Manchester Woman Admits 2020 Killing Of Housemate

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township woman has pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the killing of her housemate in 2020, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday.

Mary B. Carbone, 60, pleaded guilty in the February 2020 killing of Frank Stochel, 55, before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 13, at which time the state is planning to seek a 10-year prison sentence subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, the prosecutor's office said.

Carbone had been charged with murder when she was arrested on March 4, 2020, after the Feb. 24, 2020, killing at the residence the couple shared on 6th Avenue in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester.

Stochel was found lifeless on the floor of the home when police responded to a report of an unresponsive male, and the Ocean County medical examiner ruled the manner of death to be a homicide.

He had been beaten to death with several household items, including a wooden board, a heavy duty tape dispenser and a shower curtain rod, authorities said.

The investigation identified Carbone as the person responsible, authorities said.

"Although Mary Carbone was originally facing a murder charge in connection with Mr. Stochel’s death, legitimate proof issues arose during the course of our investigation that we simply could not ignore, and which we were ethically bound to take into account in evaluating this very difficult case," Billhimer said.

"We believe this to be a just and reasonable resolution after careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances," he said. "Additionally, Mr. Stochel’s family was consulted in connection with this resolution, and approved of same."

Carbone remains in the Ocean County Jail.

Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill and Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni are handling the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, High Tech Crimes Unit, and Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, the Manchester Township Police Department and Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Township Police Department, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office cooperated on the investigation.