By Sarah Brown
Lebanon Local
Ronald Andrew Mowdy, 28, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the murder of Clayton Keith Reed III, and was sentenced on July 27 to life in prison with eligibility of parole after 25 years.
Prosecuter Conor McCahill said at the sentencing that two fishermen on Cheadle Lake heard screaming on February 24, 2021. They returned to land and headed to a homeless camp nearby where they found Mowdy holding Reed’s leg and biting him. Mowdy told a responding officer that he killed someone. As many as 56 stab wounds were identified on Reed’s body, as well as 14 patterns consistent with bite marks.
Mowdy’s attorney, Thomas A. Hill, said his client displayed mental health issues from a very young age, and used inhalants as a way to silence voices in his head. During his time awaiting trial, Mowdy has always expressed concern for the victim, Hill said.
Hill also stated Mowdy may or may not have been under the influence of drugs at the time, but police records indicated “there was no question he was in a psychotic state” at the time of the murder.
Judge Michael B. Wynhausen reminded Mowdy of past “choices” he’s made. In January 2020, Mowdy pleaded guilty to a charge of strangulation of his mother, and in January 2021, Mowdy pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon (a baseball bat) during an incident with an individual in December 2020.
“It’s difficult to comprehend the magnitude of (the murder),” Wynhausen told Mowdy. “A life ended. You’re responsible for that choice.”