The boyfriend of a New Castle woman found dead near her home last month was charged with her killing Thursday.
Dennis C. Reed, 30, was arraigned on charges he killed live-in girlfriend Wendy Miller, 28, by shooting her in the back of the head at close range along Neshannock Creek, Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino said.
Miller's body was found Dec. 23 along the creek bank, near her apartment in the Neshannock Village housing development. She was reported missing with three of her four children on Dec. 17.
Reed was found with the children on Dec. 22 driving Miller's vehicle in Butler County. Mangino said the four of them had been living in the vehicle for several days.
Butler City Police said they found cocaine and a loaded, semiautomatic handgun in the car. Mangino said Reed also was found with a 12-gauge shotgun. He was jailed at the time on kidnapping, drug possession and firearm charges.
After his arrest, police in New Castle conducted interviews in which witnesses told them they saw Reed and Miller together about Dec. 15, walking toward Neshannock Creek with a shotgun, Mangino said.
"He had a shotgun with him, and they walked in the direction of the creek," Mangino said. "He returned a little while later with the shotgun."
Reed then told the three children that their mother had gone to work, Mangino said.
The district attorney said the autopsy on Miller showed she died of a single gunshot wound to the head consistent with a 12-gauge shotgun.
There was a history of domestic problems between Miller and Reed, court records show. On Dec. 13, Miller had filed protection from abuse papers against Reed and was scheduled to appear for a hearing Dec. 21.
Mangino said Reed was seen striking Miller on Dec. 15 during an argument regarding the protection from abuse papers.
Reed was charged with homicide, simple assault, burglary, unlawful restraint, and a fourth kidnapping charge this time relating to Wendy Miller, Mangino said.
In an unrelated event, Reed was charged with assault yesterday after an altercation with a fellow inmate in the Lawrence County Jail, Mangino said. No other details on the incident were available.
A preliminary hearing for Reed has been scheduled for Jan. 11 before District Judge Melissa Amodie in New Castle.
