Concord Man Accused Of Strangling Wife Found Not Competent

CONCORD, NH — An elderly Concord man accused of strangling his wife last spring has been found incompetent to stand trial during a hearing Tuesday.

Philip Couture, 78, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in May 2021 and has remained in jail since. A hearing was scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether he is competent to stand trial, but both sides said he is not.

Prosecutors say Couture had little to say during the hearing, aside from agreeing with what his lawyer said on his behalf. He is accused of strangling his wife, Marlene Couture, 78, at their home on South Spring Street in Concord.

On May 28, 2021, police and firefighters were sent to the home around 1:45 p.m. after a woman called 911 to report her mother dead inside of a bedroom. The woman told dispatch that her father, who had dementia, admitted to killing the woman and then barricaded himself inside a room. The first responding officer reported the man was covered in blood and requested EMTs to assist.

Prosecutors told the court Couture has undergone extensive testing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, and an expert on his case has determined that Couture is not competent to stand trial.

"He did undergo some significant testing with some of their best doctors up there, and they agreed that he has major neurocognitive disorder," said defense attorney Bonnie Howard Sisak. "Restorability would be unlikely, and if it were attempted, it would be very, very difficult. Some of the things they had suggested are just not practical."

Officials agreed that Couture remains a danger to the public, and cannot be safely released into the community. The defense lawyers had no comment when asked if Couture could be safely released to his family.

Couture is scheduled for a dangerousness hearing at the end of the month.

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