AUGUSTA — A Belfast man accused of killing his wife and attempting to kill his mother in Readfield was committed to state custody Wednesday after a mental health evaluation determined he is not competent to stand trial.

Samuel Whittemore, 34, will be sent either to Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta or Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor in an effort to restore his mental competency so he can stand trial on charges of murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault.

Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy signed the order Monday at the Capital Judicial Center, after lawyers for both Whittemore and the state said they agreed after seeing an evaluation by forensic psychologist Robert Riley that he is not competent enough for his case to proceed.

Walter McKee, Whittemore’s lawyer, and Jen Ackerman, an assistant attorney general, agreed with those findings and neither challenged Whittemore’s commitment.

Murphy said the courts will receive updates in 30, 60, or 180 days on efforts to restore Whittemore’s competence.

Whittemore, who did not appear in court Wednesday, remains held without bail.

Whittemore was visiting his parents’ home on Giles Road in Readfield on Feb. 19 with his wife, Margaux Whittemore, 32, when police allege he killed his wife and then strangled his mother, Dorothy “Darcy” Whittemore, injuring her.

Maine State Police and Winthrop police responded to the scene at 10:02 a.m. that day after a 911 call alerted them to the home.

Whittemore initially fled the home, but he was taken into custody a short distance away.

The suspect’s mother, Dorothy Whittemore — who co-owns the home with her husband, Henry, according to property tax records — was found injured inside the home by responding officers.

Henry Whittemore, the suspect’s father, was not home at the time of the incident, Moss said, but arrived shortly thereafter.

Dorothy Whittemore was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where she was initially listed in critical condition. Shannon Moss, spokesperson for Maine Department of Public Safety, said her condition later improved.

He was charged with murder Feb. 20 after an autopsy determined the death of Margaux Whittemore was a homicide, although the specific cause of her death was not released by police.

Whittemore was indicted by a Kennebec County grand jury a month later on charges of intentional or knowing or depraved indifference murder, in the death of Margaux Whittemore, and aggravated attempted murder and aggravated assault for the alleged attack on Dorothy Whittemore.

Whittemore was scheduled to make his initial court appearance in late February, but that proceeding was not held after McKee reported Whittemore was not competent to appear in court that day.

Superior Court Justice Daniel Mitchell ordered a mental health evaluation of Whittemore to determine his competency for his case to proceed.

Social media posts indicate Samuel Whittemore and Margaux Nguyen wed in September 2024.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Samuel Whittemore was most recently self-employed as lead engineer for Coral Gardeners, where he designed, built and deployed underwater equipment used to monitor and improve coral reef restoration.

He also lists himself as the captain and owner of Havili, a 50-foot sailboat, and, from July 2020 to July 2021, as a former senior avionics systems engineer for SpaceX. The site states he has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Margaux Whittemore’s LinkedIn profile indicates she was an international marketing and strategy consultant, project coordinator and branding, wellness and communication manager and is a former resident of France, where she earned a Master of Science degree in international marketing and business development from SKEMA Business School.