OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue - 4 Members Wagner Family Arrested #77

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arielilane said:
Found it! Though it was found on Ms. Levy's page. Tweet from 10/14/2022:

I can't stop thinking about the fact that Chris Newcomb said Jake Wagner's bedroom was hot pink and he would sing the "My Little Pony" song. Newcomb said Jake said it was Sophia's favorite song.
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They left out that he had tea parties and nail paintings too. ( From his Chris Grave's article.) Just sounds like he was trying to please his daughter.

Maybe she slept a lot in his room.
 
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Julia, thank you for the heads up about Chris Graves Twitter page. I wasn't aware of her Twitter site.

Judge Deering after court asked both prosecution and defense what the objection was. He was confused, but said in clear terms that he is "duty bound" to follow Rule 12 of the Ohio Rules of Superintendency, which clearly allows witnesses to opt out of being broadcast.


He was escorted from the courtroom and courthouse. Deering likely to bar him from trial. Deering's media order, does make it clear that he will remove any disruption during the trial + that all media objections "shall be filed, in writing, for the consideration of the Court.”

Angela Wagner's mother, Rita Newcomb, testified this afternoon about her abusive marriage to Wagner's father, her daughter's rules about how she could babysit her grandsons and how her daughter asked her to lie about forged custody documents, which are a key piece of evidence.1/8

At times, Newcomb, 69 — who seemed to be swallowed in the witness chair — wept as she answered questions by prosecutor Angela Canepa and defense lawyer, John Parker. Her oldest grandson, George Wagner IV, is on trial accused of killing eight Rhoden family members in 2016. 2/8


Newcomb often called her daughter, Jo, which is her middle name during her hour-long testimony. She cried as she recalled how her changed after she married Billy Wagner. "We weren't as close as before." 3/8

Canepa asked her if Wagner came to her after the #Rhoden family homicides and asked her to lie and say she signed forged child-custody documents related to the child shared by Hanna Rhoden and Jake Wagner. 4/8

Newcomb said her daughter told her: "Mom, if you won't sign they will hurt me bad or kill me." But, she testified that she knew it was wrong at the time. 5/8

Authorities charged Newcomb with forgery and later reduced the charges in exchange for her testimony after she came forward and admitted she lied. 6/8

"I told Frank (her lawyer) I'm in trouble and I don't know what to do,'' she testified. "He said: 'Tell the truth and everything will be fine.' And, that's were we are." 7/8

She testified that she owned 50 acres of property and was preparing to build a home, but had to sell it to pay her lawyer in this case. She cares for her 90-year-old mother, she said, and they are living with her son and his family. 8/8

Rita Newcomb, who often looked at her grandson Friday as he sat with his head bowed, also testified that she was only allowed to babysit her grandsons at the Wagner's home and never her home. The rule was Angela's, she testified. 1/4

Newcomb testified that she married Edward Carter at 16 and gave birth to Angela Wagner the next year. She described her marriage as abusive. And she said sometimes Carter abused his daughter as well. Angela was the couple's only child. 2/4

Billy "took a liking" to Angela, but Newcomb never did: "I knew Billy was going to be trouble." But Angela, she said "liked what she saw .. we didn't have much ... they had a big fancy house." 3/4

"I loved him as a Christian,'' she said. "But Billy has some problems." 4/4

Court was recessed until Monday at 9 a.m.
https://twitter.com/chrisgraves
 
I truly find it sad that AW got only 30 years. Idc if she may not live to see freedom again, or if they can stack other charges. It's the principle. I always thought she may have seen a big house and farm and a way out of poverty, but to involve even her mother... smh
 
Randa Hughes, the long-time partner of Chris Newcomb, testified that George, Jake and Angela Wagner called the couple repeatedly after their arrests in the Rhoden family killings. They wanted the couple to seek custody of George's son and Jake's daughter, she testified. 1/3

Hughes: Chris hired a lawyer to begin those proceedings. But the couple halted them after meeting Tabitha Claytor, George's ex-wife and mother of his son. 2/3

She said Claytor wasn't like how she had been described by the Wagners. Proceedings halted after Jake confessed to the crimes, she said on cross-examination by defense lawyer Richard Nash. 3/3

Hughes also said Newcomb's mother, Rita, admitted to she and Chris Newcomb that she lied to authorities about forgery related to the custody documents. "She was crying." The couple told her she needed to talk to her lawyer.

Rita Newcomb is on the witness list and has pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the case. Unclear if she will testify today or later. Back into court.

Defense attorneys were surprised by after-break testimony about a June 14/15 search of the Peterson Road farm that was former home of Wagners. 1/10

Former Special Agent Bryan White testified that he and a team of agents used equipment to dig and shift dirt at the farm looking for possible evidence. It was the third search at the home. 2/10

White testified they found eight types of spent shell casings during the search that matched the types of guns on a list of weapons authorities found on Jake Wagner's phone. 3/10

Prosecutor Angela Canepa said that if the exhibit was excluded it was not done intentionally and that it is referenced in other materials provided by the prosecution and they should have thought "Huh? I haven't seen that." 5/10

And she continued: "There's not Earth shattering here ... except corroborating the guns." 6/10

Deering asked Canepa if there is a reason why the state can not provide the defense the exhibits it plans to present the day before. Surely, he said prosecutors have prepared the day before they call witnesses and present evidence. 7/10

Canepa acknowledged that is the case, but sometimes information is left out depending on testimony. Other times, analysts prepare their slides and documents to help in their testimony. 8/10

"The court opens at 8 a.m. and the jury isn't here until 9 a.m., so there is a golden hour" for the state to provide the defense with its planned exhibits for that day. They agreed to do that. 9/10

Deering said "we will deal with this particular problem when we get back from lunch,'' referencing the evidence collected by White during the July 14/15 search. 10/10

Whoops ... typing too fast here on a quick break. This should read: Hughes said Newcomb's mother, Rita, admitted to her and Chris Newcomb that Rita lied to authorities about forgery related to the custody documents.
https://twitter.com/chrisgraves
 
rsd1200 said:
I truly find it sad that AW got only 30 years. Idc if she may not live to see freedom again, or if they can stack other charges. It's the principle. I always thought she may have seen a big house and farm and a way out of poverty, but to involve even her mother... smh
Click to expand...
A narcissist will suck up all the energy they can from anyone around them; until there's no more use for them.

The family sucked in her brother/girlfriend even. The range was far and wide.
 
justtrish said:
Canepa asked her if Wagner came to her after the #Rhoden family homicides and asked her to lie and say she signed forged child-custody documents related to the child shared by Hanna Rhoden and Jake Wagner. 4/8

Newcomb said her daughter told her: "Mom, if you won't sign they will hurt me bad or kill me." But, she testified that she knew it was wrong at the time. 5/8


I wonder when this was? Who was going to kill her? Did she mean Billy and the boys? BCI? It sounds like this might have been before they were arrested. Was this after the BCI interview at the border where she knew they were on to her about the custody documents?
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BIBM I think it was a big fat lie.
 
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what do you think the average persnoo or juror thinks reasonable doubt means to them.... in the last 50 or so years even before csi lawyers smarter then me have practiced honing words sequential micro arguments back and forth with a result being judicial precedent law. aka laws/rules/decisions that were never written or voted on but due to the cumalative and pre determined system stand above all else. roe v wade highlights this sure- but its defense lawyers like nash will fashion a few ice picks for his client all in service of his "record" because the best thing for him would be for george to walk or get 5 years or get a mistrial or whatver else . what would that say to the normal people in this world? that something this horrific and just non human could be defeated with some words when the wagners killed in blood lust with no warning. so reasonable whats reasonable? to me reasonable doubt in this case comes down to one thing - jake and billy could not have accomplished this by themselves. now you dont just invite someone along on a murder the night of and on top of that we independently tracked purchases and events george contributed before the murders. so there it is, he joined the murder group formed the plan offered his expertise faithfully completed his assigments before his back scratch. the murders happened. every one died. he continued along iwth his family to avoid [police and tell others to do the same. hes on the wire talking like a big bad man because he did not think he would be arrested. thats been his role the whole time- one who was there but woujld say was not. hes going down,
 
sunshineray said:
Not that I've heard...I would think that might not be to the satisfaction of the prosecution and they must...please the prosecution? I don't know how that deal with prosecution will/could weigh in against the rights of the individual not to be on camera or video?
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I will be absolutely beside myself if they do. I have been at this since day 1, this case is actually how I found websleuths. I have been watching the paint dry faster than AC can ummm question the witness so if they don’t do audio/video I may have an out of body experience
 
rescuemom said:
No wonder this is taking a long time,,,between starting late everyday and ending fairly early most days and all of the interruptions, they hardly get more than 4-5 hrs in each day. For those on the jury who are still working and took or was granted a leave for this trial, it's going to be a long one.
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The way Deering has run this trial has I feel been very disrespectful to this jury. Or is it common in this county's court system to have such a poor work ethic? (Other than courtroom maintenance which has been demonstrated over the past year to be very poor.) There is no reason for this court to be released so early each and every day. When I was on a jury there were multiple days that we went past six pm. Only once were we dismissed early so something could be litigated between the attorneys and that was at 4.

I'd like to know the demographics of this jury. All we know is gender. How about employment? Any professionals on this jury? I could see a low skilled person not been concerned about the length of time being absent from work, but an accountant with a practice would be very concerned. Below is a summary for a recent trial.

There are seven men and five women in the 12-member panel.

They include a university claims adjuster, a retail stocking supervisor, a probation officer, a human resources worker, a former music industry worker now employed at a family-run business and a former French military officer who currently works in the financial sector.

“It was the draft over there, so it is not like it is a career -- it was mandatory service,” that juror said in court.

Another juror is an immigration officer who served in the U.S. military.

“In 2016, (I) got out, took a year off doing hippie stuff, and then in 2018, joined the federal government,” the juror said.

There’s also the medical device compliance investigator who likes romance movies and explained why she has great respect for police:

“My dad was a police chief,” she said.

During jury selection, the defense asked for their views about young people playing violent first-person shooter video games.

Here’s what a juror in this case – a computer technician with three small children -- had to say:

“I don’t see a difference between watching a military movie or playing that game, other than the fact you are controlling it.”

An IT analyst whose mom is a licensed mental health counselor offered another take on the same question.

“I don’t personally have kids, so don’t have that say, but it depends on the kid -- how mature they are, if they can tell the difference between a game and reality.”

There is also a legal assistant who said they have gotten some mental health counseling themselves.

And a Broward library worker told the court they have had a positive experience with mental health services. From
www.local10.com

Meet the jurors who will recommend life or death for Parkland school shooter

The penalty phase for the Parkland school shooter’s trial started six months ago in April as a methodical process as thousands of people were screened to potentially sit on this historic jury.
www.local10.com www.local10.com
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1581015958017433602

George's grandmother, Rita, is Angela's mother. She told the jury she'd never been in trouble before until Angela caught her caught in the Rhoden Massacre case.

She said knew Hanna May Rhoden and her grandson, Jake, were in discussions over their daughter's custody agreement. When the Rhoden family turned up murdered, she told jurors, "[The] kids told me they didn't do it whenever I asked them, and they're my kids. I believed them."

She said Angela asked her to lie and tell agents that she did in fact notarize the fraudulent living will that said in the event of Hanna's death, Jake gets the baby. She cried, "I was just trying to protect her until I found out what was going on, and God told me different."

Rita was sobbing when she described connecting the dots. "I always told my kids I'd do anything for them." But she said she's a Christian woman, and "I can't lose my soul over that." So she told agents the truth.

She spent eight days in jail for lying. To pay her attorne fees, she said she had to sell her farm and lost all the money she put into building her dream home there. Now, she lives with her mother.

She explained to jurors that Angela's father was abusive to both of them. She said Angela went to the Air Force in an effort to get away, but someone assaulted her there. So, she came home. That's when she said Angela married Billy Wagner.

Rita told jurors she knew Billy was trouble and advised her daughter not to marry him.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1581021768159940608
 
Pru2U said:
Backing up a few moments…
Did I hear correctly the victim’s FB info was not received by BCI until late 2016? And Wagner’s FB info received early 2017?

@Betty P Do these dates possibly answer why it took so long for BCI to visit Peterson Rd? (considering it probably took them a minute to go through them all)

Do we know if Tabbitha came forward on her own? Or did they seek her out for interview her after they were able to study HR’s FB Messenger?

I ask because I have suspected HR’s Messenger combined with Mr. Manley & Kendra being adamant there was a custody issue (conflicting with Jake’s version) was what really got BCI’s attention toward Wagners so knowing which came first, Tabbitha’s interview or reviewing HR’s FB might help fill in that blank.
Click to expand...

It's possible. We've been inundated with so much new data on this case in the last few weeks, but I'm pretty sure it took a while for them to look at the FB pages. I do recall they locked the victims pages right away.

JMO only, but I think there was a difference of opinion between BCI and Sheriff Reader about whether locals/Wagners were involved.
arielilane said:
Julia, thank you for the heads up about Chris Graves Twitter page. I wasn't aware of her Twitter site.

Judge Deering after court asked both prosecution and defense what the objection was. He was confused, but said in clear terms that he is "duty bound" to follow Rule 12 of the Ohio Rules of Superintendency, which clearly allows witnesses to opt out of being broadcast.


He was escorted from the courtroom and courthouse. Deering likely to bar him from trial. Deering's media order, does make it clear that he will remove any disruption during the trial + that all media objections "shall be filed, in writing, for the consideration of the Court.”

Angela Wagner's mother, Rita Newcomb, testified this afternoon about her abusive marriage to Wagner's father, her daughter's rules about how she could babysit her grandsons and how her daughter asked her to lie about forged custody documents, which are a key piece of evidence.1/8

At times, Newcomb, 69 — who seemed to be swallowed in the witness chair — wept as she answered questions by prosecutor Angela Canepa and defense lawyer, John Parker. Her oldest grandson, George Wagner IV, is on trial accused of killing eight Rhoden family members in 2016. 2/8


Newcomb often called her daughter, Jo, which is her middle name during her hour-long testimony. She cried as she recalled how her changed after she married Billy Wagner. "We weren't as close as before." 3/8

Canepa asked her if Wagner came to her after the #Rhoden family homicides and asked her to lie and say she signed forged child-custody documents related to the child shared by Hanna Rhoden and Jake Wagner. 4/8

Newcomb said her daughter told her: "Mom, if you won't sign they will hurt me bad or kill me." But, she testified that she knew it was wrong at the time. 5/8

Authorities charged Newcomb with forgery and later reduced the charges in exchange for her testimony after she came forward and admitted she lied. 6/8

"I told Frank (her lawyer) I'm in trouble and I don't know what to do,'' she testified. "He said: 'Tell the truth and everything will be fine.' And, that's were we are." 7/8

She testified that she owned 50 acres of property and was preparing to build a home, but had to sell it to pay her lawyer in this case. She cares for her 90-year-old mother, she said, and they are living with her son and his family. 8/8

Rita Newcomb, who often looked at her grandson Friday as he sat with his head bowed, also testified that she was only allowed to babysit her grandsons at the Wagner's home and never her home. The rule was Angela's, she testified. 1/4

Newcomb testified that she married Edward Carter at 16 and gave birth to Angela Wagner the next year. She described her marriage as abusive. And she said sometimes Carter abused his daughter as well. Angela was the couple's only child. 2/4

Billy "took a liking" to Angela, but Newcomb never did: "I knew Billy was going to be trouble." But Angela, she said "liked what she saw .. we didn't have much ... they had a big fancy house." 3/4

"I loved him as a Christian,'' she said. "But Billy has some problems." 4/4

Court was recessed until Monday at 9 a.m.
https://twitter.com/chrisgraves
Click to expand...

It's really a shame she had to give up the money she saved for her house in order to pay lawyers to help her out of the mess The Wagners (Angela) got her into. Now she and her mother live with her son, his partner and their children. There should really be some alternative for people to have affordable housing on their own in these situations. JMO
 
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