A 60-year-old woman in New Jersey will be going to prison after admitting to killing her 55-year-old landlord, beating him to death with “several household items,” including a heavy-duty tape dispenser and other household items. Mary Carbone on Monday pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated manslaughter in the 2020 slaying of Frank Stochel, authorities announced.
An Ocean County, New Jersey, grand jury in October 2021 indicted Carbone on charges of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence. Prosecutors said “legitimate proof issues” led them to make a deal with Carbone if she agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge.
Prosecutors said they are seeking a sentence of 10 years in a state correctional facility subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, which requires the convict to serve at least 85% of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole.
According to a news release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, officers with the Manchester Township Police Department on Feb. 24, 2020, responded to a residence on 6th Avenue in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester in regards to a call about an unresponsive male. The home is about 60 miles south of Manhattan.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found Stochel’s lifeless body on the floor inside the residence.
The Ocean County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and determined that his manner of death was a homicide. Authorities soon learned that the circumstances of the slaying were particularly brutal and bizarre.
“The investigation further revealed that several household items were utilized in the commission of the homicide: specifically, a wooden board, a heavy duty tape dispenser, and a shower curtain rod were recovered from the scene,” the release states. “The injuries sustained by Mr. Stochel were consistent with the implementation of these items.”
Investigators said Stochel was beaten to death with the tape dispenser and shower rod, while Carbone used the wooden board to try and suffocate the victim, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Multiple local law enforcement agencies were charged with investigating Stochel’s murder and authorities soon learned that Stochel and Carbone both lived in the 6th Avenue home.
When questioned about Stochel’s death, Carbone initially told police that she had no idea what happened and she had just discovered the body in the hallway earlier that day, NJ Advance Media reported, citing court documents. However, the shower curtain rod used in the attack — which was found in a trash bin behind the house — had Carbone’s bloody fingerprints on it.
Carbone was reportedly one of several roommates Stochel had found on Craigslist who were renting rooms from his home.
Investigators ultimately determined that Carbone was the individual responsible for beating Stochel to death and she was arrested on March 4, 2021.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer addressed the seemingly light sentence for such a brutal act of violence.
“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 in a statement following the plea hearing. “We believe this to be a just and reasonable resolution after careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances.”
Billhimer also noted that Stochel’s family was consulted in connection with Carbone’s plea deal and approved.
Carbone, who has been incarcerated since her arrest, is scheduled to appear for her sentencing hearing on Sept. 13.