Evan Millward
@EvanMillward
PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: BCI agents to testify today in Waverly - @CFranciscoWCPO
@paulweedenWCPO
are there.
BCI agent Jonathan Jenkins is on the stand to start the day.
Was assigned to special investigations in the southeast corner of Ohio - which includes Pike Co.
"I was involved in that investigation from Day One."
Jenkins was assigned to Scene 2 - Frankie Rhoden and Hannah Hazel Gilley's trailer.
Responded to Pike Co. "for several months" - first HQ was Piketon PD, then Hatzel Chemical.
Jenkins says eventually he wanted to interview Billy Wagner because he is Sophia's grandpa.
"Being a family member, that's somebody we needed to talk to."
Says it was hard to track him down by phone, at home (Peterson Rd), or at his mom's at the Flying W
Jenkins says he wanted to talk to Billy not only because of family relationship, but because BCI was getting tips and leads about a custody issue re: Sophia his granddaughter.
Jenkins and SA Trout met Billy in a Kroger parking lot - they interviewed him in Trout's Ford Taurus.
Billy sat in front passenger seat, Jenkins sat in rear passenger.
Interview was recorded - is being played for the jury
On recording of first Billy interview - Billy says "Chris was my best friend ... he wasn't no saint, but Chris never hurt nobody."
Says he and Chris were opposites - Chris grew up 'hard,' and Billy didn't.
Billy says "it took ya long enough to come talk to me."
Says rumor that a Rhoden family member did it is "."
"What do you want to know? I'll tell ya."
On the recorded interview, Billy says "this is the crookedest f---in county in the state of Ohio"
Says he worried about his safety by talking.
Billy says he heard that Chris may have been involved with a big drug dealer in Cincinnati.
"It goes against my grain to tell you anything, but I hate that sonofabitch ... I hate f---in' dopeheads."
He's explain a convoluted system of drug trafficking in the area.
Agents ask for who - push for more, Billy says "you don't live around here."
Billy says "I loved Chris. He was my best friend."
Says they always joked about buying a bar, "get drunk on the beach and play with strippers."
Talks about taking care of his dad - "he's worked his *advertiser censored* off his whole life, every bone in his body is broken."
Billy notes all of this because he says his parents have a large trust fund for him.
"That ain't a bunch of f---in' hillbillies do something like that, you'll never convince me. That's some Seal Team 6 ."
Billy again says the rumors that a Rhoden family member did it is BS. He keeps coming back to rumor Chris Sr owed drug money.
I think we've found who Billy said he hated - one of the Latham boys.
"He's an ."
Billy laughs and calls Hanna Rhoden "a brat" - says Chris Sr spoiled her.
But says Jake was "in a f---in daze" when she left. Says it's like he's waiting on her to come back around.
Billy also says "You're looking in the wrong damn direction" in the investigation.
Unclear what direction he wants them to look, though.
Agents aren't getting many words in during this.
Billy drops a Cornbread Mafia reference - he's talking about pill mills in Kentucky and rumors of Chris Sr's involvement.
Billy "Let me tell you something, I ain't no f---in snitch"
Tells the agents not to cause him any aggravation down here.
Billy rails on the fact that the surviving kids are in foster care - notes that Jake thought Hanna's newborn was his but it wasn't.
Billy says "Chris took care of everybody."
Calls Dana "wild" and says their relationship wasn't bad even thought they separated.
Agents ask about Chris saying something about "the storm is coming" and being depressed.
Billy: "He never said that to me." Says Chris had been drinking, something was getting to him.
That first interview with Billy was 1 hour, 43 minutes long.
Court is taking a 15 minute break before proceeding with BCI agent Jenkins.
Defense moved for mistrial because of the BillY Wagner recording. Claiming it wasn't relevant.
Prosecutors say it shows why BCI started looking more at Wagners.
Judge instructs jury to only use the recording to show how investigation continued.
link:
https://twitter.com/evanmillward
