Bridge of Lies: The Accomplice

Summary

20/20: Bridge of Lies – "The Accomplice" (April 8, 2026)

A gripping episode uncovering the startling confession of an accomplice in the murder of Sarah Stern. Through detailed police interviews, on-site reenactments, and emotional insights from families, this installment unpacks the unraveling of the crime and the dynamics that led to the chilling betrayal of a childhood friend.

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Episode Theme

This episode exposes the crucial turning point in the investigation into Sarah Stern’s disappearance: the confession of Preston Taylor, Sarah’s former friend and prom date, who assisted Liam McAtasney in covering up her murder. The narrative follows police operations, the psychological interplay between the accused, and the ramifications for the community and families involved.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Sting and Preston Taylor’s Arrest

• Surveillance and Stakes
  Detectives watch Preston Taylor and Liam McAtasney’s Neptune City home, waiting for an opportune moment to detain Preston after Liam implicates him during an undercover operation.
  (00:42–02:30)

“Brian called me and said, you wouldn't believe what's going on. And I'm like, try me.”
— Detective Nick Catalona (02:30)

2. Preston’s Confession: Money and Motive

• The Interrogation Room
  Preston is quietly cooperative, immediately acknowledging knowledge of Sarah’s killing and confirming, with little emotion, Liam’s motive: money. Detectives prompt for justification, with Preston explaining Liam believed Sarah possessed $50,000 to $150,000.
  (03:06–07:04)

“We know what happened to Sarah. We know what your involvement in it was. We want to talk to you about that...We want to know why it happened.”
— Detective Brian Weisbrot (03:45)

“He killed Sarah. Okay. And we know you know that, right?”
— Detective Brian Weisbrot, as Preston quietly affirms (04:15)

"Money."
— Preston Taylor, to explain the motive (06:35)

• How the Plan Developed
  Liam’s plot to murder Sarah and steal her money began as a “bar conversation” and evolved over a few months.
  (07:10)

“Taking her out and then find somewhere to dispose of the body.”
— Preston Taylor, when asked what Liam planned (07:28)

3. Timeline and Details of the Crime

• Dismal Details and Cover-up
  Preston recounts returning home from construction work to find Liam preparing to dispose of Sarah’s body. He follows Liam’s instructions, moving Sarah’s body from her home to some bushes, and later, with help, disposing of her body off a bridge into the Shark River using walkie talkies to avoid detection.
  (07:59–13:04)

“He was like, dude, I did it.”
— Preston Taylor, on Liam’s admission (07:59)

“I pulled Sarah out of the bathroom and hid her body in some bushes in the yard.”
— Preston Taylor (10:03)

“We used walkie talkies to communicate … Liam thought it was a bad idea to use their phones.”
— Preston Taylor (11:06–12:16)

“Was that hard to do physically, to get her over the bridge?”
— Detective Weisbrot
“No. Two people.”
— Preston Taylor (13:03)

• The Grim Spoils
  The anticipated fortune is only $10,000, old and ragged. Preston receives $3,000 and quickly spends much of it on marijuana.
  (13:41–14:09)

“I spent half of it on some really big sum of weed.”
— Preston Taylor (14:00)

4. Preston’s Mindset & Responsibility

• Lack of Emotion and Remorse
  Investigators press Preston on his emotional state and culpability. He remains detached, more concerned about being caught than about Sarah.
  (15:27–16:44)

“How do you feel about everything that happened to Sarah. Oh, really now?”
— Detective Weisbrot
“I don't really know.”
— Preston Taylor (16:05–16:10)

“I think about what it means for me if any of it did come back to us.”
— Preston Taylor (16:22)

5. Crime Scene Re-enactment

• Preston Walks Police Through the Cover-Up
  That evening, Preston walks investigators through Sarah’s house, demonstrating how he moved her body and pointing out where evidence was hidden. He leads them to the locations where the safes containing the stolen money and Sarah’s belongings were buried.
  (20:57–24:43)

“Preston points to some prickly evergreen bushes by the fence. He explains that when he came back hours later, he waited while Liam got Sarah's safe... Preton says he lifted Sarah up and passed her over to Liam, who then put her in the passenger seat of her car.”
— Narrator (Juju Chang) (22:48–23:20)

“So he walked us down the middle ridge of the four pit, and then he pointed to an area in the northeast corner and. And said, down there is where we buried the safe.”
— Detective Nick Catalona (24:15)

6. Police Build Their Case

• Physical Evidence and Final Moves
  Police match evidence with Preston’s confession: the walkie talkies, the key to the safe, and the old bills matching those from Sarah’s safety deposit box. Both Liam and Preston are arrested.
  (25:48–28:03)

“The keys for his car had a key…It was a key to the safe they had recovered from Sandy hook, the one Preston said he and Liam had put Sarah's money in. Inside, detectives found nearly $10,000 in cash.”
— Narrator (Juju Chang) (27:15)

7. Aftermath and Impact on Families

• Liam’s Mother: Disbelief and Anguish
  Megan McAtasney describes her shock and denial at learning of her son’s arrest and the subsequent search of their home.
  (29:39–31:25)

“I did not believe Liam was capable of killing Sarah Stern, who he loved and adored...I did not believe Liam and is capable of killing anybody.”
— Megan McAtasney (31:25)

• Michael Stern’s Perspective
  Sarah’s father, Michael, reflects on the staggering betrayal and the emotional devastation suffered by his family.
  (32:34–33:50)

“This was the ultimate in betrayal of a friendship. So I look at life differently. I look at people differently now. Nothing is as it was in my life and a lot of other family members, too.”
— Michael Stern (33:50)

8. Plea Deal and Road to Trial

• Preston’s Guilty Plea and Cooperation
  Preston accepts a plea deal—felony murder charge dropped, in exchange for testifying against Liam.
  (34:31–35:19)

• Liam’s Pending Trial
  Liam pleads not guilty, setting up an emotionally charged trial for Sarah’s family and friends, especially with a possible eyewitness for the defense. The body remains missing, leaving lingering uncertainty.
  (35:19–36:00)

“Sociopath, obviously. Evil, definitely. Cruel. Heartless. I don't think there's enough words to describe him. Evil human being.”
— Michael Stern, describing Liam McAtasney (35:43)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------| | 03:45 | “We know what happened to Sarah. We know what your involvement in it was. We want to talk to you about that.” | Det. Brian Weisbrot | | 04:15 | “He killed Sarah. Okay. And we know you know that, right?” | Det. Brian Weisbrot | | 06:35 | “Money.” | Preston Taylor | | 10:03 | “I pulled Sarah out of the bathroom and hid her body in some bushes in the yard.” | Preston Taylor | | 13:04 | “Was that hard to do physically, to get her over the bridge?” — “No. Two people.” | Det. Weisbrot / Preston Taylor | | 14:00 | “I spent half of it on some really big sum of weed.” | Preston Taylor | | 16:05–16:10 | “How do you feel about everything that happened to Sarah. Oh, really now?” — “I don’t really know.” | Det. Weisbrot / Preston Taylor | | 23:20 | “Liam made the K turn and took off. He made a right and took some rounded back way of getting over to the bridge.” | Preston Taylor | | 24:50 | “It's not something that, you know, you could just easily just come across so you could tell that they meant for nobody to ever find this again.” | Det. Nick Catalona | | 27:15 | “And after we searched his car, the keys for his car had a key... It was a key to the safe they had recovered from Sandy Hook...” | Det. Nick Catalona | | 31:25 | “I did not believe Liam was capable of killing Sarah Stern, who he loved and adored...I did not believe Liam...is capable of killing anybody.” | Megan McAtasney | | 33:50 | “This was the ultimate in betrayal of a friendship. So I look at life differently. I look at people differently now.” | Michael Stern | | 35:43 | “Sociopath, obviously. Evil, definitely. Cruel. Heartless. I don't think there's enough words to describe him. Evil human being.” | Michael Stern |

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 02:51 – Preston Taylor detained for questioning
• 04:05 – Preston quickly confesses, implicating Liam for money
• 10:03 – Preston describes moving Sarah’s body
• 12:16–13:12 – Preston details how the body was dumped from the bridge
• 14:00 – Revelations about spending his share of the stolen money
• 16:05–16:44 – Preston reflects on his lack of emotion
• 20:57 – On-site reenactment at Sarah’s house with police
• 24:15–24:59 – Preston leads police to safes; physical evidence found
• 27:15–28:03 – Evidence from Liam’s car; role of the key and old money
• 29:39–31:25 – Liam’s mother recounts family’s shock
• 32:34–33:50 – Michael Stern’s reflections
• 34:31–35:19 – Preston’s plea deal details, pending trial for Liam

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a methodical deep dive into the critical unraveling of the Sarah Stern murder investigation—driven by Preston Taylor’s unexpected confession. Through police strategy, exhaustive confession details, site walkthroughs, and the families’ emotional trauma, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of how a trusted friend became an accomplice, and how that betrayal shattered lives in a small New Jersey community.

The investigation now looks ahead to the high-stakes trial of Liam McAtasney, with the prosecution relying on Preston’s turn as a state’s witness and Liam’s chilling taped confession.

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For further context and next steps in the case, tune in to future episodes of "Bridge of Lies."

Transcript

[Debra Roberts]

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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[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Just a warning before we get started. This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. It's the afternoon of February 1, 2017. Police officers are stationed outside a home in Neptune City, New Jersey, just blocks from Sarah Stern's house. Since the morning, they've been watching a bluish gray two bedroom house where two young men live. Detective Brian Weisbrot says they know one of them has a 2 o' clock class at Brookdale Community College, and detectives

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

who were conducting surveillance had seen him leave his house with what appeared to be books in his hand, get into his vehicle and travel away from the home.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Just a day earlier, during an undercover operation, Liam McAtasney described on tape how he says he murdered Sarah Stern. But Liam is not who the officers are targeting. During the sting, Liam named an accomplice.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

So Preston came over, took the body,

[Michael Stern]

put it in the bushes.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

That was the first time that Preston Taylor was implicated in the crime.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston Taylor is Liam's friend and roommate. He'd also been Sarah's friend. Weisbrot says investigators want to bring him to the police station for questioning. They want to find out if he'll talk, if he'll turn on Liam. So they plan to pull Preston over as he leaves the house he lives in with Liam and drives to class in his black 1996 Mercury Mystique. Detective Weisbrot calls one of the other officers he's been working with, Detective Nick Catalona, to fill him in on this major step in the investigation.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

Brian called me and said, you wouldn't believe what's going on. And I'm like, try me. He goes, I need you to go to the address in Titten Falls. We stopped Preston

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

suddenly. The case, which had been at a standstill for so many weeks, has rapid, high speed momentum.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

A lot of kind of disbelief that it just all unraveled the way it did as fast as it did once

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

we stopped his car, we detained Preston and transported him to the Monmouth county prosecutor's office.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

They bring Preston into a small interview room, which is outfitted with video cameras recording everything. He's tall, 6 foot 5, wearing a black sweater. Detective Weisbrot and another investigator are there, too. The three men crowd around a circular table, and Preston sits back in his chair with his hands folded in his lap.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

I first just want to tell you thank you for cooperating, coming down today to talk to us. We appreciate it. I know you.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Detective Weisbrot reads Preston his Miranda rights, The right to remain silent, the right to an attorney. And then he cuts right to the chase.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

We know what happened to Sarah. We know what your involvement in it was. We want to talk to you about that. What we're most interested in knowing, not necessarily what happened, because we already know that. We want to know why it happened. We want to know why Liam did what he did.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston does not remain silent. He does not ask for an attorney. He looks right at detective Weisbrot and

[Preston Taylor]

asks, what do you do?

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

What did he do?

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

He killed Sarah. Okay. And we know you know that, right? You know that, correct? Yes.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Yes, correct. Preston doesn't try and leverage what he knows for a deal with investigators like Liam sitting in Anthony Curry's car. Preston decides to let it all spill out, starting with, yes, Liam killed Sarah.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

What was interesting about Preston's interview is that he just wanted confirmation that we knew that Liam had killed Sarah. And when I told him Liam killed Sarah, that was enough for Preston. Preston realized at that point, obviously, that we knew what had transpired.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Prosecutor Chris Decker is watching the interview from another room.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

I don't know if I've ever seen anyone confess that quickly. And then he just goes on for, you know, 52 pages or something in a transcript of describing everything that they did.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston had once been Sarah's junior prom date. They'd gone as friends. In a photo from that night, he's smiling in a black bow tie with his arm around her as she wears a white off the shoulder dress. Now, he was sitting in a room with detectives telling them that as Sarah's community and family desperately searched for her, he had known all along that she was not coming home. But police have a lot more to learn from Preston. How long did Liam plan this brutal betrayal of their childhood friend? Why did Liam kill Sarah? Why did Preston go along with it? And what happened to Sarah's body? From ABC Audio and 20 20. I'm Juju Chang, and this is Bridge of lies. Episode five, the accomplice.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

You're a 19 year old kid, you have a whole life ahead of you. All right? You gotta lay it out for us as to why it happened, all right? And why he did what he did.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston speaks quietly, almost mumbling. There is no emotion in his voice as he gives a one word answer. Money. He says Liam murdered his childhood friend for money.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

How much money are we talking about?

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

According to Preston, Liam thought she had anywhere from 50 to 150 grand.

[Preston Taylor]

He wanted to try get his hands on as much of it as possible. Okay.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Did he tell you ahead of time that he was going to do this?

[Preston Taylor]

Yeah.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston says Liam came into a bar one day and started talking about Sarah's money. Then about a month or two later, according to Preston, Liam came up with a plan to kill her and steal it.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

What did he tell you he planned on doing?

[Preston Taylor]

Taking her out and then find somewhere to dispose of the body.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

When you say taking her out, what

[Preston Taylor]

do you mean strangling her?

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston keeps looking at the detectives, sitting up straight in his chair as he details Liam's violent plot to murder Sarah. Preston says that on the day Sarah was murdered, he was working construction with his dad. He got home just as Liam was leaving for his job, waiting tables at the steakhouse.

[Preston Taylor]

He was like, dude, I did it.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

When he said that he did it, did you know what that meant?

[Preston Taylor]

Yeah.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

What did you take that to mean?

[Preston Taylor]

I turned him in a seat, killed Sarah. Okay. Said that her body was still at the house and that he needs to get rid of the tomatoes.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

When Preston was first interviewed by police in the days after Sarah disappeared, his story almost entirely matched the one Liam told the police. He said Liam went to work as usual, and when he got home, the two of them hung out at their house. The only discrepancy between their accounts was that Liam said he had a great work shift, and Preston said Liam had a bad night at the steakhouse. Otherwise, they were aligned. Now Preston is completely changing his story step by step. He's corroborating what Liam told Anthony Curry during the undercover operation about how Liam carried out his plan to murder Sarah and cover it up. Preston says as Liam left for work, he sent him to Sarah's house with two tasks. First, Liam had lost his phone there and asked Preston to search for it. And second, Liam wanted Preston to move Sarah's body out of the house.

[Preston Taylor]

He said that her aunt and grandma were stopping by later and that is why it had to be moved.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

When Preston got to Sarah's house, the sun was starting to go down. He says he hadn't Been to the house for years, but had hung out with friends there before he entered the house through the unlocked back door and found Sarah in the bathroom.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Did you see any blood? Did you see any bruising, any marks or anything on her body?

[Preston Taylor]

She was starting to turn pale and, like, a whitish purple color, but no, like, bruises or anything.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston says he looked around for Liam's phone but couldn't find it. According to investigators, the phone was ultimately found in Sarah's driveway and given to police. After failing to find Liam's phone, Preston says he pulled Sarah out of the bathroom and hid her body in some bushes in the yard.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

And then what did you do?

[Preston Taylor]

I went back to my house and waited.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

He had just dragged his high school classmate out of her home and hidden her body. But that was not the end of Preston's night or the end of his involvement in covering up Sarah's murder. According to Preston, there was much more to Liam's plan, and he was a key part of it. He tells investigators he waited at home for Liam to return from work.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

How would you describe his demeanor when he came home?

[Preston Taylor]

Just completely frantic and out of his woods.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

According to Preston, Liam still planned to steal Sarah's money and get rid of her body. And Liam had carefully thought through how to do this. He knew there were surveillance cameras on the street. So Preston says they drove in his car to a street near Sarah's house and parked at a dead end to avoid being captured by those cameras at the house. Preston says he looked for Liam's phone again while Liam went upstairs to take a safe from Sarah's room. This safe was what Liam had been after all along, remember? According to Preston, Liam believed there could be 50 to 150 grand inside. Once Liam grabbed the safe, Preston says, they left the house and moved Sarah's body from the bushes to the passenger seat of her car. Liam drove Sarah's car to the bridge, and Preston followed behind. They used walkie talkies to communicate along the way because Preston says, Liam thought it was a bad idea to use their phones.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

What kind of things were you guys communicating about?

[Preston Taylor]

They just said, I'm coming up on the bridge. And I said, okay, I'm coming up behind you. And he was like, all right, hurry up, because I'm not. Because I can't get this over myself. And I pulled up behind him.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston says Liam needed help dragging Sarah's body out of the car and pulling her over the bridge's railing. So he stopped his car and helped. Preston keeps his matter of fact tone as he describes what it was like to throw his high school prom date into the Shark River. No tears, no shaking in his voice, just the same steady drip of horrifying detail.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Was that hard to do physically, to get her over the bridge?

[Preston Taylor]

No. Two people.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Okay, did you. Did you guys know when she hit the water? Did you hear anything or see anything?

[Preston Taylor]

No.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

All right, and then what happened after that?

[Preston Taylor]

We got in my car and drove down, turned around, went back to our house.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Back at their house, Preston says they drank and smoked weed, and then it was time to break open Sarah's safe and count their money. The whole reason for their betrayal. According to Preston, Liam did the counting.

[Preston Taylor]

It was 10,000.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

$10,000.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Did you see the money? Can you describe it to us?

[Preston Taylor]

What did it look like? It was a lot of really old, beat up, torn up money, and it

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

was a lot less than they were expecting. Preston says Liam gave him three grand.

[Preston Taylor]

I spent half of it on some really big sum of weed.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

He spent the money on weed? The money he says Liam had killed for. The money Preston had helped cover up a murder for. Preston had spent half of his share already to get high. Preston says Liam took the rest of the money and put it in a different safe he had. They buried that safe at one location. They put some of Sarah's clothes in her safe and buried it in another spot. At this point, Preston has given investigators a play by play of the aftermath of Sarah's murder. But Detective Weisbrot has some bigger questions for him, too.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

What are the other reasons why he killed Sarah, other than the money? Is there a thrill involved in it? Is this something that he's always wanted to do? Hmm?

[Preston Taylor]

Look.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

No, it was just. It was for the money.

[Preston Taylor]

Yeah.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Okay. What did he need the money for?

[Preston Taylor]

I remember just starting to move out, and he was getting tired of his job at Brennan's.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Did he owe anybody money? No,

[Preston Taylor]

not that I knew that.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

During the whole interview, Preston has not shown much emotion, and in his version of events, he just went along with a plan Liam had come up with. Detective Weisbrot wants to know more about Preston's mindset. How did he become an accomplice to mur.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Were you supportive of him doing this so you can get some of the money?

[Preston Taylor]

I didn't really think it was gonna happen until it actually did. Like, it hit me that he was really gonna do it. I couldn't really, like, tell him, like, no, don't do it. I just said, don't do it. Very daylight.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

How do you feel about everything that happened to Sarah. Oh, really now?

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

I don't really know.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Preston says no emotions, no tears, no remorse, nothing. What do you think about?

[Preston Taylor]

I think about what it means for me if any of it did come back to us.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Did you think it was going to?

[Preston Taylor]

Liam did a pretty good job of convincing me that she covered everything up. Just.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

The investigators end their interview with Preston after nearly two hours. They tell him a prosecutor will make a decision about what to charge him with, but they're not done with Preston yet. They ask him to take them back to Sarah's house, back to the scene of the crime and show them exactly how Liam carried out this cold blooded murder and covered it up.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Let me just go get our cars ready and we'll. We'll take a ride. Okay? All right.

[Preston Taylor]

All right.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. All right.

[Debra Roberts]

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[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

After Preston's confession, well into a bitter cold night, investigators drive him to Sarah's house. They bring video equipment and flashlights to navigate the dark, and they start recording when they arrive because Preston is about to walk them through everything that happened at the house.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Today's date is February 1, 2017. The approximate time is 11:15pm Detective Weisbrot

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

says because it's so cold out, police give Preston a firefighter jacket. It's black with big yellow reflective strips on it that glow in the dark. Preston is also wearing a red baseball cap that says St. Louis.

[Preston Taylor]

I had parked my car just right over here and top the fence right here.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston is more animated than during his interview at the station. He walks investigators into the house through the back door.

[Preston Taylor]

The lights back here are off, but the kitchen and the living room lights were on.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Okay.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Then he takes them through some folding doors into the bathroom.

[Preston Taylor]

And Sarah was slumped in this corner right here.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Do you recall what Sarah was wearing when you came into the house that day?

[Preston Taylor]

Jeans and a black hoodie. Okay.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston demonstrates how he approached Sarah from behind, looped his arms under her shoulders, lifted her up, and dragged her backwards out of the house.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

So were her feet dragging on the ground?

[Preston Taylor]

Yeah.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Okay.

[Preston Taylor]

And then I carried her over here and dragged her over here and kind of sat her under the bushes right here.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston points to some prickly evergreen bushes by the fence. He explains that when he came back hours later, he waited while Liam got Sarah's safe. Then Preston says Liam handed him the safe and in the backyard and went out front to get Sarah's car from the driveway. Liam then pulled the car around and went to the fence to meet him. Preston says he lifted Sarah up and passed her over to Liam, who then put her in the passenger seat of her car.

[Preston Taylor]

Liam made the K turn and took off. He made a right and took some rounded back way of getting over to the bridge.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Investigators can now visualize how Preston and Liam moved Sarah's body out of the house and into her car, which they would eventually abandon on the bridge. Preston also took police to where the two safes were buried. First, he led them to a park by Sandy hook Beach, about 30 minutes away. That's where investigators say Preston told them he and Liam buried the safe with Sarah's money in it. Detective Nick Catalona says they parked on a side road and walked up a steep hill overlooking an old mortar battery. There were four pits where the mortars, which look sort of like cannons, used to be stationed.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

So he walked us down the middle ridge of the four pit, and then he pointed to an area in the northeast corner and. And said, down there is where we buried the safe. And we had to descend into the pit after that. Once we got to the area where he was pointing to, we started photoed it, and then we started digging. And then as we were digging, we just happened to look just a little bit to the left of where we were digging, and there's the corner of the safe just sticking out.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Detective Catalona says the safe was discovered far from the park's popular areas.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

It's not something that, you know, you could just easily Just come across so you could tell that they meant for nobody to ever find this again.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

After finding that safe, Preston took investigators to Shark river Park, just 10 minutes from Sarah's house. They were looking for her safe, the one with her clothes in it. The park is nearly 1,000 acres, and it took Preston an hour and a half to find the right location. They were out there for so long. Investigators got him a burger and fries from McDonald's to eat for dinner. As Preston took some officers through the sprawling park, Detective Weisbrot said another set of officers made the next big move in the case. They decided to bring Liam in. It had been nearly two months since Sarah disappeared, and they were now ready to make an arrest for her murder.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

While we were in the park with him, detectives had stopped Liam's car and had arrested him at that point.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

After being arrested, Liam is brought to the same small room with the circular table that Preston had confessed in just hours earlier. But weisbrot says Liam doesn't know that.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

He had no idea. You're being charged with murder, felony murder, first degree robbery, desecration of human remains, conspiracy, and hindering apprehension.

[Preston Taylor]

Okay.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

All the other times Liam had been questioned by the police, he had played along, answered their questions, tried to seem helpful. This time, unlike Preston, Liam does not talk. He just responds by saying he has an attorney.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

Okay. And I'd rather not speak to anyone until I talk to him.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Great.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

By the end of the night, investigators have Liam and Preston in custody. A detailed account from Preston of how Sarah's body was moved from her home and thrown over the bridge. And the two safes. They also searched Preston's car.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

Right next to the driver's seat, between the emergency brake and the center console, was a cobra brand walkie talkie, which was consistent what Preston told us, that they used walkie talkies to communicate.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

And they searched Liam's car.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

And after we searched his car, the keys for his car had a key.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

It was a key to the safe they had recovered from Sandy hook, the one Preston said he and Liam had put Sarah's money in. Inside, detectives found nearly $10,000 in cash. The money was almost identical to the money in Sarah's safety deposit box at the bank.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

Dry rot, falling apart stuck together. These bills and the bills that we found in Sarah's safety deposit box had to have at least been exposed to the same environmental conditions for the same relative period of time to exhibit, you know, the same sort of wear.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Their next stop would be Liam's house. Back in December, they had knocked on his door in the middle of the night, hoping he could help them find Sarah. Now he was charged with her murder and they were continuing to build their case on against him. They were also about to break the news to Sarah's dad that the investigation had led them right back to where they started with Sarah's childhood friend, the last person to see her alive.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policy. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home in auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Megan McAtasney]

I came home from work and I started making dinner and I noticed there was a bright light coming from my backyard.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

This is Megan McAtasney, Liam's mom. She spoke with ABC News in 2019

[Megan McAtasney]

and I looked out the back window and I thought Liam and his friends were shooting a movie or a video. And I decided to go back there and say hi to everybody. I was walking through my backyard and all of the men that were at the property were in street clothes. So I was trying to figure out who they were because I didn't recognize them as Liam's friends. And I remember joking and saying, hey guys, what are you up to back here? What are you shooting? And then a detective yelled at me to stand back. And at that point I realized that people were going through my son's trash. They had gloves on. They were raiding my son's home. I asked where my son was and I was told, ma', am, you have to get back.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

She says she ran inside to call her lawyer, Liam's dad, and Preston's mom, but none of them knew anything about

[Megan McAtasney]

what was happening and we didn't know where our boys were.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Detectives went through the two bedroom house Liam and Preston lived in.

[Detective Nick Catalona]

Liam's bedroom was pretty neat and orderly. Preston's, on the other hand, was, was not. We searched the attic. We pulled up insulation in the attic, looked through storage. There wasn't anything.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Detective Catalona says that later they searched a vent and found a key to Sarah's safety deposit box at Kearney Bank. Megan, Liam's mom, says she didn't know what was going on until the middle

[Megan McAtasney]

of the night and was told what Liam was being charged with. And my head was just spinning because I didn't understand what was happening. And I just started calling family members and I didn't understand why in every bone of my body. I did not believe Liam was capable of killing Sarah Stern, who he loved and adored. I did not believe Liam and is capable of killing anybody.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

She described her son as a friendly person, a good brother to his identical twin and two younger siblings, and a loving, generous friend.

[Megan McAtasney]

I don't think Liam had an enemy. He just adores his friends. He would do anything for his friends. Take the shirt off, off the back, stop what he was doing to go and help anybody that needed it. If he was driving home from school and he saw somebody on the side of the road walking, he'd offer them a ride home.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

It had already been a tough week for Sarah's dad, Michael Stern, his mother in law, had passed away. And now, just days later, detectives were calling him about Sarah's case.

[Michael Stern]

I wasn't home and they said, well, we'd like to talk you at the house. And I said, okay, I'll see you in 15 or 20 minutes. And walked in and it was the detectives, the police department, they were there and just sit down. We want to tell you something.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Michael says they told him that during an undercover sting, Liam had described Sarah's murder. And it was all on tape, every awful detail.

[Michael Stern]

They just told me what was on there, and they said it was just, you don't want to hear the details.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

He was shocked. He was sad. He couldn't believe the information that we were providing to him. He knew Liam McAtasney. He knew Liam McAtasney's family, his mother. He had driven Liam to and from school. Preston Taylor went to the prom with Sarah. He knew these people just can't imagine

[Michael Stern]

turning your back on somebody and having them choke you and just leave you there. You never know who your friends are. This was the ultimate in betrayal of a friendship. So I look at life differently. I look at people differently now. Nothing is as it was in my life and a lot of other family members, too.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Preston Taylor eventually cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to robbery, conspiracy, disturbing or desecrating human remains, hindering apprehension and tampering with physical evidence. He also agreed to testify against Liam. In exchange, a felony murder charge against him, which could have meant life without parole, was dropped. His attorney at the time, John Perrone, told ABC News in an interview in 2019 that Preston is a follower who is easily led.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

It just didn't sink in that this was a plan, that somebody's life was going to be taken until it actually happened. Preston was a scared individual that did something wrong and helped somebody who did something even more egregious.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Unlike Liam, McAtasney pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, so his case was going to trial. That meant Michael and all of Sarah's family and friends would have to face Liam in court and listen to the recording of him brazenly describing Sarah's murder.

[Michael Stern]

Sociopath, obviously. Evil, Definitely. Cruel. Heartless. I don't think there's enough words to describe him. Evil human being.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

What would happen in the courtroom as Liam stood trial for the ultimate betrayal of his childhood friend? Prosecutors were heading into the trial armed with Preston's confession and Liam's own incriminating words. But Sarah's body still had not been found, and the defense had found a surprise eyewitness, someone who said he had seen Sarah the morning after her disappearance walking near the bridge. Would prosecutors be able to convict Liam? Or could he walk away a free man?

[Preston Taylor]

Foreign

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Bridge of Lies is a production of ABC Audio and 2020 hosted by me, Juju Chang. Produced by Camille Peterson and Sabrina Fang. Fact checking and production help from Audrey Mostek and Annalisa Linder. Tracy Samuelson is our story editor. Our supervising producer is Sasha Aslanian. Music and mixing by Evan Biola. Special thanks to Katie Dendos, Janice Johnston, Joseph Diaz, Avery Brook and Michelle Margulis. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. Eamonn McNiff is our executive producer.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.

[Detective Brian Weisbrot]

I have great news.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Malcolm in the middle is back. My life is fantastic now in a four part event. All I had to do is stay completely away from my family.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

Your biggest problem is that we exist.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Everyone's invited to the can't miss reunion of the year.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

This family's behavior is toxic to me.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

We all just take turns fighting and creating disasters.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

That's what families do.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Malcolm in the Middle Life's Still Unfair premieres Friday, April 10 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.

[Narrator (Juju Chang)]

For bundle subscribers, terms apply.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Rated TV 14 oh.