The Concord Police blocked off a section of South Spring Street after reports of a Police were investigating a “suspicious death” in Concord on Friday afternoon, May 28, 2021. Attorney General John Formella and Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The Concord Police blocked off a section of South Spring Street after reports of a Police were investigating a “suspicious death” in Concord on Friday afternoon, May 28, 2021. Attorney General John Formella and Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood said there was no ongoing threat to the public. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER

A Concord man has been ruled incompetent to stand trial in the death of his wife last May.

Philip Couture, then 77, strangled his wife, Marlene, 78, at their home and was charged with second-degree murder, officials said. But WMUR reports that prosecutors agree with his attorney that he is not competent to stand trial.

At a hearing Tuesday, defense attorney Bonnie Howard Sisak said Couture underwent extensive testing with doctors who agreed he has major neurocognitive disorder.

Last June, Couture 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. Couture has been held in preventative detention pending the results of his competency.

The Attorney General’s Office said in June it filed documents in the case under seal while they conduct more witness interviews.

A hearing on whether Couture represents a danger to the community is set for next month.