Samuel Whittemore found not criminally responsible for wife's death and mother's assault
Samuel Whittemore killed his wife Margaux with a fire poker and assaulted his mother in Readfield, Maine on February 18, 2025. He had reportedly spent hours daily using ChatGPT and held delusional beliefs about robots taking over the world. A court found him not criminally responsible due to bipolar disorder with psychotic features.
What happened
On February 18, 2025, Samuel Whittemore, 34, killed his wife Margaux Whittemore, 32, with a fire poker at his parents' home in Readfield, Maine. He then attacked his mother, Dorothy Whittemore, breaking her clavicle and fracturing her ribs and fingers.
Police found Samuel Whittemore running naked down the road with his hands over his head. He told officers he had killed people he loved, was broken, and made screaming, incoherent and sometimes incomprehensible statements.
Reported impact
Margaux Whittemore died of sharp and blunt force injuries. Dorothy Whittemore was physically injured but survived the attack.
Margaux Whittemore's family members, some of whom traveled from France, objected to Samuel Whittemore being ordered to psychiatric treatment rather than prison.
Index analysis
A state forensic psychologist testified that Samuel Whittemore was bipolar and experiencing a manic episode with psychotic features at the time of the attack. He had delusional beliefs and was misperceiving reality.
A psychologist testified that Whittemore had been using ChatGPT for up to 14 hours a day as though it were a companion, and that his use of artificial intelligence and work stress contributed to his mental instability. Whittemore believed robots were taking over the world and that his wife had become part machine.
Governance controls
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy ruled Samuel Whittemore not criminally responsible for the crimes. He was ordered held by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services at either Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in Augusta or Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Hospital in Bangor.
Whittemore will remain in psychiatric custody until his treatment team determines he no longer poses a danger to himself or others, subject to judicial approval.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.