OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered - 4 Wagner Family Members Arrested #88

[Betty P]

I can't for the life of me understand this being drug out any longer. What am I missing?? What is going to change after all of this time that BW hopes to save him from prosecution??? I for one who has followed this case literally from Day 1 do not understand the constant delay. What is going to be new and different??

Billy probably assumes he has nothing to lose by going to trial. If he accepts a plea agreement, he gets LWOP; if he goes to trial and is found guilty, the most he'll get is LWOP. He's probably convinced himself that he has a chance of being found guilty of lesser charges, with the possibility of a reduced sentence.

He probably gets some satisfaction from making the state work hard and spend money while he fights for acquittal. He's probably dumb enough to think he could get acquittal.

Billy also grew up with a sense of entitlement, being a Wagner. He believes he's above the law and smarter than everyone else.

 

[SBMonsterFighter]

I have been going over the past forums and you guys have all done a wonderful job of bringing everything together over the past years. Thank you on behalf of all of us newbies who stumble onto this thread.

 

[Cool Cats]

I can't for the life of me understand this being drug out any longer. What am I missing?? What is going to change after all of this time that BW hopes to save him from prosecution??? I for one who has followed this case literally from Day 1 do not understand the constant delay. What is going to be new and different??

If Billy testifies it will be new and crazy....errr...I mean different. Also, I believe one defense is what one of his lawyers say, that Billy did not even live with any of them, basically had his own life, he will distance himself from them.

I keep looking for that article.

2 Cents

 

[Puzzles8]

Billy probably assumes he has nothing to lose by going to trial. If he accepts a plea agreement, he gets LWOP; if he goes to trial and is found guilty, the most he'll get is LWOP. He's probably convinced himself that he has a chance of being found guilty of lesser charges, with the possibility of a reduced sentence.

He probably gets some satisfaction from making the state work hard and spend money while he fights for acquittal. He's probably dumb enough to think he could get acquittal.

Billy also grew up with a sense of entitlement, being a Wagner. He believes he's above the law and smarter than everyone else.

If he goes to trial he has the ability to endless appeals based on technicalities.
If he pleads guilty, it's LWOP... the end.

He has been held in a County Jail for six years. Might he be avoiding a State Prison because of his personal safety?
Asking you all, what are the major differences between a County Jail and a State Prison in Ohio?
Are commissary accounts limited to the same $ caps per month?
Is personal safety similar?
Is life "relatively" better in either institution?

I think this Judge means business and has made it clear he will accommodate as many per-trial Hearings as necessary to meet the January 2025 Trial Date.

For Billy, the clock is ticking and the end is in sight.

JMO

 

[Cool Cats]

If he goes to trial he has the ability to endless appeals based on technicalities.
If he pleads guilty, it's LWOP... the end.

He has been held in a County Jail for six years. Might he be avoiding a State Prison because of his personal safety?
Asking you all, what are the major differences between a County Jail and a State Prison in Ohio?
Are commissary accounts limited to the same $ caps per month?
Is personal safety similar?
Is life "relatively" better in either institution?

I think this Judge means business and has made it clear he will accommodate as many per-trial Hearings as necessary to meet the January 2025 Trial Date.

For Billy, the clock is ticking and the end is in sight.

JMO

If you are not in protective custody and not in maximum security then prision is much better. You need to get up and go to work and can go out and have rec and there just is more to do.

Jail is like this in Butler county jail....boring as watching grass grow

Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio.

Butler County Jail

Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio.

www.highperformancecoatings.org

 

[KentuckyMama]

If you are not in protective custody and not in maximum security then prision is much better. You need to get up and go to work and can go out and have rec and there just is more to do.

Jail is like this in Butler county jail....boring as watching grass grow

Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio.

View attachment 523107

Butler County Jail

Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio.

www.highperformancecoatings.org

Maybe this is the reason he's in no hurry. He will have to get up and go to work. Doesn't seem like that's been a strong suit of his so far.

 

[Betty P]

If Billy testifies it will be new and crazy....errr...I mean different. Also, I believe one defense is what one of his lawyers say, that Billy did not even live with any of them, basically had his own life, he will distance himself from them.

I keep looking for that article.

2 Cents

Which article are you looking for?

I recall during George's trial and testimony from Jake and Angie, it was made clear that Billy tried to make it seem like he wasn't at his own farm on the night of the murders. At the time he was staying at Flying W because his father had been ill, correct?

Pike County murder trial: Jury hears from George Wagner IV's ex-wife as fourth week of testimony begins

The fourth week of testimony continued Monday in the trial of a man accused of killing eight people in Pike County in 2016.

www.wcpo.com

The next witness called to the stand, Jeffrey Tackett, also opted out of being recorded. He testified that he was a family friend of Billy Wagner, George's father. The two met when they were young teenagers, he said.
Tackett also worked at the Flying W Farms, owned by Billy's mother, Fredericka Wagner; Billy also lived there during the murders, taking care of his ailing father.

Tackett would go with Billy to chicken fights and he said he went hunting once with the entire Wagner family; he said Billy was "the best hunter.

Over time, Tackett became wary of Billy; he testified the Wagner patriarch would shoplift while out with people, making he and Chris Sr. uncomfortable. Tackett also alleged Billy once told him he'd gone to Mexico and "shot a bunch of people."
Billy, along with his wife, Angela, were arrested for illegally selling Rocky work boots out of the back of a semi trailer at the fairgrounds one year, and Tackett said Billy told him Angela would never flip on him.
One week before the Rhodens were murdered, Tackett said Billy threw his hip out trying to steal semi parts with Jake and George and asked Tackett to come pop it back into place; at Billy's home, Tackett said he saw guns and vests in Billy's room, including a .22 caliber Hornet gun and 30-round clips. Billy also told him he planned to buy a brass catcher, Tackett said.

After the homicides happened, Tackett said he learned about it on television and immediately called Billy, who wasn't home. Tackett testified that he thought Billy was responsible for the murders, and a few days later he told Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations agents just that.

I assume Jeffrey Tackett will be a witness against Billy at his trial. I hope this judge doesn't allow witnesses to opt out of having their testimony recorded this time. It was a real pain during George's trial.

 

[arielilane]

If Billy testifies it will be new and crazy....errr...I mean different. Also, I believe one defense is what one of his lawyers say, that Billy did not even live with any of them, basically had his own life, he will distance himself from them.

I keep looking for that article.

2 Cents

Yep, I recall an article a day or so after 8 innocent people were murdered. It noted something about BW3 wasn't living with any of the Wagners.

Not the article I was looking for but here is something.



On April 27, 2016, days after the murders, Angela's phone showed search histories for information on the Pike County massacre.

Eveslage also testified to several text message conversations she said spoke to the Wagner family dynamics in the months leading up to the murders; Angela and Billy argued several times about their relationship, their sons and Angela's insistence that she take care of her two grandchildren, Bulvine and Sophia. Billy repeatedly expressed that he missed Angela, but wouldn't move back home because he didn't want to continue fighting with his sons; he also repeatedly suggested Angela run away with him, sometimes suggesting she take the grandkids and leave.

Angela argued that Billy was making her choose between her sons, her grandchildren and her husband. In another text conversation, Billy told Angela he didn't plan to move to Alaska with the family, but Angela replied that the whole family was going together.

Pike County murder trial: Texts highlight Wagner family dynamic, purchases for possible silencer

On Wednesday, witnesses presented cell phone data, including text messages between members of the Wagner family, and investigators set the scene for the Wagners' return from Alaska

www.wcpo.com

last updated 6:08 PM, Oct 12, 2022

 

[Cool Cats]

Which article are you looking for?

I recall during George's trial and testimony from Jake and Angie, it was made clear that Billy tried to make it seem like he wasn't at his own farm on the night of the murders. At the time he was staying at Flying W because his father had been ill, correct?

Pike County murder trial: Jury hears from George Wagner IV's ex-wife as fourth week of testimony begins

The fourth week of testimony continued Monday in the trial of a man accused of killing eight people in Pike County in 2016.

www.wcpo.com

I assume Jeffrey Tackett will be a witness against Billy at his trial. I hope this judge doesn't allow witnesses to opt out of having their testimony recorded this time. It was a real pain during George's trial.

Thanks for responding to my post.

I need some time to "dig in" for some information, to do a bit of research. Glad you are back.

You deserve credit for starting the Rhoden Timeline way back in 2016. I did not even know about WS until 2018. I had generally heard about WS but that was it. I had no idea what it was all about.

I got tired of being verbally abused on other Rhoden threads. Many posters were saying that the laser focus in the MSM - of the Wagners - was harassment and that the Wagners were good church goers who cried over dogs.

I wasn't buying into that.

2 Cents

 

[Seattle1]

I hope this judge doesn't allow witnesses to opt out of having their testimony recorded this time. It was a real pain during George's trial.

^^rsbm

Yes -- that was very frustrating trying to piece together testimony hidden from public view/access! I recall one trial watcher attempted to remedy the situation with a personal recorder inside the courtroom that caused a ruckus and I believe a citation.

My understanding is Ohio Statute (Rule 12) provides for witnesses to "opt-out" of being recorded or filmed by Media for public coverage but they are not exempt from being recorded pursuant to Ohio Rules of Crim Proc., Rule 22: Recording of Proceedings. In serious offense cases all proceedings shall be recorded

Rule 12 - Conditions for Broadcasting and Photographing Court Proceedings, Ohio R. Superi. Ct. 12 | Casetext Search + Citator

Read Rule 12 - Conditions for Broadcasting and Photographing Court Proceedings, Ohio R. Superi. Ct. 12, see flags on bad law, and search Casetext’s comprehensive legal database

casetext.com

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Maybe this is the reason he's in no hurry. He will have to get up and go to work. Doesn't seem like that's been a strong suit of his so far.

As a friend of mine said about a mutual friend of ours, "He just never took to workin." Some people seem to be able to live like that. I couldn't stand it, personally. MOO I guess it does help that he came from money.

 

[arielilane]

AW got a sweetheart of a deal. My regrets for reposting linked article, but thought I'd repost for anyone needing to review and includes timeline/informative info at link.

April 2021​

Edward "Jake" Wagner, the family member at the center of the custody battle prosecutors said was the motive for the massacre, pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated murderin the killings of his former girlfriend, Hanna Rhoden, and the other seven members of her family.

“It’s not anticipated that you will ever be released from prison," Judge Randy Deering told Wagner during his plea hearing. "Do you understand that?”

He replied: “I do, your honor."

In exchange for Jake's testimony in the trials of any family members who face a jury, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss the possibility of the death penalty for Wagner, his parents, Angela and Billy, and his brother, George Wagner IV, all of whom face similar charges in connection to the killings.

In addition to pleading guilty to aggravated murder, which is punishable by life imprisonment, Wagner admitted guilt to:

• Felony conspiracy
• Aggravated burglary
• Unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance
• Tampering with evidence
• Forgery
• Unauthorized use of property
• Interception of wire and oral communications
• Obstruction of justice
• Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
• Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, Hanna May Rhoden, who was 13 when their relationship began

Timeline: A full history of the Pike County murders
Posted 2:00 PM, Sep 05, 2022 and last updated 10:08 AM, Sep 28, 2022



Angela Wagner, Jake and George's mother and Billy's wife, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to charges of:

• conspiracy
• aggravated burglary
• tampering with evidence
• forgery
• unauthorized use of property
• unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance.

In exchange for her guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop eight charges of aggravated murder and recommended 30 years in prison with no chance of early release. Like Jake's, her plea deal stipulates she will have to testify in the trials of her family members.

She has not yet officially been sentenced.

 

[rescuemom]

Yep, I recall an article a day or so after 8 innocent people were murdered. It noted something about BW3 wasn't living with any of the Wagners.

Not the article I was looking for but here is something.



On April 27, 2016, days after the murders, Angela's phone showed search histories for information on the Pike County massacre.

Eveslage also testified to several text message conversations she said spoke to the Wagner family dynamics in the months leading up to the murders; Angela and Billy argued several times about their relationship, their sons and Angela's insistence that she take care of her two grandchildren, Bulvine and Sophia. Billy repeatedly expressed that he missed Angela, but wouldn't move back home because he didn't want to continue fighting with his sons; he also repeatedly suggested Angela run away with him, sometimes suggesting she take the grandkids and leave.

Angela argued that Billy was making her choose between her sons, her grandchildren and her husband. In another text conversation, Billy told Angela he didn't plan to move to Alaska with the family, but Angela replied that the whole family was going together.

Pike County murder trial: Texts highlight Wagner family dynamic, purchases for possible silencer

On Wednesday, witnesses presented cell phone data, including text messages between members of the Wagner family, and investigators set the scene for the Wagners' return from Alaska

www.wcpo.com

last updated 6:08 PM, Oct 12, 2022

Whether he was living with the others or not, the event could and did happen. Why the hang up on who was living where??

 

[Betty P]

Whether he was living with the others or not, the event could and did happen. Why the hang up on who was living where??

As far as the jury was concerned, I don't think they believed that during George's trial. They believed the timeline put together by LE that night. Flying W Farms, where Billy was staying, wasn't very far from the Peterson Rd farm, the home of Billy and his family. Billy was only staying temporarily at Flying W because his father was very ill. The distance between the two farms wasn't very far and they drove back and forth on a regular basis.

Flying W Farms Inc. to Peterson Road

www.google.com

 

[justtrish]

I think truly George took the initial shots, as initially planned from under the truck. I also think it was a combination of George's obesity (flexibility) and probably being further downhill and under a truck than planned that caused the errant shots. It is always harder to shoot accurately from a downhill position.
We'll never know if it was any of George's shots that actually killed Chris Sr., we only have Jake's confession.

JMO

I definately think he was shooting. The recordings of how angry he got showed me that he was capable of getting himself worked up in such a way that I could see him also being able to shoot someone.

 

[justtrish]

As far as the jury was concerned, I don't think they believed that during George's trial. They believed the timeline put together by LE that night. Flying W Farms, where Billy was staying, wasn't very far from the Peterson Rd farm, the home of Billy and his family. Billy was only staying temporarily at Flying W because his father was very ill. The distance between the two farms wasn't very far and they drove back and forth on a regular basis.

Flying W Farms Inc. to Peterson Road

www.google.com

One thing that stuck out to me was Billy wasn't staying there and hadn't stayed the night for however many months before the night of the murders, yet he did stay their that night at the Peterson road home. That night was different than the recent history for some reason. Sometimes it's the patterns that suddenly change that look most suspicious. If he stayed every few weeks for a night to two, that wouldn't really raise my eyebrows for the night in question, but if he wasn't there for a long while, then he was. I ask why, what was different that night?

 

[Betty P]

Thanks for responding to my post.

I need some time to "dig in" for some information, to do a bit of research. Glad you are back.

You deserve credit for starting the Rhoden Timeline way back in 2016. I did not even know about WS until 2018. I had generally heard about WS but that was it. I had no idea what it was all about.

I got tired of being verbally abused on other Rhoden threads. Many posters were saying that the laser focus in the MSM - of the Wagners - was harassment and that the Wagners were good church goers who cried over dogs.

I wasn't buying into that.

2 Cents

Thanks to you guys for getting all the paperwork from Pike County Court Clerk so we could read. Very helpful.

ETA: Wouldn't it be fun to go back and read some pages from the local Pike County board where the locals were posting along with Jake and Angie? I've since forgotten the name of that social media page. What stories people told there, mostly fiction but very entertaining. Some scary.

 

[rescuemom]

As far as the jury was concerned, I don't think they believed that during George's trial. They believed the timeline put together by LE that night. Flying W Farms, where Billy was staying, wasn't very far from the Peterson Rd farm, the home of Billy and his family. Billy was only staying temporarily at Flying W because his father was very ill. The distance between the two farms wasn't very far and they drove back and forth on a regular basis.

Flying W Farms Inc. to Peterson Road

www.google.com

Agree, and partners in crime don't have to live together to commit a crime. Get on with it.