60-Year-Old Toms River Woman Pleads Guilty To Aggravated Manslaughter In The 2020 Murder Of 55-Year-Old Man

Tuesday, July 9, 2024, 5:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ.- Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer reported, on Monday, July 8, 2024, Mary Carbone, 60, of Toms River, New Jersey, appeared in Ocean County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, J.S.C., on a charge of Aggravated Manslaughter in connection with the death of Frank Stochel, 55, of Toms River, New Jersey.

     In return for pleading guilty, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Ms. Carbone be sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act. This act requires Ms. Carbone to serve 85% of her custodial term before becoming eligible for parole. Sentencing in the matter has been scheduled for September 13, 2024.

     The guilty plea stems from an investigation that unfolded on February 24, 2020. Members of the Manchester Township Police Department responded to a residence located on 6th Avenue in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township after receiving a report of an unresponsive man.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers found Frank Stochel, 55, dead on the floor inside the residence. A subsequent autopsy performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Mr. Stochel’s death a homicide.

     During the ensuing investigation by Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Manchester Township Police Department, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, learned that Carbone lived with Mr. Stochel at the Manchester residence.

     The investigation located household items that were used to commit the murder, specifically a wooden board, a heavy-duty tape dispenser, and a shower curtain. The Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the injuries that Mr. Stochel sustained were consistent with those items. 

     Carbone was ultimately identified as the individual responsible for Mr. Stochel’s death. Carbone was taken into custody on March 4, 2021, and was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where she has remained since her arrest. Following sentencing, Carbone will be transferred to the New Jersey State Department of Corrections to serve the remainder of her sentence.

     “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,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated. “We believe this is a just and reasonable resolution after careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances. Additionally, Mr. Stochel’s family was consulted in connection with this resolution and approved the same,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.