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Thread: George Washington Wagner IV Sentenced to LWOP in 2016 OH Slaying of Rhoden Family

  1. #71
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    Witness breaks down on the stand describing finding his cousin dead in the Rhoden family massacre

    “I found him right there in his bed,” Stone said, crying as he spoke. “He had blood all over his eyes.”

    By Daniella Silva

    A witness broke down on the stand Thursday while describing how he found his cousin shot dead in his home, as the extent of the massacre of eight members of the Rhoden family in Ohio six years ago continues to unfold.

    Donald Stone testified Thursday that he found his cousin, Kenneth Rhoden, shot dead in his home. He said he went looking for him after concerned family members and loved ones began to gather at a nearby church as news began to spread that something had happened to the Rhoden family.

    Kenneth was the eighth and final member of the Rhoden family found dead in the April 2016 killings.

    Stone said he called his cousin from the church and when he received no response he made his way to the home along with Rhoden’s son, Luke.

    “I found him right there in his bed,” Stone said, crying as he spoke. “He had blood all over his eyes.”

    Stone's testimony is part of the murder trial of George Wagner IV, 30, who is accused of helping his family in a murder plot against the Rhoden family over a custody dispute. Wagner is charged with multiple counts of aggravated murder and other charges related to conspiracy and attempts to cover up evidence.

    He has pleaded not guilty and could face the death penalty if convicted.

    George Wagner IV and his brother Jake Wagner as well as their parents, Angela Wagner and George “Billy” Wagner III, have been charged with the murders. George “Billy” Wagner III has also pleaded not guilty, while Angela Wagner and Jake Wagner pleaded guilty to their roles in the killings as part of plea deal arrangements.

    The victims were Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his ex-wife, Dana Rhoden, 37; their three children: 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden, 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden and 16-year-old Christopher Jr.; Clarence Rhoden’s fiancée, Hannah Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38.

    Stone said during his testimony that after finding Rhoden dead, he left the home to call 911. Prosecutors played the 911 call in which Stone told dispatchers he had just found his cousin dead with a gunshot wound.

    Stone said police handcuffed him when they arrived on scene and put him in a police cruiser to take him to the police station for questioning.

    Stone was visibly emotional throughout his testimony, crying and wiping his eyes with a tissue.

    He broke down and wept as he was shown photos from the crime scene of his cousin’s lifeless body.

    Stone said he and Kenneth Rhoden had been close their whole lives.

    “Anytime that I was down and out, the man was there to help me,” he said.

    Kenneth Rhoden’s son, Luke, also testified Thursday that he accompanied Stone to his father’s house, where they discovered he had been killed. Rhoden said he did not see his father’s injuries as Stone went in first and told Rhoden his father had been shot and they needed to leave.

    During his testimony, Luke Rhoden said the families were familiar with one another. He described an encounter during which he said that Christopher Rhoden Sr. and his father once lent George “Billy” Wagner III a backhoe. Rhoden said he, Kenneth Rhoden and Christopher Rhoden Sr. were on a Wagner property and attempting to start the backhoe when Billy Wagner told him that his father and Christopher Rhoden Sr. were “some real good people,” but that if “he had ever to f--- with them” he would have to shoot them.

    The defense asked Stone and Rhoden what they knew about Kenneth Rhoden's cannabis grow operations and if Rhoden was engaged in "trafficking" cannabis. Both men said they were aware of Rhoden growing cannabis and Luke Rhoden gave details about his father selling cannabis.

    Last year, Jake and Angela Wagner pleaded guilty to their roles in the killings. Jake Wagner confessed to killing five of the eight victims in a plea agreement that would spare him a death sentence. Prosecutors said Jake Wagner agreed to testify in trials for his other family members in exchange that they also not seek the death penalty in those cases. Angela Wagner pleaded guilty in exchange for a 30-year-sentence.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna47992
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  2. #72
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    Pike County massacre trial canceled Thursday due to illness

    By Jennifer Edwards Baker

    WAVERLY, Ohio (WXIX) - George Wagner IV’s murder trial in the 2016 Pike County massacre case is canceled Thursday due to an illness, court officials announced overnight.

    It is not clear if court proceedings will resume on Friday.

    The trial is in its third week as prosecutors continue to lay out their case against George Wagner IV.

    On Wednesday, two special agents with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation testified about shoeprints found at the slaying scenes and the victims’ cell phone records.

    Wagner IV is the first of his four family members to go on trial in the April 21-22, 2016 killings of eight members of another family, the Rhodens.

    This is the state of Ohio’s biggest and most complex homicide investigation to date.

    Wagner IV, 30, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder and other charges.

    His 2018 indictment says Wagner IV, his father, George “Billy Wagner III, his mother, Angela Wagner and his younger brother, Jake Wagner, all carefully planned for months to kill the Rhodens. The motive was to gain “custody and control” of the 2-year-old daughter of Jake Wagner, and one of the victims, 19-year-old Hanna May Rhoden, prosecutors say.

    All of the victims were shot to death, mostly execution-style in their beds as they slept, at four separate trailers on two properties in or near Piketon.

    In addition to Hanna May Rhoden, the other victims are her father, Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; two of her uncles, Kenneth Rhoden, 44 and Gary Rhoden, 38; her mother, Dana Lynn Rhoden, 37, and both of her brothers: Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16 and Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, as well as Frankie’s fiancé, Hannah “Hazel” Gilley, 20.

    Jake Wagner and Angela Wagner both pleaded guilty for their roles in the killings last year.

    They are scheduled to testify against him soon.

    Jake Wagner, 28, pleaded guilty to eight counts of murder and 15 other charges including gun specifications, conspiracy, burglary, possession of dangerous ordnance and tampering with evidence.

    In exchange, prosecutors say they will drop the possibility of the death penalty and Jake Wagner agreed to serve eight life sentences without parole.

    His lawyer said Jake Wagner “knows he’s going to die in prison without any judicial relief.”

    He is held at the Franklin County Jail.

    His mother pleaded to conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, several counts of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, and other charges as part of a plea deal. The remaining eight counts of aggravated murder were dismissed.

    The prosecution is recommending the 51-year-old woman serve 30 years in prison with no possibility of the death penalty.

    She currently is held at the jail in Delaware County.

    George “Billy” Wagner III, 50, is continuing to fight his charges and will be the next one to go on trial.

    He has pleaded not guilty and remains locked up at the Butler County Jail.

    https://www.fox19.com/2022/09/29/pik...outputType=amp
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  3. #73
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    Chilling text messages from brutal Ohio murder of eight people revealed during trial

    By Ryan King
    Washington Examiner

    Chilling text messages showcased during the trial of an Ohio man charged with involvement in the murder of an adversarial family revealed details about a tense dispute in the run-up to the tragic loss of life.

    Texts showed Edward “Jake” Wagner threatening Hannah Rhoden during a dispute over their relationship and baby. In one exchange, he threatened to take the baby by force from her. Four members of the Wagner family were arrested in 2018 over the murder of eight members of the Rhoden family back in 2016.

    The text message revelations were read aloud during the trial for Jake's brother George Wagner IV, 30, by prosecutors on Thursday.

    “Hanna I’m telling you right now make a choice and make it now if u do this it’s over and I’ll take Sophie and if I have to by force,” Jake texted Hannah in 2013, per The New York Post. “I love u with all my heart if u love me and Sophie u will make the right choice I want u to live with me and Sophie."

    Quarreling over their daughter continued over the next two years and worsen when they split. Hannah was unwilling to sign paperwork to give Jake's brother George shared custody over the child.

    "I don’t want to be with you. You hurt me,” she texted him in March 2015, seemingly referencing an apparent domestic altercation, according to the report.

    “They will have to kill me first,” she reportedly later said in a Facebook message in December of that year.

    Prosecutors allege that members of the Wagner conspired over several months to carry out an execution-style attack on the Rhoden family. Jake and George alongside their father, George “Billy” Wagner III, and mother Anglea Wagner have been accused of murdering eight Rhoden family members on April 22, 2016.

    The deceased include Hannah, 19, her brother Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and other brother Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, as well as their parents Christopher Rhoden, Sr., 40, and his ex-wife Dana Manley Rhoden, 37. Other victims included Gary Rhoden, 38, a cousin of Christopher, Sr. his fiance Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20, and Kenneth Rhoden, 44, the brother of Christopher, Sr.

    Authorities discovered most of the victims dead from gunshot wounds and have surmised that some were targeted by the Wagners, while others were killed for essentially being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The alleged execution took place in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains across four homes in Pike County, Ohio.

    George Wagner IV is the first of his clan to stand trial. His defense has largely hinged on an argument that he was not directly responsible for the deaths and had been pressured into aiding in the murder spree by fear of what his father might do to his brother.

    His father, George Wagner III has also pleaded not guilty and a trial will likely take place after that of his son.

    Jake entered a guilty plea last year, and confessed to killing five of the Rhodens. Under the agreement, he won't face the death penalty if he testifies in the trial of his father and brother, per the New York Post. Angela also pleaded guilty and similarly agreed to aid in the case against her son and husband.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...aee9ed8c045980
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #74
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    ‘I Am’: ‘Pastor’ Jake Wagner Admits Being a ‘Stone-Cold Killer’ in Brother’s Pike County Murder Trial

    ANGENETTE LEVY

    Admitted murderer Jake Wagner is a con artist and a liar who was so afraid of the possibility of being put to death for murdering eight members of the Rhoden and Gilley families that he “sold” prosecutors a story about his older brother tagging along with him and his dad the night of the murders to secure a plea bargain, defense attorneys suggested on cross-examination Friday.

    Jake’s testimony wrapped up at the close of the day after hours of questioning by John Patrick Parker, one of the attorneys representing Jake’s older brother, George Wagner IV. George is accused of conspiring with Jake, his mother Angela Wagner, and his father Billy Wagner to murder Hanna May Rhoden and seven of her family members to prevent the daughter Jake and Hanna May shared from allegedly being molested.

    “You’re a stone-cold killer?” Parker asked.

    “Yes,” Jake responded with a smile.

    “And, you’re a liar?”

    “I was.”

    In prior testimony, Jake Wagner claimed he confessed to the murders, first to his attorneys in January 2020, because he had received an “answer from God” after his grandmother, Rita Jo Newcomb, pleaded guilty a month earlier to lying about notarizing and signing custody documents related to the case. Prosecutors have sought to frame Jake Wagner as a religious man who pleaded guilty to the crimes because he was repentant.

    However, Parker forced Jake to admit that he didn’t want to die and does not consider going to prison for the rest of his life punishment. Jake also admitted that he has problems with his memory when Parker asked him whether he had bragged about selling a pregnant chicken to a woman at an event called Swap Days, where people buy, sell and trade items.

    Jake smiled and responded, “I’ve told that story so many times that I don’t know if it actually happened.”

    When Parker followed up with questions about his memory, Jake said he has trouble remembering things and gets confused sometimes.

    “Sometimes I remember things in pieces that didn’t happen that way,” Jake said.

    Jake Wagner said he suffered two head injuries when he was younger. In one incident, a seven-f00t-long steel pole fell over and hit him in the temple. He said he made his way back to his house and couldn’t stop vomiting for a week, couldn’t eat, and had trouble walking. He said his mother called it heat stroke while his father believed it was a concussion. He testified that his parents did not seek medical treatment for him.

    In another instance, Jake said he was trying to lasso a tire while riding on the back of a four-wheeler. He was hit in the forehead and blood started gushing from his forehead. His father, he said, often stitched him up with duct tape and electrical tape but in this instance took him to the hospital. Jake said Billy told the doctor, “if you rip that stitch off again, I’ll break your neck.”

    Parker asked Jake Wagner a number of questions about the details he provided to prosecutors in a proffer in April 2021. Parker insinuated that special prosecutor Angie Canepa and BCI agent Ryan Scheiderer fed details to that Jake that the latter simply confirmed.

    Jake also told Parker that he’s referred to as “Pastor Jake” and “Pastor Wagner” in the Franklin County Jail where he’s been housed since his arrest in November 2018.

    Earlier in the day, Parker began his questioning of Jake Wagner by asking him questions about a life of crime Jake lived with his parents which included burning buildings on their property to collect insurance money, stealing trailers full of goods, breaking into vending machines, shoplifting, stealing vehicles and picking locks. Jake said with pride “I was very good” when asked about picking locks, which he learned to do at age 10 or 11. He seemed comfortable providing the details of the family’s nefarious activities on the witness stand.

    Jake also said his mother had a successful dog breeding business selling “doodle” dogs. But, as the breed became more popular, it became more difficult to keep up with demand. So, he said the family would go to puppy mills and sell the dogs as pure bred when they were not.

    Jake also detailed how his father taught him “survival skills.” Jake said Billy taught him how to steal without being detected but also taught him how to eat substances in the wild such as roots and mushrooms to survive. Billy Wagner was preparing for the apocalypse by stashing food and water in a bread truck he buried in the ground to prepare for the end of the world in 2000 and 2012, Jake said.

    Parker ended the cross-examination by getting Jake to admit, again, that he and his father planned the murders. Jake said George was part of the original plan but that George didn’t want the murders to happen.

    “So he went along at the last second to protect you?” Parker asked.

    “Correct,” Jake responded.

    On redirect, prosecutor Canepa asked Jake a series of questions about the family’s crimes and whether George was aware of them. Jake said George knew about the puppy scam, the theft of cattle, and stealing trailers full of goods.

    Canepa asked Jake whether he was asked to tell the truth when speaking to prosecutors before his guilty plea; he agreed that he was asked to tell the truth. He also agreed that the prosecutors had a theory that he and George were the shooters the night of the murders. However, Jake said he told prosecutors that George never fired a shot.

    When questioned about his memory, Jake said he can remember events from his childhood. He also said that he remembers George going to Union Hill Road with him the night of the murders and assisting him in building a false bed for the pickup truck they drove that night — with the false bed providing cover.

    On recross, Parker aggressively asked Jake again, “you’re a stone cold killer?”

    Jake responded, “I was.”

    Parker continued, “you sold your testimony to the state of Ohio to save your life?”

    Jake responded, “I provided truthful testimony.”

    Parker again pushed, “You sold that! You didn’t throw yourself on the mercy of the court with death specifications!”

    Jake responded, “That’s one way to look at it.”

    After a brief follow-up by Canepa, Judge Randy Deering asked whether there were anymore questions.

    Parker responded, “Take him away, Judge — no further questions” and waved his hand dismissively.

    George Wagner IV’s attorneys then asked the court to remove the death specifications from his case since Jake Wagner provided testimony in accordance with his plea agreement which includes the elimination of the death penalty for Jake and his family members who choose to go to trial. But prosecutors have said that Jake has to testify to “the satisfaction of the state” for that to happen. It’s not exactly clear what that means. Canepa responded that they would discuss the issue with George’s attorneys but not in a public forum.

    George Wagner IV and his family members are accused of planning and carrying out the murders of Hanna May Rhoden; her parents Christopher Rhoden Sr. and Dana Manley Rhoden; her brothers Frankie Rhoden and Christopher Rhoden Jr.; her uncle Kenneth Rhoden; her cousin Gary Rhoden; and Frankie’s fiancee Hannah Hazel Gilley.

    Testimony in the trial resumes Monday. Prosecutors plan to present evidence and testimony from a firearms expert, wiretaps from 2018, testimony from world-renowned shoe impression expert William Bodzniak, and from Angela Wagner, Jake and George’s mother.

    Angela Wagner pleaded guilty in September 2021 in exchange for a 30-year prison sentence. Billy Wagner’s trial could start next year.

    https://lawandcrime.com/live-trials/...y8jct7uMoWxC6g
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  5. #75
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    Woman testifies that husband wanted 8 family members killed

    A woman who helped plan the 2016 slayings of 8 members of another family, a crime that shook rural southern Ohio and stymied investigators for over 2 years, says the massacre was her husband’s idea.

    Angela Wagner made the claim while testifying Tuesday at the murder trial of her 31-year-old son, George Wagner IV, who could face the death penalty if he is convicted. She was expected to return to the stand Wednesday.

    The slayings stemmed from a childcustodydispute involving another of Angela Wagner’s sons and 1 of the victims, authorities have said.

    Angela Wagner said that her younger son, Jake, had wanted to kill his child’s mother, but that her husband, George “Billy” Wagner III, objected because he believed the woman’s family would seek revenge.

    “They’ll know, and then they come for Jake. They’d shoot him, if not all of us,” Angela Wagner said her husband told told her. He also said the rest of the woman’s family “had to be murdered,” she testified.

    Angela Wagner pleaded guilty in September 2021 to 14 counts and agreed to testify against her older son and her husband. In return, prosecutors dismissed 8 counts of aggravated murder and agreed to not seek the death penalty.

    Jake Wagner pleaded guilty in April 2021 to shooting 5 of the victims, saying he had no choice but to kill the mother of his daughter, a toddler at the time.

    George Wagner IV — who is accused of helping to plan the killings — is the 1st person to go on trial for the killings. His father has pleaded not guilty and likely won’t go on trial until next year. Mark Collins, an attorney representing George “Billy” Wagner III, declined comment Wednesday citing the judge’s gag order in the case.

    The 4 members of the Wagner family were not arrested until more than 2 years after the slayings.

    Those killed were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their 3 children, 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Jr., and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden, the mother of Jake Wagner’s daughter; Clarence Rhoden’s fiancee, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.

    (source: Associated Press)
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #76
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    LIVE: Pike County murder trial: Prosecution will no longer seek death penalty

    By: Felicia Jordan

    WAVERLY, Ohio — George Wagner IV will no longer face the death penalty as his trial continues.

    During the week of Thanksgiving the jury was given a break, but court was still held to argue procedural hearings, during which the prosecution said they intend to drop the death specifications against the defendant in agreement with plea deals formed with Jake and Angela Wagner.

    Both Jake and Angela entered into plea agreements that traded their testimony in any trials for the murders for the dismissal of the death penalty against all four members of the Wagner family accused of murdering eight people in Pike County in 2016.

    Jurors will return on Monday, Nov. 28, upon which the prosecution will announce to them they are no longer considering the death penalty in this case.

    George — along with his mother Angela, father George "Billy" Wagner and brother Edward "Jake" Wagner — is accused of shooting and killing the Rhoden family members "execution-style." The family's bodies were found on April 22, 2016. He faces eight charges of aggravated murder, along with other charges associated with tampering with evidence, conspiracy and forgery.

    Found dead that day were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr., 37-year-old Dana Rhoden, 20-year-old Hannah "Hazel" Gilley, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr., 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 37-year-old Gary Rhoden, 19-year-old Hanna May Rhoden, and 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden.

    The trial is the first time a person has faced a jury for the deaths of the Rhoden family six years ago.

    One of the hearings Monday was one held over a Rule 29 motion; A Rule 29 motion can be filed by defense attorneys after the prosecution rests its case to ask the judge to acquit their client of some or all charges if there is a lack of evidence for the jury to reasonably reach a guilty verdict.

    During the hearing, Richard Nash, defense attorney for George, and Angela Canepa, special prosecutor, argued each charge before Deering and whether the state has presented enough evidence throughout the trial for a jury to find George guilty.

    Ultimately, the Rule 29 motion was denied for each of the 22 counts George faces, including the eight counts of aggravated murder.

    Another hearing was one over venue. Because Dana Rhoden's home, in which she, Hanna May and Chris Jr. were murdered, is across the Scioto County line, defense attorneys argue charges related to that scene shouldn't apply to this trial, held in Pike County.

    Canepa cited section 2901.12 of the Ohio Revised Code, specifically section H, which states that when an offender commits offenses in different jurisdictions, they can be tried for all offenses in any jurisdiction in which the offenses happened.

    "We still maintain our earlier position pretrial that that statute is unconstitutional," said Parker.

    Deering acknowledged Parker's comment, but ruled in favor of the prosecution that George can be tried for the murders of Dana, Chris Jr. and Hanna May in Pike County, despite the crime scene's location.

    After spending the afternoon arguing off the record and in judge's chambers, the defense and prosecution declined to do anything further on the record Monday.

    They recessed without holding a hearing on whether the death penalty specifications will remain on the table; arguments about jury instructions must also be heard. Court resumed Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. where these items are expected to be the focus.

    https://www.wcpo.com/news/pike-count...cted?_amp=true
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  7. #77
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    Ohio man found guilty in trial over family massacre of 8

    George Wagner IV was charged in what prosecutors say was a 2016 plot against eight members of the Rhoden family over a bitter custody dispute

    By Daniella Silva

    NBC News

    An Ohio man accused of helping his family plan, carry out and cover up the killing of eight members of another family was found guilty of murder Wednesday.

    A jury convicted George Wagner IV on Wednesday afternoon on multiple counts of aggravated murder and other charges related to conspiracy and attempts to cover up evidence in the 2016 massacre of the Rhoden family.

    Wagner, who was not accused of shooting anyone, testified during the trial that he was unaware of his family's deadly plans. Earlier in the trial, a judge decided Wagner would not face the death penalty upon a conviction as part of an agreement between the prosecution and two other members of Wagner’s family who agreed to testify truthfully against him.

    Prosecutors said Wagner and his family plotted to kill the Rhodens over a custody dispute involving Wagner’s brother Edward "jake" Wagner and one of the victims, Hanna Rhoden, who shared a toddler daughter.

    In addition to Hanna Rhoden, 19, the victims were her parents, Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, and Dana Rhoden, 37; her brothers: 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden and 16-year-old Christopher Jr.; Clarence Rhoden’s fiancée, Hannah Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38.

    After the verdict, members of the Rhoden family gathered outside the courthouse and wept, thanking the jury for giving them “a little bit of peace” years after their loved ones were killed.

    “It should have never happened,” family member Tony Rhoden said of the killings.

    Many members of the Rhoden family sat through the emotional trial, including its matriarch, Geneva Rhoden.

    Tony Rhoden said they have been able to get through the tragedy with “family support.”

    He called Geneva Rhoden “the rock” of the family and said “she’s the one that got us this far.”

    Both Wagner brothers as well as their parents, Angela Wagner and George “Billy” Wagner III, were charged in the killings. George “Billy” Wagner III has pleaded not guilty.

    Angela Wagner pleaded guilty to a role in helping to plan the killings in exchange for a 30-year sentence. Jake Wagner last year confessed to shooting five of the Rhoden family victims and has been spared the death penalty as a result of his plea.

    ​​"These murders should never have happened," special prosecutor Angela Canepa said during closing arguments. "We are here because eight innocent victims were slaughtered, most of them in their sleep, all of them unarmed."

    Canepa said Wagner should be found guilty, even if he didn’t kill any of the Rhodens himself.

    "He doesn’t have to be the person that actually pulled the trigger," she said.

    "You were complicit, because you knew what was going to happen, you knew what they were going to do, and you aided and abetted them," she said of Wagner.

    During closing arguments, Wagner's defense attorney told jurors that Wagner had no reason to participate in the killing of Hanna Rhoden and her family. Instead, he said, the blame lay with Wagner’s brother Jake and their mother, Angela.

    "Jake and Angela have destroyed this man’s life," John Parker said of his client.

    "Why would he agree to kill Hanna and her family? You heard him testify, Hanna was like a little sister to him," he said.

    "He wouldn’t kill anybody. He didn’t kill anybody, and he didn’t go along because it makes no sense," Parker said.

    Earlier in the trial, George Wagner IV testified that he had no knowledge that his family planned to kill the Rhodens. While he detailed his family’s history of crimes, including burning their properties for insurance money, he said he would have tried to stop the killing plot had he known about it.

    “I never would have believed my family would be capable of doing something of this magnitude,” he testified. “Theft is one thing. Murder is an entirely different thing.”

    Wagner said if he had known about the plan, “one way or another, I would have never let it happen.”

    Both Jake Wagner and Angela Wagner testified against George Wagner IV at trial as part of plea agreements.

    Jake Wagner testified that he was increasingly concerned his child with Hanna Rhoden might suffer abuse and ultimately decided he “had no other choice than to kill Hanna,”

    Jake Wagner opted to have his testimony confined to the courtroom, and not broadcast on audio or video, which the judge allowed.

    He also testified that George Wagner IV helped execute the plot and was supposed to kill Chris Rhoden Sr., the first member of the Rhoden family who was killed that night in April 2016, according to the station.

    Jake Wagner said his brother froze and did not fire, leading Jake to kill the man himself, according to WLWT.

    Angela Wagner also testified in court against her son, saying that he was willing to confess to the killings himself, but she was opposed.

    The prosecution asked Angela Wagner whether she regretted her actions, according to the station. She said yes and became visibly emotional, WCMH reported.

    “Because they’re my sons,” she said. “I should’ve protected them from that situation.”

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...re-8-rcna54142
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #78
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Pike County Massacre: George Wagner IV sentenced to life in prison

    By Rachel Schilke
    Washington Examiner

    A man was sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the murders of eight Ohio family members in a horrifying incident known as the Pike County Massacre.

    George Wagner IV, 31, was sentenced for all eight counts of aggravated murder, as well as counts of conspiracy, burglary, and tampering with evidence, bringing an end to the nearly three-month trial.

    On Dec. 1, Wagner IV was found guilty in the 2016 shooting of eight members of the Rhoden family. Despite not physically shooting the Rhoden family, Wagner IV knew about the murder plot and participated by helping his brother, Jake Wagner and father, George Wagner III, move the bodies after the pair shot them.

    Jake Wagner pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, among other charges, in 2021. He and his mother, Angela Wagner, who pleaded guilty to the same charges, agreed to testify against Wagner IV and Wagner III in a plea deal to help them avoid the death penalty. Wagner III pleaded not guilty and still awaits trial.

    The Wagners and Rhodens were linked by a daughter shared by Hanna Rhoden and Jake Wagner, and a custody dispute spurred the murder plot, according to prosecutors.

    “No sentence would right the wrong that has been inflicted on the victims and their families," Judge Deering said before delivering the sentence, per WLWT.

    Reports from within the courtroom said Wagner IV was stoic when his sentence was delivered, and he did not give a statement. Prosecutor Angela Canepa said during the hearing that Wagner IV "did not deserve mercy."

    A victim advocate read, "To you, Hannah was just collateral damage in your sick and twisted plan," in a letter from victim Hannah Gilley's aunt. Hannah's mother spoke during the hearing, sharing that she missed her daughter "beyond words."

    "I pray for you not to live. I want you to die. Just like you and your evil family did my baby girl," Shoemaker said to Wagner IV.

    The daughter of victim Kenneth Rhoden said that while eight lives were taken, "many more lives were stolen," ending her statement with, "I hope you burn in hell, George."

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) issued a statement following the hearing, praising the resilience of the family.

    "George Wagner IV will never live another day outside of prison — a sentence that’s another step toward justice for the Rhodens, Gilleys, & Manleys," he wrote. "I spoke with family members this morning, commending them for their courage & their patience as they waited 6+ years for this day."

    The Rhoden family murders mark one of the state's most extensive criminal investigations and one of the longest trials in Ohio history, according to DeWine.

    The victims were Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37; their children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Hanna Rhoden, 19; and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; Clarence Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...n-ohio-murders
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  9. #79
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Trial for Pike County murder suspect George 'Billy' Wagner not expected to start until early 2024

    Todd Dykes

    PIKE COUNTY, Ohio —
    Pike County suspect George "Billy" Wagner III appeared in court Wednesday for a status hearing.

    It was the first hearing for former Brown County Common Pleas Court Judge Alan Corbin who will preside over the trial. The Ohio Supreme Court appointed Corbin to hear the case following the retirement last month of Pike County Common Pleas Judge Randy Deering.

    During Wednesday's hearing, Corbin alluded to a possible trial date in early 2024. He said that will give counsels time to gather documents and records from the trial of Billy's son, George Wagner IV, including the transcript from that trial, which could top 15,000 pages.

    Earlier this year, one of Billy Wagner's attorneys said the 51 year-old looks forward to taking his case to trial and said the trial will be much different than that of his son, George.

    In November, a jury found George Wagner guilty of 22 counts, including eight aggravated murder charges. The verdict came after less than eight hours of deliberations, ending a nearly three-month-long trial.

    George Wagner was sentenced to life in prison without parole on all eight counts of aggravated murder for each victim in the Pike County killings.

    He was also sentenced on counts of conspiracy, aggravated burglary, and tampering with evidence. Those sentences ranged from 10 months to eight years.

    In addition, the now retired Deering sentenced George Wagner to 81 years on firearms specifications, to be served consecutively with his prison sentence on his charges.

    Billy's wife, Angela, and their other son, Jake, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and other charges in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

    Investigators say the murders were motivated by a custody dispute between the Wagner and Rhoden families.

    https://www.wlwt.com/amp/article/pik...aring/43327624
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