NJ - Sarah Stern, 19, Neptune City, 2 Dec 2016 *Arrests* #2

[cass523]

FREEHOLD - A Neptune man Wednesday told a jury he was certain he saw Sarah Stern about 5 a.m. on Dec. 3, about 12 hours after prosecutors allege Liam McAtasney murdered her.

Craig Hetzel Sr., a home improvement contractor, said he was driving his son to work that morning when he saw “a girl walking down the street," at Third Avenue and Main Street in Bradley Beach.

"I said to my son, I said, 'That's an awfully good-looking girl to be walking the street at five o'clock in the morning,''' Hetzel testified. "He responded to me, he said, 'Is that what they call the walk of shame?, and I said, 'I don't know what it is, but that girl did not want to be seen.

She ducked into an alley between the movie theater and cigar store, but not before he made eye contact with her for several seconds, Hetzel said.

Hetzel said he was positive the woman he saw that morning was the same person he later saw on missing persons posters.

Shown Stern’s photo on a large screen in the courtroom, Hetzel said, “That’s her, that’s her."

Sarah Stern murder: Man says he saw victim alive

 

[spaz1959]

Would be interested in knowing when Mr. Hetzel notified LE to let them know, he found Sarah Stern? Look forward to the Cross.

 

[spaz1959]

OK, my jaded New Jersey Girl just surfaced. Mr Stern is in construction. I thought I had heard that LM and PT father's were as well. Now, we have Mr. Hetzel as a witness who is also in construction. Life just gets more interesting, an interesting.

 

[Veronica27]

Why was the guy driving around with his son at 5am on a Saturday morning? A son young enough to not know what a walk of shame is...? Ugh

 

[spaz1959]

It's an odd detail just included to make story more plausible.

 

[283]

OK, my jaded New Jersey Girl just surfaced. Mr Stern is in construction. I thought I had heard that LM and PT father's were as well. Now, we have Mr. Hetzel as a witness who is also in construction. Life just gets more interesting, an interesting.

I don’t know about mr stern occupation, but do remember hearing/reading about both LM & PT dads working in construction. Coincidence I guess. This article from PT bail hearing mentions his dad could supervise him if released since he was stay at home dad with part time home improvement company.

In re reading it I notice it also mentions second safe containing SS clothing. Was that ever mentioned in testimony?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.app.com/amp/97587946

 

[spaz1959]

It

I don’t know about mr stern occupation, but do remember hearing/reading about both LM & PT dads working in construction. Coincidence I guess. This article from PT bail hearing mentions his dad could supervise him if released since he was stay at home dad with part time home improvement company.

In re reading it I notice it also mentions second safe containing SS clothing. Was that ever mentioned in testimony?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.app.com/amp/97587946

It kinda did. I don't believe what article of clothing was ever disclosed. They mention 2 boxes. One with article of clothing in.

 

[Kavya01]

I bet if you had given that witness a stack, pictures of 10 girls of that description, it would become evident how inaccurate such a conviction of "it's her! I know it's her!" can be. And how quickly it'd fall to pieces, in an investigation or on the stand in cross.

 

[spaz1959]

I'd like to know the distance? Where exactly? How far car from SS lookalike?

 

[spaz1959]

I really don't think this Defense would ever ask a question, that he didn't know the answer. This guy gets big bucks, got a pretty solid reputation. Though for the life of me, if the parents and grandparents knew all the evidence against LM and PT, why spend the BIG bucks?

 

[283]

Do you mean the distance from where he claims to have seen her and her abandoned car on the bridge? It’s just about a mile away.

 

[cass523]

Would be interested in knowing when Mr. Hetzel notified LE to let them know, he found Sarah Stern? Look forward to the Cross.

From the APP

"Hetzel said he was positive the woman he saw at 5 a.m. that morning was the same person he later saw on a missing persons poster a few days later at a 7-Eleven store and on a cable news report."

"But, Hetzel said he didn't tell anyone about seeing the missing person until the following February, when he learned there were arrests made in the case.

"I didn't think it was my business, personally,'' Hetzel explained."

Sarah Stern murder: Man says he saw victim alive

I wonder if any stores in the vicinity of the cigar store and movie theater had any surveillance cameras that would show the girl Mr. Hetzel may have seen, that morning

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

“[SBM]

Christopher Decker, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, cross-examined Hetzel about whether he saw a police car or tow truck with the disabled car he said he saw on top of the bridge that morning. Hetzel replied that he hadn't.

Hetzel said he was positive the woman he saw at 5 a.m. that morning was the same person he later saw on a missing persons poster a few days later at a 7-Eleven store and on a cable news report.

[SBM]

When he learned that February that the missing persons case was now being handled as a homicide, Hetzel said he contacted his attorney and soon afterward was contacted by an investigator for the defense.

‘The first thing you told him was that you saw her on Friday, Dec. 2,’ Decker asked the witness about what he told the defense investigator.

‘Yes, that's correct,’ Hetzel said.

Decker reminded Hetzel he had just told the jury he saw the woman on Dec. 3, 2016, a Saturday morning.

‘That's correct,’ Hetzel said. ‘I had the wrong day.’

Decker pressed him further.

‘You can't be certain whether it was Friday morning or Saturday,’ he said.

Hetzel insisted it was Saturday morning.

‘Despite initially saying it was Friday?’ Decker asked him.

‘That's correct,’ Hetzel replied.

Hetzel said the woman he saw was well-dressed - wearing a leather bomber jacket with a fur collar or a scarf and high heels.

‘It was just so unusual to see somebody well-dressed that early in the morning,’ he said.

Hetzel denied ever telling Detective Brian Weisbrot from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office that he saw someone who ‘resembled’ Stern, even when Decker presented him with Weisbrot's report.

Decker asked Hetzel if he recognized Weisbrot, seated in the back of the courtroom. Hetzel said he didn't.

[SBM]

Following the state's case, Diaz-Cobo made a motion for a judgment of acquittal on charges of murder, felony murder and robbery. English denied the motion.“ (BBM)
Sarah Stern murder: Man says he saw victim alive

ETA: Criminal defense attorney’s worst nightmare comes true ....

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

“[SBM]

Hetzel, a home-improvement contractor, said he traveled the same route to a construction job in Manasquan every morning at the time of Stern’s disappearance. At that time, his son had lost his license and couldn’t drive to work, so Hetzel said he would pick him up in Bradley Beach and drop him off at his workplace in Jackson.

[SBM]

During cross-examination, Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Decker asked Hetzel about when he first spoke to a private detective hired by McAtasney’s defense and said he saw the woman on Dec. 2, 2016.

Hetzel acknowledged initially getting confused about the date, but later said on the witness stand, ‘I’m clear it was Saturday morning.’

His son would work on Saturdays, he added.

[SBM]

Hetzel also said he didn’t speak to lead Detective Brian Weisbrot about the sighting at all. Decker then presented Hetzel with a copy of Weisbrot’s report and asked him if it refreshed his recollection.

‘No, it does not,’ Hetzel responded.

‘So is it fair to say you don’t remember telling a detective that you saw a girl that resembled the girl who was missing?’ Decker asked Hetzel.

‘That would be fair, yes,’ Hetzel said.

There were no additional witnesses called by Diaz-Cobo on Wednesday, as the day was cut short due to the impending snowfall. Diaz-Cobo is expected to call six witnesses, including McAtasney’s mother, his cousin, a friend and also a private investigator.

[SBM]” (BBM)
Man says he saw Sarah Stern on morning after authorities say she was strangled by friend

 

[Area52]

It's pretty safe to say that in New Jersey, in December, at 5:00 a.m, I would be hard pressed to recognize my own sister it is so dark at that time!

 

[spaz1959]

Do you mean the distance from where he claims to have seen her and her abandoned car on the bridge? It’s just about a mile away.

No.

 

[spaz1959]

From the APP

"Hetzel said he was positive the woman he saw at 5 a.m. that morning was the same person he later saw on a missing persons poster a few days later at a 7-Eleven store and on a cable news report."

"But, Hetzel said he didn't tell anyone about seeing the missing person until the following February, when he learned there were arrests made in the case.

"I didn't think it was my business, personally,'' Hetzel explained."

Sarah Stern murder: Man says he saw victim alive

I wonder if any stores in the vicinity of the cigar store and movie theater had any surveillance cameras that would show the girl Mr. Hetzel may have seen, that morning

Cough, cough, bullshi*,excuse me, bad cough...

 

[spaz1959]

It's pretty safe to say that in New Jersey, in December, at 5:00 a.m, I would be hard pressed to recognize my own sister it is so dark at that time!

Yes, area52 it certainly is very dark at that hour!

 

[Kavya01]

No kidding!!!

 

[283]

It's pretty safe to say that in New Jersey, in December, at 5:00 a.m, I would be hard pressed to recognize my own sister it is so dark at that time!

Such a good point - just googled sunrise was 7:02 that morning