Superior Court Justice Maria Woodman said Wednesday that Armando Negrete, 40, who was charged with murder in the death of group home employee Marlene McNeill, is not competent to stand trial. (Teddy Almond/Staff Writer)

A judge determined Wednesday that a Portland man is not competent to stand trial in the killing of an employee at a nonprofit residential facility.

Armando Javier Negrete, 40, will remain in state custody while receiving treatment until he is deemed capable to continue his case.

Negrete is accused of fatally stabbing 40-year-old Marlene McNeill, of Gorham, who worked at a Portland nonprofit that runs group homes and residential programs for adults with mental illness.

Authorities say Negrete was a resident at the Shalom House group home on Woodford Street where McNeill was stabbed on May 4. He was arrested that day and charged with murder.

Negrete remained in custody at the Cumberland County Jail without bail as of Wednesday afternoon, according to jail staff.

According to court documents, Negrete and McNeill had gotten into an argument during a meeting on the morning of May 4 about a medical note that McNeill had written, saying Negrete had exhibited “signs of paranoia.” Negrete was “extremely upset” with the note because he thought his mental health had been improving, witnesses told police.

After the meeting, Negrete allegedly followed McNeill to a second-floor hallway, pushed her to the ground and began stabbing her. He then left the building and threw a knife over a neighboring fence, according to court documents.

Court documents show that police arrived to the group home at 503 Woodford St. minutes after a staff member called 911. They found Negrete sitting on the porch, where he told an officer that he was the suspect.

While arresting Negrete, officers noticed blood stains on his sweatshirt and found an empty black knife sheath in his pocket. They found a fixed-blade knife on the adjacent property that appeared to match the sheath.

Police tape surrounds a knife sitting behind a neighboring fence after a stabbing at 503 Woodford St. in Portland on May 4. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)

Negrete did not appear Wednesday in Cumberland County Superior Court, where a prosecutor and defense attorney agreed with the results of a competency evaluation: Negrete is not fit to stand trial at this time.

“This is not a final determination by any means,” Negrete’s attorney Tina Nadeau said in an interview after the hearing.

The findings show that Negrete may be able to be restored to competency after proper treatment, Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Ackerman said during the hearing. According to Maine law, his case will be paused “until such time as the defendant is determined by the court to be competent to stand trial.”

Superior Court Justice Maria Woodman ruled that Negrete will be put into the custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Nadeau said in an interview after the hearing that she hopes Negrete will receive “the services he needs to start feeling better and also be restored to competence. I know the state joined in our request for the same reason.”

Nadeau declined to comment further about the allegations against her client, adding that she is focused on Negrete’s “mental health, stability and the issue of competence.”

McNeill’s killing was Portland’s first homicide in nearly 18 months. The city didn’t record a single homicide in 2025.