Centre County Man Who Admitted to Killing His Wife Pleads Guilty to Third-Degree Murder

A Centre County man pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on Wednesday for the strangulation death of his wife in October 2025.

Alan K. Reed, 75, will be sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison after admitting to killing 57-year-old Dawn M. Reed, his wife of more than 30 years, inside their Rush Township home.

The sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 23.

First Assistant District Attorney Joshua Andrews said Dawn Reed’s family supported the plea agreement.

“Today’s guilty plea brings this case one step closer to resolution and, we hope, to some measure of closure for the victim’s family,” Andrews said. “Nothing can undo the loss they have suffered, but they can now begin to move forward.”

After a family member reported receiving text messages from Reed saying he had beaten his wife on the morning of Oct. 25, 2025, state police arrived at the couple’s North Front Street home on the morning of Oct. 25, 2025 to find Dawn Reed dead.

Alan Reed told police that he had a nude photo of himself and his wife that he used “for leverage against her,” according to an affidavit of probable. The photo was missing and he believed she hid it from him, police wrote.

An argument ensued and he told police that he began punching her, then followed her through the house and continued striking her as she tried to flee. He said he then forced her to the floor and used his forearm to strangle her until she stopped moving.

Reed remains in custody at the Centre County Correctional Facility pending his sentencing to state prison.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, support is available locally by contacting Centre Safe’s 24-hour hotline at 1-877-234-5050. Help is also available by contacting the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by texting “START” to 88788,