Toms River woman used tape dispenser, shower rod to kill

MANCHESTER — A 56-year-old woman has been accused of using household items to murder the man she lived with.

Mary Carbone, of Toms River was arrested Wednesday on charges that she killed 55-year-old Frank Stochel, whose lifeless body was found at his home by Manchester police on Feb. 24.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that Carbone used a tape dispenser and a shower rod, which were recovered at the home, to kill Stochel, who was a former custodian at Manchester Township High School.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer did not say Wednesday what motived Carbone or how investigators fingered her as the suspect.

"These detectives combed through a ton of forensic evidence to ultimately determine that Ms Carbone did in fact cause Mr. Stochel’s death,” Billhimer said in a written statement. “We were able to determine very early on in this investigation that there was no immediate danger to the public, from there these detectives went to work doing what they do best."

Frank Stochel (Frank Stochel via Facebook)

Authorities did not say who called police to the 6th Avenue home in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester. They did not describe Carbone's relationship to Stochel other than they shared the home.

Carbone was being held Wednesday night at the Ocean County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and various weapons offenses. New Jersey 101.5 did not know whether she had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.