OH Pike County: 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue 4 Members Wagner Family Arrested#37

[IceIce9]

No, she was 26 years old. I knew her very well before she even became a grand mother. I couldn't believe she didn't learn anything from her own early pregnancy...

I knew of someone who became a grandma at age 28. Agree that they should learn from their own early pregnancies.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they become great-grandmas at age 39 and 42. Lessons that could be learned often are not.

 

[IceIce9]

Life in prison without them being allowed to communicate with each other would be much more of a punishment than death. I can't see them doing well in prison with other inmates. Jake will be an easy target and his dad will be a challenge to the ones who like to fight to show superiority....

And hang pictures up in their cells of little S and B to remind them that they won’t have that all-important custody.

 

[Dudly]

They haven't shown anything in this case from the beginning onward.

I live on an island, Lido Key outside of Sarasota. We have people living here from all over the US, actually several countries as well. I can guarantee we have no one from the Pike County area living here. I don't think they would feel comfortable.

I know your area. My dad had a place just east of Nokomis on Edmundson Rd. from the late 60s till he passed away in 1995.

 

[Betty P]

Angela and Billy were both convicted in Adams county, IIRC. For stealing from Rocky Mountain Boot company. I believe it’s AW’s record that reflects a long list of retailers that was affected by her thefts. They are verifiable criminals, per online county records available for any person to search and view. I believe it was felony charges they faced originally, but it may have ended in misdemeanor convictions (sorry my brain is in a fog)

I agree. It wasn’t a pot farm. However, Chris and Kenny growing weed seems to be irrelevant to the murders at this point. Reader has said it more than once. Whether he said it as “this wasn’t over a few weed plants” or whether it was when he said “I thought we all could move on from the marijuana grows” (paraphrasing).



I’ve yet to see violent criminal histories on ALL eight victims.

Dana had a very old domestic violence.

There was a restraining order against a GROWN ADULT woman who assaulted little Chris over a road rage incident.

Frankie got into a fight over a demo. I believe that fight was also a couple years prior to the murders when he was still a teenager (19-ish)

It’s easy to group these incidents as a whole and say this family wasn’t saints. But I truly feel you have to look at each incident and consider all of the circumstances such as kids being kids, age and maturity, while also remembering that there are two sides to all of these stories. The eight victims of murder can’t tell us their side of these prior incidents.

Also, a 16 year old boy getting suspended happens every day across the world. While I’m not condoning it, I’m trying to point out that we are all human. We all make mistakes. Teenagers make many mistakes.

When each one of us dies, none of us will leave this world a saint. If one doesn’t have skeletons in the closet, they’re most likely living under a rock.

None of the victims’ mistakes in life will ever matter when it comes to trial. They were human beings. And they were human beings who should still be here.

Thanks for the great post, Mittens. I agree completely. The Rhodens weren't a "bad" family, certainly not deserving of their fate. Anyone who has raised teenagers knows what a perilous job it can be. Peer pressure is a major factor in problems young folks experience. Much has been made of HMR "dating" JW when she was 13, but we shouldn't assume this was occurred with parental consent. Two parents working long hours at their jobs often struggle to keep track of kid's activities during the hours after school. I'd wager much of HMR's early dating with JW happened without knowledge of her parents, or as we used to call it "sneaking around". The same applies for trying to control sexual activity in teens. I'm sure HMR's parents were dismayed when she became pregnant at such an early age but, like many parents in that situation, made the best of a bad situation. They made her finish school and she was already working at a nurse's aide job by the time she had her second child.

As for CR1 & KR's grow op, it seems they kept it small. Both were gifted horticulturalists. Read "Death In the Foothills" interview with Tony Rhoden where he describes learning gardening and orchard management from their father, Clarence. When you have to rely on your gardening skills to put food on the table, you become an expert. It was logical they would pursue a grow op to help supplement their income, especially when times were changing and Ohio was moving towards legalization. I'd like to think both of them would be involved in commercial growing operations had they lived. Their skills would have been in demand.

I do find it interesting that nearly all of the false negative commentary about the victims on social media has ceased since the arrest of the Wagners. Apparently the killers were pretty good at waging a strong social media campaign against the people they murdered and their surviving family members.

 

[Normrock]

I lived over half of my 63 years along the Rio Grande valley, and I will agree that it’s more like Mexico than other parts of the US. To an outsider, it would seem like a different country. Same can be said about lots of other places when viewed as an outsider.

Yea, when folks talk about how poor of an area Appalachia is at the moment. I think of the hollers over in WV or down by border in Texas. Honestly did not expect such abject poverty. When people talked about FW being basically a scamming slumlord. I thought of unincorporated areas I saw with no running water, electricity, etc. The farmers IE corporations make a killing on cheap extremely hard labor.

 

[iridized]

I know your area. My dad had a place just east of Nokomis on Edmundson Rd. from the late 60s till he passed away in 1995.

I've lived here going on 55 years. The island has changed so much over the years, for the better. No longer do you have the tiny beach houses, nor the small taxes either for that matter. I'm thinking of downsizing in the next year or so and it's hard to find a small 3500 sq ft home, but I'll be damned if I move off the island.

 

[Dudly]

I've lived here going on 55 years. The island has changed so much over the years, for the better. No longer do you have the tiny beach houses, nor the small taxes either for that matter. I'm thinking of downsizing in the next year or so and it's hard to find a small 3500 sq ft home, but I'll be damned if I move off the island.

How are you doing on property insurance. I know a lot of people who moved because the insurance rates went so high they they couldn't afford it.

 

[Betty P]

Why is it LE has never shown as much as a leaf, much less a plant? Why no pics of the growing operation? No lights, watering system, etc.? All the pot bust show all kinds of pics of the plants and grow operation, why not this one? If it was of little concern compared to the multiple murders, why did they make such a big deal of it early on and then show no proof it existed?

JMO, I don't think it was a very big or sophisticated operation, hence no photos. I think all they found were trays of small plants being started indoors to be transplanted outside once the danger of frost had passed. You start out growing a lot of seedlings, assuming some will die off before harvest. I'm not even sure they were growing everything in some sophisticated indoor op. They owned a lot of property and KR may have been growing his back in the woods.

De Wine said there were 3 different ops. I'm assuming 2 sheds (or one of the trailers) at CR1's and the one shed at KR's. Contrary to many rumors, I don't think the Rhodens were involved in dealing hard drugs.

DeWine has declined to say if three commercial marijuana grow operations found on two of the Rhoden properties in April are central to the investigation. Some family members have acknowledged that Kenneth Rhoden, who lived in a camper on Left Folk Road, and Christopher Rhoden Sr., who lived in a trailer on Union Hill Road, both grew pot. The family members said they were unaware of any high-volume growth.

DeWine: Killers familiar with Rhoden properties

In retrospect, it seems LE was also wrong in assuming there were many locals who knew the killers. Wagner's seemed a pretty insular family and I seriously doubt they shared any information about the murders outside their family. Same for the insinuation that neighbors of the Rhoden family had some knowledge of the crimes.

More old news accounts of the Rhoden "grow ops"

Coroner: Most Ohio victims shot many times, some bruised

Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk told the Columbus Dispatch on Monday that the marijuana operations included a grow house sheltering hundreds of plants.

"It wasn't just somebody sitting pots in the window," Junk said.

So there was one shed with plants, according to Junk. It wouldn't have needed to be very big to hold 100 seedlings.

I'm thinking of something like this

Not this:

 

[iridized]

How are you doing on property insurance. I know a lot of people who moved because the insurance rates went so high they they couldn't afford it.

Taxes and insurance have gone sky high over the years, but so has the value of property. Back in 92 I sold my older, smaller house at the time for $250k and it now has a value of 2.3 mil. And they haven't really done anything to it other than standard upkeep. I had sunk in about 100k before I put it on the market so there really wasn't anything they needed to do. My insurance for my current property runs around $28k a year. Even though it is on the inter-coastal, since I own outright I do not have to have flood insurance so I don't have that, but the last estimate a few years ago ran about the same if not a little more than homeowners. Redevelopment of the properties on the island have hit people that have the older smaller homes hard as the values have gone sky high over the years. Their value is in the footprint of the land.

 

[Betty P]

Father charged in Pike County murders had past brushes with law

Brad Uhl remembers the summer day the man in the white Jeep flashed a handgun at him, his teenage daughter, and his teenage niece during “a bit of road rage” on U.S. 23 near Lucasville, between Piketon and Portsmouth.
“It’s something you don’t forget,” Uhl said.

The incident — the details of which the Dayton Daily News is reporting for the first time — resulted in Billy Wagner pleading no contest to charges he improperly handled a loaded .40-caliber Glock handgun, according to the Portsmouth Municipal Court.

Billy Wagner’s wife, Angela Wagner, was similarly charged in the 2001 case, though records show her case was dismissed.

 

[Charliegizmo49]

I am happy to hear your family is safe.

Thank you. I’ve been through volcanos earthquakes and big ____ Kodiak bears. On our boat 42 feetlong, waves that laid her on her side. This earthquake was the worst. I moved in time. But my grandchildren are there. And thankfully safe. Alaska was a great place to raise a family, work hard and make a very good living. The Waggies didn’t have what it takes to work hard and succeed. Period.

 

[Mudflap]

Random thoughts as I've gone though the first ten pages in this particular thread:

I have an impression that some posters believe each victim was shot x number of times before moving on to the next one. I only want remind everyone it's also possible they went quickly from front to rear of the trailers, shot everyone once or twice, and gave the extra shots on the way back out. Possible, IMO.

Becoming-a-parent-while-a-young-teen thing is how my best buddy became a daddy at age 15, a grampa at age 33, and a great-grampa at age 48. He's 63 now but if his family history holds true he has an above average chance of becoming a great-great-grampa in the next few years and a great-x-3 before he passes on.

The young love thing might be "acceptable" but it doesn't mean "legal," so if it came into a courtroom the law is clear and would end with a conviction. Again, IMHO.

LWOP might sound too easy with the inmate getting medical care and provided with three hots and a cot, but freedom is gone and that's what hurts. There's a lot to be said for waking up at, say, 2 am, raiding the fridge for chicken and a glass of cold milk, cookouts whenever you want, or having a leisurely beer while sitting on the porch on a hot day. It would make my soul cry to be locked up and never see wooded hills or anything else except through razor wire or while sitting shackled behind barred windows of a bus. IMHO.

 

[ilovepierre]

you mean 36 right? I don't see how 26 is physically possible (even 36 is pushing it)

My grandma became a first-time grandma at 33, so it's possible to be a grandma in your 30's.

 

[Ellmau]

you mean 36 right? I don't see how 26 is physically possible (even 36 is pushing it)

A girl can get pregnant as soon as she is menstruating. Obviously there can be health implications even setting apart issues over consent.

 

[IQuestion]

It's an established relationship too. Neither of the parents stopped the relationship, HMR & JW had set a wedding date, in August, 2014, for August, 2015 (their fifth year anniversary), according to HMR's own Twitter account.

JW and HMR considered August 26, 2010, as their anniversary (per her Twitter). When the relationship started;
HMR was 13 years, 4 months
JW was 17 years 9 months

I would not have permitted the relationship, boy nor girl, no matter. We had a no dating til 16 policy, but, they called the shots in their homes, not me. I think that many folks would believe, that as long as the parents are cool with a pair of teens, dating, that it's just fine. I think "teens" may be the keyword too. You also have parents, who were married in their teens, 16 & 19, for DR and CR1, respectively. I'd say they'll charge him, though.

Thank you for the info. An "anniversary" for a girl who was too young to experience anything more than a passing crush. Up thread someone wrote about her parents coping with the situation and requiring her to still finish high school.... Hmmm, do you think JW had a long held resentment towards her parents for ensuring she had more education/socialization than any of the Wag4? Recalling the "whining interview" about how she "just up and left" & "she wanted better for herself." JW actually seemed mystified and totally delusional that a woman would have the audacity to have goals were different from his. It just struck me as odd....HE COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A PET...yuck, yuck.
I was/am the quintessential late bloomer.... first date being with a "darned nice guy" I met at a church sponsored softball game. We went to the County Fair. My advice to everyone is to NEVER EAT GREASY CORN DOGS BEFORE GOING ON THOSE GRAVITY DEFYING CARNIVAL RIDES. (The result also defies gravity. IYKWIM)

 

[IQuestion]

I've lived here going on 55 years. The island has changed so much over the years, for the better. No longer do you have the tiny beach houses, nor the small taxes either for that matter. I'm thinking of downsizing in the next year or so and it's hard to find a small 3500 sq ft home, but I'll be damned if I move off the island.

IRIDIZED Ugh...and I thought my insurance was high because of the fires! I just took an unofficial poll and surprisingly all of the Sunday posters have decided to convene at your place for Mojitos & Fried Gulf Shrimp

 

[Jonas_Klein]

Father charged in Pike County murders had past brushes with law

Very interesting read. I can't wait to hear how this couple operates.

Did she get in trouble herself or did he drag her into these situations? IMO, this man likes to have his way.

She is 48, mother of a 27 yo. She's been with him most of her adult life. Sometimes, it's hard to get out...

 

[rsd1200]

I think 'dating' is the operative word here. Not having sex, just dating.

If you don't want them to have sex, you don't allow them to have stay overs at one another's homes. Bf/gf goes to their respective home, to spend the night, after the "date" is over.

HMR conceived S, just six weeks shy of 16. JW was 20. She and JW had been dating 2 1/2 years at the time. That's a long time for teen relationships. Six more weeks, and we'd not even be having a discussion about the extra charge against JW. If I were him, that charge, would be the least of my worries right now.

 

[rsd1200]

Ok. My point wasn't about victim blaming. It's a fact pot was found.

I just wonder how and when it got there.

ETA: It appears, the growth of the plants found coincide with the planning period mentioned in the indictements. it's probably just a coincidence

I think this played a role as to their planning, too. Based on the time of year, and the space available, I think they may have had CR1's trailer stripped down, and was using it for one of the grows. Iirc LM stated that CR1's trailer was "basically a shell".

 

[rsd1200]

Angela and Billy were both convicted in Adams county, IIRC. For stealing from Rocky Mountain Boot company. I believe it’s AW’s record that reflects a long list of retailers that was affected by her thefts. They are verifiable criminals, per online county records available for any person to search and view. I believe it was felony charges they faced originally, but it may have ended in misdemeanor convictions (sorry my brain is in a fog)

I agree. It wasn’t a pot farm. However, Chris and Kenny growing weed seems to be irrelevant to the murders at this point. Reader has said it more than once. Whether he said it as “this wasn’t over a few weed plants” or whether it was when he said “I thought we all could move on from the marijuana grows” (paraphrasing).



I’ve yet to see violent criminal histories on ALL eight victims.

Dana had a very old domestic violence.

There was a restraining order against a GROWN ADULT woman who assaulted little Chris over a road rage incident.

Frankie got into a fight over a demo. I believe that fight was also a couple years prior to the murders when he was still a teenager (19-ish)

It’s easy to group these incidents as a whole and say this family wasn’t saints. But I truly feel you have to look at each incident and consider all of the circumstances such as kids being kids, age and maturity, while also remembering that there are two sides to all of these stories. The eight victims of murder can’t tell us their side of these prior incidents.

Also, a 16 year old boy getting suspended happens every day across the world. While I’m not condoning it, I’m trying to point out that we are all human. We all make mistakes. Teenagers make many mistakes.

When each one of us dies, none of us will leave this world a saint. If one doesn’t have skeletons in the closet, they’re most likely living under a rock.

None of the victims’ mistakes in life will ever matter when it comes to trial. They were human beings. And they were human beings who should still be here.

KR had a violation of a protective order. The Rs were not shy about fighting for one another, and, then, we have the two week prior, incident. Based on witness accounts, there were weapons present. GR had drug charges. That is not victim bashing. That was in MSM or online records. The Rs and HHG lived their lives, and they didn't seem to care what folks thought. You can't tiptoe around the past. There is a good chance their past will be brought out at trial, by the defense.

Example; My ex, who for all intents and purposes was a despicable father, who drank himself to death, found Jesus, six months or so before he left this world. Good on him. In some family member's view, that's the only memories we are to have of him. His last six months... Uhm, Nooooo. I got lots of memories; They range from funny, sad, peeved, to nigh on hate. His finding Jesus, nor his death, didn't change his past.

The Rs and HHG, seemed to be down to earth, do their own thing, folks. That doesn't change the fact that they had a bit of history.