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Elderly Richland County man ruled incompetent to stand trial in connection to wife's shooting death

Clyde Manley Jr. faces charges of aggravated murder and murder, both with firearm specifications, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

MANSFIELD - An 80-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his wife has been found incompetent to stand trial.

Clyde Manley Jr. faces charges of aggravated murder and murder, both with firearm specifications, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

If convicted of aggravated murder, Manley could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Manley was described as having Alzheimer's disease in a 911 call reporting the death of his wife, Barbara, whose body was found March 5 in the garage of their 1649 Frontier Trail residence.

He was in Richland County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday for a hearing on his competency.

Judge James DeWeese referred to a July 25 report from a doctor who evaluated Manley. The doctor ruled Manley was incompetent to stand trial, adding she did not think he could ever be restored to competency.

Prosecutor Gary Bishop and defense attorney Robert Whitney stipulated to the report, so there was no testimony during the brief hearing.

DeWeese said, however, he does not necessarily agree with the doctor's opinion that Manley can never be restored to competency.

"I have some concerns about that," the judge said. "She's only seen him once or twice."

DeWeese based his opinion on the observations of a jail social worker, who has met with Manley.

"She said he no longer acted confused and told the story of his life and career," DeWeese said.

The social worker said Manley initially acted confused but then told the story of his life in a 90- to 120-minute conversation.

When asked why he was in the county jail, Manley told the social worker the police thought he killed his wife.

"He often talks about the weather and the Indians, as well as missing his wife," the judge quoted the social worker as saying.

DeWeese ordered Manley, who has been held in the county jail on a $1 million cash bond since the shooting, to be transferred to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon to see if he can be restored to competency.

"These are very serious charges," the judge said.

According to a preliminary autopsy report, Barbara Manley, 65, suffered gunshot wounds to the upper chest and lower chest. She also sustained cuts and bruises to the face and scalp, according to the report.

In addition, Barbara Manley suffered postmortem cuts on her lower legs, suggesting the body was moved at some point after she died, according to the report.

If convicted of murder, Clyde Manley could get 15 years to life in prison. The firearm specification is for three years and would be consecutive to any other sentence he receives.

Tampering with evidence carries a potential three-year prison sentence, while the penalty for abuse of a corpse is up to a year in prison.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill

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