ZEARING, Iowa - A central Iowa man accused of stabbing his wife to death has been found not competent to stand trial by a judge.
Seventy-one year-old Gary Pillman is charged with first degree murder in the death of Betty Jean Pillman last November in Zearing.
Court records show Pillman told a neighbor that he killed his wife and attempted to commit to suicide. He told investigators that he stabbed her after she said she was leaving him.
The judge ruled in favor of a medical opinion that Pillman is not competent to stand trial Wednesday after an evaluation was ordered in early February.
The court will be given an update on Pillman's condition after 30 days of evaluation and treatment.
Pillman was originally charged with second-degree murder, but those charges were upgraded to first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty in December.