Stockel Murder-Suicide: More Questions Than Answers

News of the deaths of former Montclair residents Lester and Georgiana Stockel shocked Baristaville neighbors and friends. No one seems to have a clue why the couple, who lived a fairy-tale existence with multiple homes -- and in a seemingly perfect marriage -- could come to such a tragic ending. From The Star Ledger:

A longtime friend, Noel Brogan, said the Stockels had been "best friends."

"They were in, like, perfect sync with each other," said Brogan, who lived next to the Stockels in Montclair before the couple downsized, selling their house and moving to Verona eight years ago. "It doesn't make any sense. They didn't fight. They weren't at odds. They didn't have any financial problems."

"They lived their lives for each other, their children and their grandchildren," said Brogan, the friend and former neighbor in Montclair.

Brogan described Georgiana Stockel, known to friends as "Georgie," as a "bubbly, witty" woman with blue eyes and impeccable taste. The slain woman's clothing and jewelry, she said, were always the "crème de la crème."

Another longtime friend, Montclair resident George Turner, said the couple looked "terrific" when he saw them at his daughter's June wedding. The Stockels danced and laughed together, speaking of their upcoming trip to celebrate their wedding anniversary, Turner said.

"They never looked happier," Turner said. "It's baffling, completely."