BRENTWOOD – A judge declared that a Deerfield man is incompetent to stand trial for murdering his sister last November.

Jeffrey Cook is suffering from dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease, rendering him unable to comprehend or defend himself against first- and second-degree murder charges, according to a state-hired psychiatrist.

The finding means the state's murder case against Cook will move to Rockingham County Probate Court where a judge will further assess his dangerousness and what kind of psychiatric facility the 56-year-old will be held in.

Cook was charged last Nov. 9 with beating to death his sister, Sandra Griffin, of North Carolina, at his home at 88 Ridge Road in Deerfield.
Cook had beaten Griffin to death with a baseball and sledgehammer after the two had an argument in the back yard, according to prosecutors.

Judge Kenneth McHugh made his ruling on Thursday afternoon after hearing the testimony of Dr. Albert Drukteinis, a forensic psychiatrist working for the state.

McHugh concluded that Cook poses a danger to himself and will remain held without bail until his next hearing.

Drukteinis testified that he first evaluated Cook on Nov. 10 – the day after the murder – at the request of state prosecutors.

"The history was clear Mr. Cook was suffering from a mental condition," Drukteinis said during his half hour of testimony in superior court on Thursday.

A further battery of tests at the Rockingham County jail on Aug. 16 led to the conclusion that Cook suffered from, "a dementia which is a brain condition of the Alzheimer's-type," Drukteinis testified.

Cook said during that interview that he was in a kind of rest home, not a county jail, and believed his sister was still alive, according to court testimony.

He could not give his correct age and confused his siblings with his children. He thought his architectural business still existed and was doing well.

Drukteinis described Cook as “very impaired” and expects his mental abilities to further deteriorate – even if put on a regimen of medicine that could improve his brain function.

“I think he would have no capacity to challenge witnesses in what they said,” Drukteinis testified. “I don't think he could work rationally with attorney.”

Cook's wife, Barbara, said following the hearing that her husband suffered from early-onset Alzheimer's.
“We tried repeatedly to get help for it,” she said.

Two of Cook's sons, Paul, 27, and Dave, 11, who attended Thursday's hearing, are now trying to focus on raising awareness for early-onset Alzheimer's in the wake of their father's illness.

The two participated in the annual Reach the Beach relay last weekend to help raise money and awareness about the disease. Dave Cook was the youngest person to participate in the county-wide relay.