Judge won't dismiss murder indictment in deadly robbery case
FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — A judge has refused to dismiss a murder indictment brought against a man accused of strangling a female friend during a robbery and throwing her body off a bridge with another man.
Liam McAtasney's attorney, Charles Moriarty, claimed Wednesday that his client made up stories about planning to rob and kill 19-year-old Sarah Stern as part of a horror film an acquaintance was making.
Moriarty told state Superior Court Judge Richard English that the acquaintance told detectives that McAtasney was "always making things up to be more interesting."
Monmouth County prosecutors say the 20-year-old Neptune City man killed Stern on Dec. 2, 2016 during a robbery that netted $10,000.