This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Farmington • A man accused of fatally stabbing a 57-year-old Bountiful woman more than six years ago is still incompetent to stand trial on charges.
Phillip Joseph Simmons, 42, is charged with first-degree felony murder for allegedly stabbing Susanne Fry more than 20 times at her home on Jan. 19, 2008.
Second District Court Judge David Connors found Simmons competent to stand trial in January 2013, and Simmons was moved to the Davis County jail from the Utah State Hospital. But in January of this year, Connors again found Simmons incompetent.
However, Simmons remained in the Davis County jail until this week, said his defense attorney, Mark Arrington. Simmons is back at the Utah State Hospital to receive further treatment.
Simmons competency will be reviewed in court again on March 10.
Prosecutors have said Fry was allowing Simmons to live with her because he was homeless.
Simmons told police the two had argued over a plate of food he had fixed, according to charging documents.
Simmons said that "in his mind he heard the word 'murder,' and a knife came out and then he blacked out," the charges state. "When he came to, there was blood all over and the victim was lying on the floor."
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