PRAIRIEVILLE - An 83-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his wife at their home earlier this week was allowed to bond out of jail overnight. 

Ascension deputies took Marvin Stephens into custody Wednesday after he allegedly shot his wife that afternoon at the property off Highway 42 east of Airline Highway.  

The victim, identified as Patricia Stephens, was airlifted to a hospital where she later died. Marvin, her husband, was booked for second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.

Neighbors told WBRZ the couple usually kept to themselves but that Marvin began acting differently after he was reportedly diagnosed with dementia. District Attorney Ricky Babin told the Associated Press that Marvin would have to undergo a mental competency test before the case could go to trial.

Deputies released no other details related to what may have led to the shooting but said Marvin appeared to be uninjured when he was taken into custody. 

He was held in the Ascension Parish Jail on an $85,000 bond and released Thursday night.