Woman arrested in Westville killing

Lori Hummel came to visit Thomas Carbin on Sunday, stopping by before 8 p.m., authorities said.

Early Monday, officials said, she stabbed the unemployed ironworker to death, then stole cash and gift cards from his Westville apartment. Later in the day, she went shopping, officials said Friday.

Hummel, 39, of Gloucester City, was arrested Friday morning on murder, robbery, and weapons charges, Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said. Later in the day, relatives and patrons at the bar Carbin lived above memorialized him at a local church.

"I would rather we were in a situation where we had him with us, but [Friday's arrest] makes it a lot easier," said Carbin's brother, 67-year-old Anthony Carrelli. "Tom was a good-natured guy."

A friend of Carbin's dropped by his apartment around 8 p.m. Sunday, after Hummel arrived, officials said. Uncharacteristically for the affable Carbin, he didn't let his friend in, saying he had company, a family member said.

The next day, Carbin's teenage daughter, a high school senior, found his body around 1:15 p.m. in his apartment above the Tower Tavern, which the burly 54-year-old shared with cats George and Frankie.

Later Monday, authorities found Carbin's 2006 Chevrolet Colorado pickup at Ironworkers Local 399 hall on Crown Point Road, where Carbin, a welder and pipe fitter, usually went around 5:30 a.m. for a few hours to seek work. Officials think Hummel drove the truck there.

Hummel "inflicted serious injuries" to Carbin's neck "with a sharp instrument," Dalton said, declining to elaborate. Hummel was seen shopping at a local store on Monday, Dalton said, after the stabbing.

Family members, including Carbin's daughter, attended the news conference in Westville announcing the arrest, a family member said.

The daughter found him slumped in a chair by his computer, a family member said. The two had planned to meet.

Carbin was separated from his wife but was close with her and their adult daughter and son, family members said. "He was an excellent father," Carrelli said.

He added: "He's my brother. I'm going to miss him. The rest of our family is going to miss him."

Hummel was being held on $750,000 bail.

Dalton would not specify the relationship Hummel had with Carbin, saying only that the two had known each other for a few years and were acquaintances. Carbin's family members said they did not know Hummel, as did a bartender at the Tower Tavern.

Carbin was adored at the Tower. On mornings, after he returned from the union hall, he would have coffee with the owner and others at the bar. He didn't drink, said a family member and a bar employee.

After coffee, Carbin would scoot off to the gym.

On Friday, the Tower closed for a few hours so patrons and employees could attend Carbin's memorial. His body was cremated, his family said.