A 60-year-old woman in New Jersey will be sentenced to prison after admitting to killing her 55-year-old landlord by beating him to death with “several household items,” including a heavy-duty tape dispenser. Mary Carbone pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of aggravated manslaughter in the 2020 death of Frank Stochel, according to authorities.
In October 2021, an Ocean County, New Jersey, grand jury indicted Carbone on murder, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors said “legitimate proof issues” prompted them to reach an agreement with Carbone in which she agreed to plead guilty to the lower offense.
Prosecutors said they are seeking a 10-year sentence in a state jail facility, subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires the prisoner to serve at least 85% of the sentence issued before becoming eligible for parole.
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According to an Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office news release, on February 24, 2020, officers from the Manchester Township Police Department responded to a complaint concerning an unresponsive individual at a residence on 6th Avenue in Manchester’s Pine Lake Park neighborhood. The property is located around 60 miles south of Manhattan.
When first responders arrived at the address, they discovered Stochel’s deceased body on the floor inside the home.
The Ocean County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and ruled that his death was a homicide. Authorities quickly discovered that the circumstances surrounding the slaying were particularly cruel and peculiar.
The investigation also found that many domestic objects were used in the conduct of the killing, including a wooden board, a heavy-duty tape dispenser, and a shower curtain rod recovered from the scene,” according to the announcement. “The injuries sustained by Mr. Stochel were consistent with the implementation of these items.”
Stochel was beaten to death with the tape dispenser and shower rod, while Carbone attempted to suffocate the victim with the wooden board, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Multiple local law enforcement organizations were charged with investigating Stochel’s murder, and officials quickly discovered that both Stochel and Carbone lived in the 6th Avenue residence.
When asked about Stochel’s death, Carbone originally told authorities that she had no idea what had happened and had only discovered the body in the hallway earlier that day, according to NJ Advance Media, citing court records. However, the shower curtain rod used in the attack, which was discovered in a garbage bin behind the house, bore Carbone’s bloody fingerprints.
Carbone was apparently one of several housemates Stochel discovered on Craigslist who were renting out rooms in his home.
Investigators eventually discovered that Carbone was the one who beat Stochel to death, and she was arrested on March 4, 2021 lawandcrime stated.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer addressed the apparent modest punishment for such a heinous act of violence.
“Although Mary Carbone was originally facing a murder charge in connection with Mr. Stochel’s death, legitimate proof issues arose during 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 wrote in a statement following the plea bargaining session. “We believe this to be a just and reasonable resolution after careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances.”
Billhimer also stated that Stochel’s family was consulted about and approved Carbone’s plea agreement.
Carbone, who has been detained since her arrest, is set to appear for her sentencing hearing on September 13.