By Patricia Beech-
Four members of a family have been arrested and charged with planning and carrying out the execution-style killings of eight members of the Rhoden family more than two years ago in Pike County.
George “Billy” Wagner III, 47, Angela Wagner, 48, George Wagner IV, 27, and Edward “Jake” Wagner, 26, of South Webster were arrested Tuesday and charged with eight counts of aggravated murder with death penalty specifications. The eight counts represent each victim found dead on April 22, 2016.
Also arrested were Angela Wagner’s mother, Rita Newcomb, 65, of South Webster; and Billy Wagner’s mother, Fredericka Wagner, 76, of Lucasville. Both face felony charges of obstructing justice and perjury for allegedly misleading investigators over the course of the investigation. Newcomb is also charged with forgery.
Appearing in Pike County Court Thursday morning, Fredericka Wagner pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was given a $100,000 bond and placed under house arrest with a monitoring device. Rita Newcomb also pleaded not guilty and was given a $50,000 bond and house arrest with a monitoring device.
At a press conference Tuesday in Pike County, Ohio Attorney General/Governor-elect Mike DeWine revealed what authorities believe partially motivated the 2016 murders.
DeWine said the custody of a young child played a role in the brutal killings. Sophia Wagner, age 5, is the daughter of murder victim, Hanna May Rhoden, and her accused killer, Edward “Jake” Wagner.
DeWine said there was a “fixation” and “obsession” regarding custody of Sophia, who was staying with the Wagners on the night the homicides took place.
“It’s the most bizarre story I’ve ever seen,” he said. “It’s just amazing.”
The Wagner family members were arrested in different locations on Tuesday.
George “Billy” Wagner III was arrested in Lexington, Ky; Angela Wagner was arrested at her home in Scioto County; and their sons, George and Jake were arrested during a traffic stop in Ross County.
Fredericka Wagner was arrested at her family’s farm in Lucasville, and Rita Newcomb was arrested at her home in South Webster, Ohio.
George “Billy” Wagner is being returned to Ohio to face charges of aggravated murder and other crimes after waiving his right to an extradition hearing during a court appearance Wednesday afternoon in Lexington.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Wagner “seemed bewildered when asked to confirm that he was the person facing aggravated murder charges”.
According to the Enquirer, when asked what he wanted to do, he told the judge, “I’ll head back to Ohio”.
In a Tuesday press conference at the Pike County Sheriff’s Office in Waverly, DeWine said “tough police work solved the case”.
“We promised the victims’ families that the day would come when this case would be solved,” he said. “Today is that day.”
The Wagners are charged with killing seven members of the Rhoden family, plus the fiancee of one of the Rhoden victims, at four locations across Pike County.
Killed were Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his ex-wife Dana Manley Rhoden, 37; and their three children, Hanna May Rhoden, 19; Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; and Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20; Frankie Rhoden’s fiancee, Hannah “Hazel” Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44: and cousin Gary Rhoden, 38.
Most of the victims were killed as they slept. Three young children at home at the time of the murders were left unharmed.
DeWine said the Wagners plotted the killings over an extended period of time.
“The indictments allege that these suspects developed a calculated plan to execute the victims in the middle of the night and then carefully cover their tracks,” DeWine said. “Their alleged plan was sophisticated, but not sophisticated enough for our team of investigators and prosecutors.”
Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said despite their efforts to conceal the crime, the Wagners “left evidence behind”.
The indictments against the Wagners were filed less than a week after authorities confirmed the existence of a homemade firearm suppressor believed to have been built by the suspects. The indictments were passed down by a Pike County grand jury who have been examining evidence in the case since July.
In addition to the murder charges, the Wagners are also facing a series of charges including conspiracy, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance, forgery, unauthorized use of property, interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, obstructing justice, and aggravated burglary.
The indictments allege that the Wagners purchased ammunition, a magazine clip, brass catchers (a device designed to capture fired cartridge casings), and a bug (electronic listening device) detector in preparation for the crime.
While allegedly feigning friendship with the Rhodens, the Wagners allegedly obtained and shared information about the physical layouts of the victims’ properties, their habits and routines, sleeping locations, and counter-surveillance devices on their properties, including pets.
The indictments accuse the Wagners of tempering with phones, cameras, a silencer, shell casings, and parts of a home security system.
Jake Wagner is also charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor for having sexual contact with Hanna May Rhoden when she was 15-years old and he was 20 years old. All four suspects are accused of forging custody documents.
The attorney for the Wagners, John Kearson Clark, on Tuesday released a statement saying his clients were “eagerly” looking forward to their trials and vindicating their names.
“The Wagners are hopeful that there will be a thorough vetting of all the facts,” Clark said. “Moreover, we look forward to the day when the true culprits will be discovered and brought to justice for this terrible tragedy.”
Attorney General DeWine said “there is no evidence anyone else was involved” in the crime but the Wagners.
“The existence of the firearm suppressor, along with a great deal of other investigative findings, led us to these indictments and arrests,” he said. “The Wagners were friends with the Rhodens and had been for years. They knew the layouts of the Rhodens’ homes, and they knew the victims’ routines. It is our belief that the suspects used this knowledge to meticulously plan these horrendous, cold-blooded murders.”
The six arrests are the result of a joint investigation led by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Pike County Sheriff’s Office.
The cases will be prosecuted by the Pike County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section acting as special assistant prosecutors.
Throughout the murder investigation, which was the largest in Ohio history, authorities followed more than 1,100 tips from the public; conducted 550 interviews; tested more than 700 items of evidence; and served more than 200 subpoenas, search warrants, and court orders.
Several dozen state, local, and federal agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Adams county Sheriff’s Office, the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association; the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the Chillicothe Police Department, the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office, the Columbus Division of Police, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Hamilton county Prosecutor’s Office, the Ohio Air National Guard; the Ohio Crisis Response Team; the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction; the Ohio Department of Taxation; the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission; the Ohio State Highway Patrol; the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office; the Piketon Police Department; the Portsmouth Police Department; the Ross County Sheriff’s Office; the Scioto County Prosecutor’s office; the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force; the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office; the Warren County Sheriff’s Office; the Waverly Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Customs and Border Patrol; the Drug Enforcement Agency; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Additionally, nearly two dozen law enforcement agencies from 10 different states and Canada also assisted with the investigations.
Anyone with additional information related to the murders should call the BCI at 1-855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446) or the Pike county Sheriff’s Office at (740) 947-2111.
