Police tape blocks Giles Road in Readfield on Feb. 19 after Maine State Police were called to investigate a suspicious death. Ethan Horton/Kennebec Journal

READFIELD — Samuel T. Whittemore attacked his wife and his mother with a fireplace poker, killing his wife and injuring his mother, who called 911 while hiding under her bed to report her son was having a mental breakdown, according to documents unsealed Wednesday.

Whittemore was committed to state custody last month after a mental health evaluation determined he was not competent to stand trial, in an effort to restore his mental competency so he can stand trial on charges he murdered his wife, Margaux Whittemore, 32, and attempted to murder his mother, Dorothy “Darcy” Whittemore.

Court documents describe a gruesome crime scene and indicate Samuel Whittemore, 34, told authorities multiple times he had killed his wife and thought he had also killed his mother.

Dorothy Whittemore, whose home on Giles Road in Readfield was the site of the Feb. 19 attack, told police her son attacked her and his wife with a fireplace poker. Police found a custom-made fire poker in the bedroom of Dorothy and her husband, Henry Whittemore.

A Winthrop police officer who responded to the crime scene told state police he heard Samuel Whittemore make multiple statements including referring to himself as Jesus and say, “I murdered my wife and mom.”

Later, as Whittemore was taken to the hospital to be checked out and then to the Kennebec County jail, he allegedly said to police “I can’t believe I killed my wife,” “I’m so stupid,” and “I can’t confront reality right now.”

A dispatcher reported hearing a woman who was later determined to be Dorothy Whittemore say, after she’d call 911 for help, “Please stop it Sam, what are you doing?”

Dorothy Whittemore also told police that “Sam took the phone from her while she was on 911 and recited a poem to the dispatcher,” according to an affidavit filed by Maine State Police Detective Erin James.

Police responding to the scene came upon Samuel Whittemore naked in the roadway, and reported he was yelling about murder and 1776 and making other unusual comments.

Margaux Whittemore was found dead outside Dorothy and Henry Whittemore’s home, and police found Dorothy Whittemore hiding under her bed. She was taken to the hospital for treatment for injuries.

An autopsy of Margaux Whittemore by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Liam Funte determined her manner of death to be homicide, due to sharp and blunt force injuries. The autopsy revealed a wound to the back of her head as well as a few stab wounds and multiple abrasions and bruises.

Samuel Whittemore was indicted March 19 on charges of murder, aggravated attempted murder, and aggravated assault.

Dorothy Whittemore told police Sam and Margaux, who lived in Belfast, had been visiting their Readfield home for the last five days, and Sam had been having difficulty sleeping for the last four nights.

Dorothy Whittemore said she was downstairs when Margaux came down, and Sam followed her, “in a rage and chased both of them around the room with the fireplace poker.”

Margaux fled outside, followed by Sam, and Dorothy fled upstairs to the bedroom and called 911. She told police Sam had choked her, struck her with the poker and put his knee or foot on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Henry Whittemore was out of the house when the attacks began. He told police he came home to see Margaux’s body in the driveway. He went upstairs and found his wife hiding under the bed, and confronted Samuel who was also in the bedroom but escaped out the bathroom window and fled.

Police first on the scene reported the entryway to the home was in disarray and there was a large amount of blood there, as well as more blood on the stairs and at the top of the stairs.

Samuel Whittemore’s attorney, Walter McKee, declined to comment.

The affidavit said Sam and Margaux were married in August 2024.