Phillip and Marlene Couture’s house at 71 S. Spring St., situated a couple doors down from Tucker’s restaurant in South Concord, appears quaint and unassuming with soft blue trim and and a monarch butterfly sculpture fastened above the front door.
Last week, police surrounded the two bedroom home where the couple lived since 1996. Phillip Couture was accused of strangling his wife to death.
Concord Police officers arrived at the house Friday afternoon, where Marlene Couture, 78, was found dead, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The cause of death was strangulation, likely by a cord or band, an autopsy from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later found.
Phillip Couture, 77, was arrested in connection with her death and charged with second-degree murder, according to court documents. He is also accused of assaulting his adult daughter.
On Tuesday, Couture sat in front of a blue cinder block wall emblazoned with the Merrimack County Corrections’ seal for his virtual arraignment. The slender 77 year-old man furrowed his brow as he listened to the charges, placing his hand on his chest as he breathed deeply.
Couture formally pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree assault for strangling his daughter, who has since been treated for her injuries and released from the hospital. His attorney, Emma Sisti, has filed for a hearing to determine Couture’s mental competency. Until then, Couture will be held in preventative detention.
The Attorney General’s Office said it filed documents in the case under seal while they conduct more witness interviews.