Toms River woman used shower rod to murder Manchester custodian, police say

Ocean County Prosecutors and Manchester Police have charged a Toms River woman with murder in the death of former Manchester High School custodian, Frank Stochel.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Manchester Police Chief Lisa Parker announced that Mary Carbone, 56, has also been charged with two counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and two counts of Unlawful Possession of Weapon.

Manchester Police responded to a residence on 6th Avenue in the Pine Lake Park section on February 24 for a report of an unresponsive male.

When they arrived, Officers found the lifeless body of Frank Stochel lying on the floor of the residence.

The next day, the Ocean County Medical Examiner performed a post-mortem examination and ruled the manner of death to be a homicide.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Manchester Township Police Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit revealed that Carbone and Stochel both resided at the 6th Avenue residence in Manchester.

Investigators learned that Carbone used several household items to kill Frank Stochel including a tape dispenser and a shower rod which were recovered from the scene.

Billhimer said that the injuries Stochel sustained were consistent with the implementation of these items.

Detectives ultimately determined that Carbone was the individual responsible for Stochel’s death.

On Wednesday Carbone was arrested and transported to the Ocean County Jail where she is lodged pending a detention hearing.

“This truly was a team effort in terms of the investigation. These detectives combed through a ton of forensic evidence to ultimately determine that Ms Carbone did in fact cause Mr. Stochel’s death,” Prosecutor Billhimer said. “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. For that, every law enforcement officer involved this investigation has my profound gratitude."

Stochel also had a criminal record that included an arrest in October of 2019 in Manchester on a burglary charge.

Something else of note with Stochel occurred in the weeks leading up to his death.

He had posted a number of items for sale on his Facebook page ranging from his house and a 2005 Dodge Ram pickup truck to a stove and a signed Dallas Cowboys helmet.

Previous reporting by Dan Alexander was used in this report.

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