Suspect Reveals He Strangled Childhood Best Friend For 30 Minutes And 'Watched Her Die'

19-year-old New Jersey resident Liam McAtasney has been accused of robbing, murdering, and tossing the body of his childhood best friend into a nearby river, a truly awful atrocity. Earlier this week, details emerged about the heinous crimes McAtasney has been accused of committing which are truly horrifying.

According to the prosecution team, McAtasney revealed to a witness that he watched her die while strangling her for "about 30 minutes." Even more incriminating for McAtasney, the witness recorded the entire conversation in which he revealed the gruesome details.

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According to the prosecutor, the suspect revealed "he had planned it for weeks leading up to Sarah Stern's death." The recordings also revealed that McAtasney enlisted the help of 19-year-old Preston Taylor to assist him in disposing of the body in the nearby Shark River. The victim, Sarah Stern, has yet to be discovered.

McAtasney's defensive lawyer claims the teen had nothing to do with Stern's disappearance, claiming he is completely innocent.

Considering neither stern nor her remains have been discovered anywhere, it's completely possible that she's alive and well, just missing. When McAtasney's lawyer spoke to press, they claim that the manner in which their client revealed details about murdering Stern was calm and collected, dismissing the conversation as "locker room talk."

Despite what McAtasney said in the recordings, his lawyer, Charles Moriarty, said, "He indicated to me that whatever was said, he had nothing to do with this. He wouldn't hurt anyone, and he didn't hurt her."

Neither McAtasney nor Taylor have entered pleas but are being held without bond.

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[H/T PEOPLE]