Thursday, August 30th:
*Pretrial Motions Hearing (@ ET) - NJ - Sarah Stern (19) (Dec. 2, 2016; not found) - Liam McAtasney (19) indicted (2/2/17) with 1st degree murder, 1st degree robbery, felony murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, disturbing desecrating human remains (2nd degree), tampering with physical evidence & hindering his own apprehension. DA seeks Life.
9/18/17: Superior Court Judge Lisa P. Thornton, Monmouth County's ruled no change of venue.
3/26/18: Judge denied to suppress the videotape confession. Potential Trial date Sept. 15th.
6/18/18: Hearing on 6/18 was supposed to be LMc last chance to take a plea bargain, but… McAtasney's trial was scheduled to start on Sept. 15, but that date will likely be bumped, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Richard English said. For one, defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo took over from defense attorney Richard Moriarty in March after months of pre-trial motions had already occurred. And with the state's new speedy trial laws, other cases have deadlines that will take precedent. Next hearing 7/30.
7/30/18 Update: Def. attorney Carols Diaz-Cobo is seeking to block an expert in tides from testifying for the state at McAtasney's upcoming trial. He asked Superior Court Judge Richard W. English to hold a hearing on whether Hugh Roarty, a marine biologist at Rutgers University, can testify as an expert at McAtasney's trial for the murder of his former high school classmate. English, at a conference in the case on Monday, scheduled a hearing on the matter for Aug. 30. His accomplice Preston Taylor (19) faces up to 20 years in state prison and is subject to the No Early Release Act. He pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, second-degree distributing or desecrating human remains, two counts of third-degree hindering apprehension and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence. His sentencing will be adjourned until later in the year, pending McAtasney’s trial. Expected to testify at LMc's trial.