Crime & Justice
Two charged in death of missing N.J. teen Sarah Stern
A pair of 19-year-old Neptune, NJ city residents have been charged with the killing of Sarah Stern who had been missing since her car was found on a bridge.
Neptune City, NJ – Two former classmates have been arrested and charged with the killing of Sarah Stern who had been missing since her car was found on a Belmar bridge.
Two charged with the murder of Sarah Stern
NJ.com reports, on Thursday morning the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said two men, Liam McAtasney and Preston Taylor, both of Neptune City, had been arrested in Stern’s death.
The Neptune City Police Department charged Liam McAtasney, 19, with first degree murder, first degree felony murder, first degree robbery, second degree desecration of human remains, second degree conspiracy (to desecrate human remains) and second degree hindering apprehension.
Preston Taylor, 19, also of Neptune City, was charged with second degree desecration of human remains, second degree conspiracy (to desecrate human remains) and second degree hindering apprehension.
Detectives determined that McAtasney was responsible for killing Stern and stealing property from her on December 2, 2016.
The investigation also revealed that Taylor provided assistance to McAtasney in moving and ultimately disposing of Stern’s body in order to avoid detection.
What happened to Sarah Stern?
Sarah Stern’s car was found unoccupied, working properly with the keys in the ignition on December 3rd, 2016.
Search
An intensive search into the Shark River was followed after her car was found. As a result of Stern’s vehicle being found unoccupied on the bridge, the Belmar Water Rescue Team was called to search Shark River for any evidence of her body.
The Belmar Water Rescue Team was assisted by the United States Coast Guard, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, the Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders Team and the New Jersey State Police. Those assets searched the Shark River with divers, boats and helicopters, but, to date, attempts to locate Stern have been unsuccessful.
Investigation
On Sunday, December 4th, detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office joined the investigation in an effort to locate Stern.
Detectives from the Prosecutor’s Office and the Belmar and Neptune City Police Departments have continued to investigate her whereabouts since that time.
The New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have also assisted in this investigation.
Two charged with Sarah Stern’s death allegedly cover up murder
Ending a two month long mystery, the investigation found McAtasney and Taylor allegedly tried to cover up the killing by throwing her body into the Shark River the next day.
With a plan to rob her, McAtasney went to Stern’s Neptune City home on Dec. 2 and strangled her, prosecutors said.
After Stern’s death, McAtasney called Taylor and asked him to dispose of the body and of evidence of the crime, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.
Using her car, the pair drove her body a couple hours later to the bridge over the Shark River in Belmar early the next morning and threw Stern’s body over the side, prosecutors said.
Stern’s father, widowed three years ago, sat in court Thursday sweeping as the former classmates of his only child faced Superior Court Judge David Bauman.
“We had hope up until last night. Up until we were informed, we had hope,” Charles Stone, attorney for the Stern family, said after court. “The family and friends always had hope.”
Who is Sarah Stern?
Sarah Stern attended Neptune High School where she played softball and was also a member of the swim team.
Michael Stern said his daughter started on the varsity softball team as a freshman. But she was also very interested in art and photography and has a keen interest in digital media, specifically YouTube videos. She studied art and TV production at Brookdale Community College for two semesters.
Information
Anyone with information that may assist in this investigation is asked to contact Detective Brian Weisbrot from the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office at (800) 533-7443, Detective Michael Vollbrecht of the Neptune City Police Department at (732) 775-1615, or Detective John Mahoney from the Belmar Police Department at (732) 681-1700.
Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous, but has information about a crime can contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers confidential telephone tip-line by calling 1-800-671-4400; can text “MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or, they can email a tip via the website at: www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.
Monmouth County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of criminals and fugitives.
Crime & Justice
Paramedic involved in Elijah McClain’s death sentenced to probation, work release and community service
Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine, has been sentenced to probation and community service.
Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine, has been sentenced to probation and community service.
Paramedic Jeremy Cooper sentenced
He had faced up to three years in prison but was sentenced to four years probation, 14 months of work release and 100 hours of community service.
Cooper and another paramedic, Peter Cichuniec, were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in December in the death of McClain, 23, who was subdued by police and injected with ketamine on August 24, 2019.
Both paramedics had pleaded not guilty to the felony charges. Cichuniec was sentenced in March to five years in prison, the minimum.
Police stop turns fatal
McClain was walking home in August 2019 when the 23-year-old Black man was confronted by police officers who forcibly restrained him. When Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec arrived, they injected him with ketamine.
He went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance a few minutes later and died three days after that.
The McClain family sued the city of Aurora for Elijah’s wrongful death and received a $15 million settlement.
Crime & Justice
Honor student killed by stray bullet while visiting Delaware State University
A shooting at Delaware State University has claimed the life of 18-year-old honor student Camay Mitchell De Silva.
Camay Mitchell De Silva, of Wilmington, Delaware, was shot and killed Sunday, on the Delaware State University campus.
The 18-year-old was visiting her best friend, a Delaware State student, when the tragic shooting occurred.
She was an honor student
De Silva was a 2023 graduate of Concord High School who graduated with a 3.0. She spent her first semester of college at Morgan State University in Baltimore but decided she wanted to come home to Delaware.
She then attended Delaware Technical Community College and planned to attend DSU in the fall to pursue a degree in Computer Science, with the goal of working in cybersecurity.
De Silva often hung out on campus with her best friend to get comfortable before attending DSU.
Delaware State shooting
The family said De Silva was visiting that friend at DSU on Saturday, April 20, and attended a party on campus that night. Around 1:40 a.m. on April 21, DSU Police received a report of shots fired on campus. The responding officers found De Silva in a residence hall suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body. The officers administered aid and then took her to a nearby hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Police say De Silva was not the intended target. Dover Police Department Chief Thomas Johnson Jr. told NBC10 there was a dispute that she was not involved in and she was hit by a stray bullet.
The suspects were seen fleeing the area and no arrests have been made, said authorities.
Dover Police released a statement from De Silva’s family requesting time to grieve and to plan for her celebration of life.
They also said they pray for and support the DSU community, law enforcement and the local community as they are “forced to manage this tragedy.”
Delaware State shooting investigation
Dover Police are still pursuing leads in the fatal shooting of Camay Mitchell De Silva.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 302-736-7130 or reach out to Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333.
Crime & Justice
Exonerated man on a mission to rebuild his life
C.J. Rice, a man who served more than 12 years behind bars for an attempted murder he was falsely convicted of, was officially exonerated on March 18, 2024. He is now on a mission to rebuild his life.
Charles “CJ” Rice was just 17 years old when he was convicted of a crime he did not commit.
CJ Rice Exonerated
Now 30 year old Rice is using the injustice of the last 13 years to galvanize the life he almost spent behind bars after being exonerated and declared legally innocent of the crime he was convicted of in 2013 on March 18, 2024.
According to the GoFundMe, CJ wants to “embrace this opportunity” and become a paralegal.
With the help of Dream.org, the GoFundMe aims to help CJ start a new life with everything from a place to stay to clothes to wear as he builds a new future.
The CJ Rice case
CJ Rice, formally known Charles J. Rice, was convicted in a September 2011 shooting for attempted murder and sentenced to 30-60 years behind bars in 2013.
According to the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, the South Philadelphia shooting left a woman identified as Latrice Johnson, a 6-year-old girl and two others injured.
Johnson called 911 after the shooting and described the suspects as two men running away in hoodies and black sweatpants but couldn’t fully identify them.
Through an initial investigation with victims in the hospital, Rice’s co-defendant, Tyler Linder, was identified as one of the shooters. Detectives interviewed Johnson while she was in the hospital and she identified 17-year-old Rice as one of the shooters running away although she hadn’t seen the teen in a few years. Rice had been friends with Johnson’s son when he was younger, according to the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.
In her description, Johnson said Rice was wearing a hoodie and claimed that she was able to see his full face and long braids poking out the side of the hood. However, Rice’s arrest photo depicted him with shorter cornrows flushed against his head. Despite this, a case against Rice and Linder was built.
According to the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, among the evidence was a theory that the shooting was retaliatory, which wasn’t proven. That’s because Rice was shot and injured a few days prior. It’s alleged the suspects ran from the scene, and Rice’s counsel never used his medical records as evidence to help Rice’s case.
Rice’s case received national attention after CNN anchor Jake Tapper began reporting on it. His father, Dr. Theodore Tapper, is Rice’s former doctor and treated his injuries.
Although it was alleged that the shooters ran from the 2011 crime scene, this is something that Dr. Tapper believed Rice just physically couldn’t do at the time.
Officials believed the 2011 shooting involved gang affiliations, leading the DA’s Gun Violence Task Force to begin their investigation to see whether or not Rice could be re-tried for the shooting or to dismiss the charges in full.
This suggestion of motive and the sole faulty eyewitness identification of CJ led to his conviction on four counts for attempted murder.
A free man
Rice’s defense counsel filed a habeas petition to get CJ out of prison and have his conviction overturned.
On March 18, 2024, the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas granted the Commonwealth’s motion to dismiss all charges against Rice, officially making CJ a free man.
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