- Charges against Brent Nello Gilbert, accused of killing his wife, were dismissed on Jan. 22.
- Judge ruled Gilbert incompetent due to a neurodegenerative disease; and ordered him into civil commitment.
DUCHESNE — Charges have been dismissed against a man accused of killing his wife after the man was ordered into civil commitment with a neurodegenerative disease.
In May 2025, 8th District Judge Samuel Chiara ruled Brent Nello Gilbert, 67, was not competent based on the report of a medical expert. On Dec. 29, he determined that Gilbert showed no signs of regaining competency and ordered prosecutors to file a request for civil commitment. His charges were dismissed on Jan 22.
Gilbert's attorney, Johnathan Nish, argued beginning in 2024 that jail was not an appropriate place for him. Initially, two psychiatric evaluations found Gilbert was competent to stand trial, but later they found he had become incompetent.
When he was first found incompetent, Gilbert was committed to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services for restoration services, but Nish argued at the time that it was not likely he could be restored.
Gilbert, 67, was charged in September 2023 with murder and illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree felonies, related to the death of Stacey Gilbert. A statement from the sheriff's office said Brent Gilbert called 911 early in the morning to report he had killed his wife in their Duchesne County home.
Officers found him with knife wounds on his wrists, which he reported were self-inflicted. Documents state his wife's body was found in the bedroom with multiple injuries from a firearm and three spent casings nearby. A 12-gauge shotgun with blood on it was found outside the bedroom door.
The charges against Gilbert were dismissed with prejudice and cannot be filed again.
