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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Debra Roberts here with another weekly episode of our latest true crime series from 2020 and ABC Audio, Bridge of Lies. Remember, you can get new episodes early by following Bridge of Lies on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you're listening now. Now, here's the next episode of Bridge of Lies.
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Ladies and gentlemen, as you are aware, this is the trial in the matter of state of New Jersey versus Liam McIntasney.
It's January 2019, more than two years since Sarah Stern's car was found abandoned on the Belmar Bridge. Liam McIntasney is now standing trial on seven charges, including first-degree murder, robbery, and desecrating human remains. He could face life in prison if he's convicted. The wood-paneled courtroom fits a little over 50 people, and today it's packed.
Michael Stern and Sarah's friends and family are on one side, the McIntasney family on the other. Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Megan Doyle takes the floor to give the state's opening statement.
Ladies and gentlemen, Sarah Stern will not be walking through those doors into this courtroom at any point. She will never send her father another text. She will never hug him or tell him she loves him. Her friends and family will never get to enjoy her company, her smile, her laugh, or being with her. That's not because she drove to the top of the Route 35 bridge in Belmar.
It's not because she disappeared to Canada, created some false identity, and is living her best life. It's because this defendant murdered her.
Doyle walks the court through the kind of evidence they should expect to see over the next few weeks of trial, including testimony from two close friends of Liam. One, she claims, helped Liam plan Sarah's murder. The other, she says, helped police record Liam describing how he did it.
But Liam's attorney, Carlos Diaz-Cobo, urges the jury to be skeptical, to question the evidence, and just how little of it, he argues, there actually is.
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Chapter 2: What are the main charges against Liam McIntasney?
Episode 6, The Trial.
Raise your right hand. Do solemnly swear or affirm the testimony you give, shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
I do. The first person to take the stand is Liam's old roommate, turned lead witness. Please state your name, spell your last name for the record.
Carson Taylor, T-A-Y, and a little Y.
Preston Taylor agreed to testify against Liam as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for a lighter sentence, a maximum of 20 years in state prison. He pled guilty to six charges, including robbery and desecrating human remains. Now 21, he's wearing a blue suit and matching tie. His short brown hair is neatly combed back, but he still has a five o'clock shadow.
On the stand, he seems calm. Prosecutors plan to use Preston to lay the groundwork for the state's case. But Assistant Prosecutor Chris Decker says despite the evidence, this might not be an easy win. They're facing a unique challenge.
We were still dealing with a case where we had not recovered Sarah's body. So the way I always looked at Preston is that we want to also have them hear from Preston to say, like, listen, I found her in a bathroom and she was dead. I hid her. I then helped him put her in her own car. He drove her to the bridge and then we threw her off.
I mean, to me, there's something that was very helpful to be able to present someone who touched her body and could say that she was dead.
The prosecution wants Preston to start at the very beginning. And for them, the beginning is when Preston says he first learned that Sarah had found some money. A lot of money. Preston testifies that Liam told him about the money when they were at home, but nothing more came of it.
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Chapter 3: What evidence does the prosecution present in the trial?
They've been having some arguments recently and some other things to just make her look unstable. Kind of stuff that would make her look like she would actually commit suicide, but I don't know.
So Preston testifies that he and Liam mapped out every step of Sarah's murder, from how they'd get her to withdraw the money from the bank to timing a practice run at the bridge. It was all calculated. But when it's time for the defense to cross-examine Preston, Liam's attorney, Carlos Diaz-Cobo, questions his credibility. He warns the jury, don't trust what Preston Taylor tells you.
He says Preston lied to investigators when they interviewed him after Sarah's disappearance, and again after his arrest. The defense questions Preston about a statement he made while in custody. Preston initially told investigators that he was sexually assaulted as a child. But when detectives said they were going to look into his allegations, he took back his claim.
I made up a story about me being sexually assaulted when I was a child.
In an interview with ABC News in 2019, Diaz-Cobo said it's strange that Preston would lie about something like that.
Why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense. I think that when you have a 19-year-old boy who's put inside an interrogation room and told that you're about to be charged with murder, I think that he panicked and didn't know what to do.
In court, he argues that Preston has a history of lying. The defense suggests that if Preston's lied in the past, who's to say he's telling the truth on the stand? the prosecution pushes back. They remind the jury that Preston's cooperation agreement hinges on Preston telling the truth, or else he could be facing felony murder charges.
Over the next couple of weeks, the prosecution calls more witnesses. Michael Stern's in the court every day, listening to things no parent should ever have to hear about their child. Until it's his turn to take the stand.
Raise your right hand.
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Chapter 4: How does the defense challenge the prosecution's case?
Doyle is referring to the phone Michael was using when Sarah went missing, the one that appeared on the monitor when the prosecution was presenting his text messages.
Did you turn that phone in when you upgraded it? Why? It's dead welded. texts and messages from Sarah.
Could you have saved them?
I don't know. I know people have tried to transfer things and they've lost all their pictures and information, texts and contacts and I just didn't want to take the chance.
The chance that the last words his daughter sent him, the whole history of their communication, could be lost in some tech issue. Doyle continues her questioning, but Michael just stares forward. He reaches for the tissue box in front of him, removes his glasses, and wipes his eyes. Doyle asks Michael about Liam. If he ever reached out when Sarah was missing. Did he ever call or check in?
Did he ever ask what he could do to help find his daughter? Michael says no.
And you see Liam in court today?
Yes.
Can you point him out for me? Yep.
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Chapter 5: What critical testimony does Preston Taylor provide?
Terms apply.
A couple of days after Michael Stern gives his testimony, the prosecution calls Anthony Curry to the stand. Filmmaker, Jersey Shore native, and Liam's old friend, the one who got him to talk about murdering Sarah Stern on tape. In a lot of trials, Preston, the accomplice, would be the star witness, the main attraction. But in this case, he's sharing the spotlight.
Because not only will prosecutors have Anthony tell the court what Liam did, his testimony will allow them to play a recording of Liam describing in his own words what he did to Sarah.
Now, you know him from high school. Were you guys friends? Yes. Good friends?
Yes.
Anthony's answers are gruff. He looks uncomfortable on the stand. He's biting his lip and tapping his foot. He's constantly reaching for the water bottle in front of him. Anthony can't seem to sit still.
Why are you here? Doing the right thing.
On the stand, Anthony says he's doing the right thing. The last time he saw Liam was two years ago, when Liam got into his car and told him how he killed Sarah. And it was all caught on tape. At the time, the video had never been made public. Doyle pulls out a white envelope.
I'm going to show you what's been marked as S82. Do you recognize that? Yes. What is it? The video of him telling me. Right. Your Honor, at this time, the state would lay permission to play court's exhibit two.
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