ALFRED — An Old Orchard Beach man charged with beating and stabbing his grandmother to death in the home they shared, and then setting it on fire, has been sent by a judge to a state psychiatric hospital for a 60-day evaluation.

After the evaluation, the judge will determine whether Derek Poulin is competent to stand trial. Authorities say Poulin killed 61-year-old Patricia Noel in October 2012.

The evaluation order to send 25-year-old Poulin to Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta was apparently issued Thursday after a closed-door discussion with prosecutors and defense lawyers.

A court clerk this morning said the order had not yet been signed.

Noel’s body was found after firefighters extinguished a fire at her 44 Wesley Ave. home on Oct. 23, 2012 where Poulin and his father also lived.

Firefighters were called to the small, two-bedroom, two-story home, located in a congested area of town off Saco Avenue, at mid-afternoon that day. Firefighters were first confronted by smoke and then by fire in the bedroom, located the source and quickly put it out.

The state medical examiner’s office concluded that Noel died from multiple blunt impact injuries to the head, various skull fractures and multiple stab wounds, according to documents on file at York County Superior Court. The medical examiner’s office found no sign of smoke inhalation in Noel’s trachea, which, according to a police investigator, was evidence that Noel was not alive at the time of the fire.

A fire investigator believed the slow, smoldering fire could have been set as many as two to three hours prior to discovery, but no later than 1 p.m., according to a police affidavit written by State Police Detective Scott Harakles.

Blood on Poulin’s boots matched the DNA profile of Noel, according to the affidavit. Blood was found on the emergency brake pedal of Poulin’s car, a book of matches with several matches missing was found inside his cup holder and a golf club was found in the trunk.

Poulin allegedly told police during the course of the investigation that there was a history of domestic violence at the home. He also allegedly told police he rarely left home and his daily activities consisted of smoking cigarettes and marijuana, watching television and playing video games.