process has lasted almost 2 months!!!! Nuts.
Jim Murdoch News12NJ on Twitter
Jim Murdoch News12NJVerified account @ReporterJim
Deliberations have resumed in the Sarah Stern murder trial after the jury rewatched about 2 hours of video evidence this morning.
Jim Murdoch News12NJVerified account @ReporterJim
Deliberations have resumed in the Sarah Stern murder trial after the jury rewatched about 2 hours of video evidence this morning.
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Jury has reached a verdict.
https://www.app.com/story/news/local/courts/2019/02/26/sarah-stern-murder-verdict/2958591002/
https://www.app.com/story/news/local/courts/2019/02/26/sarah-stern-murder-verdict/2958591002/