N.J. woman pleads guilty to killing housemate with board, tape dispenser, and shower curtain rod

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (TCN) -- A 60-year-old woman recently pleaded guilty to killing her housemate in 2020 using a variety of household items.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced that Mary Carbone pleaded guilty on July 8 to the aggravated manslaughter of 55-year-old Frank Stochel. Carbone is set to be sentenced on Sept. 13, and the state will pursue a term of 10 years.

According to Manchester Police, on Feb. 24, 2020, officers responded to a home on 6th Avenue, where they found Stochel deceased on the floor. The Ocean County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide. Prosecutors said Carbone used items such as a wooden board, tape dispenser, and shower curtain rod to kill Stochel.

Carbone, the victim’s housemate, told officers she found Stochel’s body in the hallway but didn’t know what happened to him, NJ.com reports. However, investigators reportedly found Carbone’s bloody fingerprints on the shower curtain rod, which was hidden in a trash bag in the backyard.

Police arrested Carbone on March 4, 2020, and she was booked into the Ocean County Jail. A grand jury initially indicted the defendant the following year, in October 2021, on a charge of murder, three counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, three counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence.

The murder charge was reduced to aggravated manslaughter because "legitimate proof issues arose," according to Billhimer.

He continued, "We believe this to be a just and reasonable resolution after careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances."

In the year before Stochel’s death, police reportedly received multiple domestic violence reports from the home.