Little Egg Man Charged With Murder In Stabbing Death: Prosecutor

LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ - Authorities have charged a township man with murder in the Wednesday night stabbing death of a Maplewood Drive man, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Little Egg Harbor Police Chief Richard Buzby today announced the arrest of Kendrick Coley, 25, in the death of Richard Pone, 28. Coley is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, said spokesman Al Della Fave.

Little Egg Harbor Police responded to 21 Maplewood Drive at 8:15 pm, after receiving a 911 call about a man in the house with a knife, he said.

Police officers were also told that a man had been stabbed.

When police arrived, they found Coley in the garage area. A woman in the residence took them to a second floor bedroom, where they discovered Pone unresponsive with a stab wound in his left upper chest. Pone was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:42 p.m.. Della Fave said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Unit and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI were contacted by Little Egg Harbor police to continue the investigation.

They discovered that there had been a fight between Coley and Pone. Coley retrieved a kitchen knife and allegedly stabbed Pone in the upstairs bedroom.

"The altercation allegedly resulted from Pone confronting Coley about an assault against a female at the residence that had taken place earlier," Della Fave said.

Photo: Courtesy of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office