Prosecutor: Shore man faces murder charge after stabbing

A 25-year-old Little Egg Harbor man has been charged with murder after a fatal stabbing, authorities say.

Kendrick Coley, 25, is facing charges of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced in a news release.

Police were dispatched Wednesday evening to a Maplewood Drive residence in Little Egg Harbor on a report of a stabbing inside the house, the release said.

Arriving officers found Coley in the garage and “immediately took control of him in order to ascertain what took place at the residence,” Coronato said.

A woman inside the house directed police to a second floor bedroom, where they discovered Richard Pone, 28, also of Little Egg Harbor, unresponsive with a stab wound to his chest, according to the release.

Authorities say Pone was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation revealed that an altercation ensued after Pone allegedly confronted Coley about an assault against a woman that had occurred earlier at the residence, Coronato said.

The prosecutor added that Coley retrieved a kitchen knife and allegedly stabbed Pone in an upstairs bedroom.