OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) #17

[pepper 34]

I do too. I spent years in West Virginia and when I tell people? Without fail the jokes and judgment come out. Their attitude changes immediately and I can see it on their faces.

As a retired home care nurse, my fondest memories are of my patients and their families from this area of the country in question. I found all that I met to be the friendliest, warmest, most welcoming and totally unpretentious people I had ever met. Several families went so far as to say they wished they could "adopt" me and I always overstayed the required 30 minutes of the job, engaged in interesting conversations long after the medical part of the visit was done. In all those years, only one group of people ever wrote to my supervisors with thanks and telling what a great job teaching they'd received and how much they appreciated the help and friendship and it was (THOSE people, alone) from the Appalachia areas and that's the truth... and they were the only ones who told me to please come back any time; any time at all... that they didn't want to say good-bye even if they had recovered and no longer needed a nurse. And to, "Please come back because we'll miss you too much" and they were the only people to actually cry and make me cry at the end of the last visit to their homes. So, I really wish people in general wouldn't talk badly about people they never knew and never will know. I have felt very badly about the comments I've read in some "news" sources. (not here) My father taught me that "Narrow minded people reveal more about themselves than anyone else" and, "The more nasty things you say about people, the smaller your mind gets." When people are in pain, I wish the overwhelming thought would be... please be kind and caring and, if that's too much to ask... then say nothing at all.

 

[rsd1200]

This case is why I wondered if KR became angry and vengeful toward his brother and his family. Maybe he didn't feel he was getting his cut, maybe it had been brewing for a long time, and there was a straw that broke the camels back. I've noticed, and I think others have too, that there were very few degrees of separation between at least some of the Rhoden family members, and some pretty, what I'd call, folks maybe having a different type of sensibility. I've always thought along the lines of a sociopath doing the actual acts. KR could have gotten hooked up w/them to take his family out, (explains leaving the babies) but, at the end, it backfires, and the sociopath takes all of the money they were going to split, and KR's life. KR would know the dogs, the homes, may even have keys to all the homes, know the schedules, and probably where cash was stored. The only difference is it backfires on KR and not the person enlisted to help.
http://www.paducahsun.com/PrintPage/032115_PS_Champion-Plotkin

 

[rsd1200]

Here's a different idea, I used to live in Adams Co, my ex was a hunter. Turkey, deer was what he hunted. Everything was planned around hunting season's. He would grow a beard for winter, get all the gear together he planned everything down to the last detail. Weather, time of day (very early in the morning usually still dark). Gun's or bow ready, ammo, knife, etc, he prepared and planned everything. Could the murderers been hunters? It was turkey season and another hunter out there wouldn't look out of place. Just a thought.

Just wondering, did you run across anyone of interest? Just yes or no is fine.

 

[amauet1]

Just wondering, did you run across anyone of interest? Just yes or no is fine.

No sorry just reading all the info about the crime being pre-planned and the way they were executed. People saying they were experts or pro's, got me thinking of a hunter.

 

[amauet1]

This case is why I wondered if KR became angry and vengeful toward his brother and his family. Maybe he didn't feel he was getting his cut, maybe it had been brewing for a long time, and there was a straw that broke the camels back. I've noticed, and I think others have too, that there were very few degrees of separation between at least some of the Rhoden family members, and some pretty, what I'd call, folks maybe having a different type of sensibility. I've always thought along the lines of a sociopath doing the actual acts. KR could have gotten hooked up w/them to take his family out, (explains leaving the babies) but, at the end, it backfires, and the sociopath takes all of the money they were going to split, and KR's life. KR would know the dogs, the homes, may even have keys to all the homes, know the schedules, and probably where cash was stored. The only difference is it backfires on KR and not the person enlisted to help.
http://www.paducahsun.com/PrintPage/032115_PS_Champion-Plotkin

I've always wondered why he lived out there all by himself. I know he went through a divorce and the court records showed he had been arrested for domestic abuse of his ex. I wonder if he was like most of us after a divorce ( me included) and bitter and lost for awhile. Depressive thinking is very hard on a person. It usually snowballs into " nothing is going right in my world and everythings turning upside down" some people in this situation can't face that they are partly resposiable (sp) for the out-come of what happens to them and want to blame everything on someone else, Of course this is JMO.

 

[pepper 34]

The only problem that I have w/that theory is that BJM should be dead w/that theory. She seemed to be more of a Rhoden than a Manley. She was there practically every day at CR1's and she also "cleaned" KR's 5th wheel. Even if she knew nothing, if I were on the outside looking in, I'd have to think that she did and would take no chances that she didn't. If I were murdering that many people, for that reason, BJM would be dead too. If they were just trying to scare BJM, for example, to keep quiet, why kill that many people? Just kill one, BJM, and be done with it.

What a great thought. So true! If this murder was to kill 1 but had to be 8 because the other 7 could be witnesses and would know who did murder #1, then why is Bobby left alive? Who knows what the shared knowledge of the 8 was and yet knew that Bobby was not in on that knowledge? (or was but would never tell) Who could ever know, for sure, that nobody ever told Bobby "something" or even that she could have overheard "something?" Her father claims she was there every day... who can possible know what she knew. Since I don't think Bobby was involved, this leaves me wondering again what the common thread is. This leads me to wonder if it has NOTHING to do with any of the criminal activities in or around Chris's or Kenneth's homes. Thanks, rsd 1200... Now I have to think about rotating alternative theory #68!! Now, somebody else was there every day for awhile, too, and how did the killer(s) know that that person had no knowledge either?

 

[pepper 34]

Possible reasons for shooting KR only once:

They wanted it to look like suicide
They ran out of ammo.
The dog attacked them, and they had to get out (they must really love dogs)
Their feelings for KR made it impossible to inflict more damage
It was an accident

Edit: One more: He was shot by someone else.
Edit2: Or it was suicide and DS/LR (or someone else) messed up the scene.

What do you guys think?

Part of same group and plan but separate assignment for one killer.

 

[pepper 34]

I agree it would be very difficult to kill 8 people in the homes in the dark. But, my mother's home was so familiar to me that, when I was taking care of her, I didn't need the lights on if she was sleeping. (Kept her bedroom door open so I could hear if she called out for anything in the middle of the night.) I would have to leave and feed my animals after she fell asleep for the night and come back and all without waking her... and her bed was about 10 feet from the front door in the first bedroom. Someone may also have known the Rhoden homes like the backs of their hands... all but Dana's which was fairly new for her. So, I'd like to know who was a frequent visitor to Dana's house while it was being prepared for her to move in and after she had moved in. Because I know, if you know a house, you can walk around, no problem, in the dark.

 

[Bucks1]

I agree it would be very difficult to kill 8 people in the homes in the dark. But, my mother's home was so familiar to me that, when I was taking care of her, I didn't need the lights on if she was sleeping. (Kept her bedroom door open so I could hear if she called out for anything in the middle of the night.) I would have to leave and feed my animals after she fell asleep for the night and come back and all without waking her... and her bed was about 10 feet from the front door in the first bedroom. Someone may also have known the Rhoden homes like the backs of their hands... all but Dana's which was fairly new for her. So, I'd like to know who was a frequent visitor to Dana's house while it was being prepared for her to move in and after she had moved in. Because I know, if you know a house, you can walk around, no problem, in the dark.

Yep, that's exactly what I'm getting at. It was someone who was very frequent in the homes. All of them.

 

[rsd1200]

I agree it would be very difficult to kill 8 people in the homes in the dark. But, my mother's home was so familiar to me that, when I was taking care of her, I didn't need the lights on if she was sleeping. (Kept her bedroom door open so I could hear if she called out for anything in the middle of the night.) I would have to leave and feed my animals after she fell asleep for the night and come back and all without waking her... and her bed was about 10 feet from the front door in the first bedroom. Someone may also have known the Rhoden homes like the backs of their hands... all but Dana's which was fairly new for her. So, I'd like to know who was a frequent visitor to Dana's house while it was being prepared for her to move in and after she had moved in. Because I know, if you know a house, you can walk around, no problem, in the dark.

This is so true. I did something similar, when I was young, and never woke a soul. Hadn't thought about that in years! I was a night owl. My entire family never woke up and to this day does not know that I wandered outside, and around the home, in the middle of the night/early morning hours. I was also a sleepwalker and no one ever woke up. We only knew b/c things would be out out of place the next morning. This is why I'm leaning toward KR and a "helper", who probably pulled the trigger, and then ultimately killed KR. KR would know everything.

 

[pepper 34]

This is so true. I did something similar, when I was young, and never woke a soul. Hadn't thought about that in years! I was a night owl. My entire family never woke up and to this day does not know that I wandered outside, and around the home, in the middle of the night/early morning hours. I was also a sleepwalker and no one ever woke up. We only knew b/c things would be out out of place the next morning. This is why I'm leaning toward KR and a "helper", who probably pulled the trigger, and then ultimately killed KR. KR would know everything.

I can see why you would think that and I know the trouble I'm having with it is that the main motivation I've come up with for killing 8 family members is (against TOS to say, for sure) .... well, let me just say that Kenneth wouldn't benefit from my theory of motivation. But, others would. And another reason that holds no water at all is that I don't WANT Kenneth to become a bad guy. (I know... dumb.)
Yes... sneaking out at night is good to bring up because, in my day, my sister and I did the same thing for fun and adventure. We even knew that stair # 3 from the top and stair # 11, second from the bottom, would squeak loudly enough to wake my parents and we had to use the back door because the front door was way too creaky no matter how slowly we tried to open it. When you know a house, you know everything about it. Waiting upstairs above the kitchen to listen for the refrigerator motor to start up was a good time to make a break for it... you just know every little advantage when you know a house.

 

[rsd1200]

I can see why you would think that and I know the trouble I'm having with it is that the main motivation I've come up with for killing 8 family members is (against TOS to say, for sure) .... well, let me just say that Kenneth wouldn't benefit from my theory of motivation. But, others would. And another reason that holds no water at all is that I don't WANT Kenneth to become a bad guy. (I know... dumb.)
Yes... sneaking out at night is good to bring up because, in my day, my sister and I did the same thing for fun and adventure. We even knew that stair # 3 from the top and stair # 11, second from the bottom, would squeak loudly enough to wake my parents and we had to use the back door because the front door was way too creaky no matter how slowly we tried to open it. When you know a house, you know everything about it. Waiting upstairs above the kitchen to listen for the refrigerator motor to start up was a good time to make a break for it... you just know every little advantage when you know a house.

Well, the only reason I'm thinking KR is he'd know where cash would be stored too as a "partner" (albeit maybe a very longtime disgruntled partner) in the mj operation and would have gotten fed up w/being 2nd man. I feel, jmo, that CR1 could have been a bit of a pushier type person and the hotshot of the operation. Maybe GR had brought in new connections (and he had sketchy connections) and was getting more input and more of the cashflow. What started out as two brothers became two brothers, a cousin, and FR, then CR2 started to come into his own. I really don't want it to be GR or KR. But someone knows those houses inside and out. Like you said w/the stairs and the refrigerator. I could go out one window, be gone for hours, and come in another door, (b/c the window was not suitable to come back in through), have to traipse all the way through the house to get back to my room, open interior doors even, and never wake a soul. My main reason for the killing of eight family members would either be revenge possibly for ratting, or CR1 has done something to someone so foul, in their mind, that they've let it eat at them til they could pull this off. He's treated them like dirt one time too many and they've cleansed the earth of him and those who overlooked how he treated them. I've got one other theory, or two, or three, but right now those are on the top of my list.

 

[Lindadanette]

I agree with you, but why didn't they shoot KR multiple times? They would have wanted that crime scene to look like the others, right?

I've had the feeling that KR was the "bank" site - and that CRsr took a lot of shots, and maybe believed the charming liar who told him he'd spare DR and the kids, before CRsr directed him to the money. At that point his only hope would be that KR would hear him/them coming. And he should have. The dogs had to have been barking. Whoever knocked on that door told KR that CRsr had sent him... he was someone who had collected money form CRsr before, but didn't know about the "bank". This still leads me to believe that someone was being paid regularly by CRsr and whoever the collector was is also the person who killed the Rhodens.

 

[rsd1200]

I've had the feeling that KR was the "bank" site - and that CRsr took a lot of shots, and maybe believed the charming liar who told him he'd spare DR and the kids, before CRsr directed him to the money. At that point his only hope would be that KR would hear him/them coming. And he should have. The dogs had to have been barking. Whoever knocked on that door told KR that CRsr had sent him... he was someone who had collected money form CRsr before, but didn't know about the "bank". This still leads me to believe that someone was being paid regularly by CRsr and whoever the collector was is also the person who killed the Rhodens.

We're teetering on the edge of a similar theory. The shooter(s), I think, but for a different reason (I think).

 

[pepper 34]

Reading both good theories from rsd 1200 and Lindadanette and my mind goes either way again...all makes sense because no matter how much thought you put into it, it's not one of those crimes that "invites" too many eliminations. Iow, sometimes you can eliminate certain scenarios because they won't fit... both of these can fit. I'll throw one of mine in there, too. Chris Sr may not have owned all the land but he surely was using and occupying (in a big way) most of it along with his immediate family. Was everyone in the bigger picture of family members agreeable and happy with that? Could somebody have recently discovered what stuff (other than car repair) was going on? I remember early on helicopters filming a lot of LE all around the brown barn at the corner of Dana's home property and I know LE said "1 indoor grow site" but, then LE was peering into a shed out behind Chris's big building, too... and Kenneth supposedly had a tray in his "garage" so I'm not sure I believe LE about the 1 indoor grow site. Maybe some other people would have liked to use the land for simple living on... and maybe THEY had kids, too... and maybe they thought it was time to change circumstances especially in view of how that land was being used. They might have feared the state would take all the property due to illegal activity. "Who do they think they are putting us all in danger of losing what's ours? Why are MY kids struggling and who appointed Chris's kids the only ones to make out on this land deal? Sure, so and so gets to live on the land but only at Chris's say so." ... and then, ... "They're dragging little, innocent kids and babies into it, too. That's the last straw." Anyway... and then there's that aspect of it to consider.
And the original old time yellow house was on the property, too. Many people view "where they came from " as extremely important and sentimental family history and something that most people just don't have. Turning the property into what it had become might be seen as an insult to the whole family in general. Really... from a tiny little starter homestead to, well, a junk yard. I know it would upset me and make me sad.
Why would Kenneth have to die? Because he may have known about or been right in the thick of some big argument going on about all of this. An argument that happened so close to the time of the murders that nobody else HAD time to learn about it yet. Kenneth might just have been sitting on the wrong side of the argument and so he had to go.

 

[amauet1]

Ok, yesterday I was surfing the web and found an old Newsweek article from 2-18-2009, titled " Why Ordinary People Murder their Families" Family Annihilators. (from my notes) 1. Almost always men. 2. Have a profound need for control. The largest number of mass killings in the U.S. occurs in the family. Most are methodical and plan these attacks for months before the murder. Many of these guys have nowhere to turn when they get into trouble and socially isolate themselves. I am not implying anyone, I just thought the satistics where interesting and some might a apply

 

[amauet1]

Reading both good theories from rsd 1200 and Lindadanette and my mind goes either way again...all makes sense because no matter how much thought you put into it, it's not one of those crimes that "invites" too many eliminations. Iow, sometimes you can eliminate certain scenarios because they won't fit... both of these can fit. I'll throw one of mine in there, too. Chris Sr may not have owned all the land but he surely was using and occupying (in a big way) most of it along with his immediate family. Was everyone in the bigger picture of family members agreeable and happy with that? Could somebody have recently discovered what stuff (other than car repair) was going on? I remember early on helicopters filming a lot of LE all around the brown barn at the corner of Dana's home property and I know LE said "1 indoor grow site" but, then LE was peering into a shed out behind Chris's big building, too... and Kenneth supposedly had a tray in his "garage" so I'm not sure I believe LE about the 1 indoor grow site. Maybe some other people would have liked to use the land for simple living on... and maybe THEY had kids, too... and maybe they thought it was time to change circumstances especially in view of how that land was being used. They might have feared the state would take all the property due to illegal activity. "Who do they think they are putting us all in danger of losing what's ours? Why are MY kids struggling and who appointed Chris's kids the only ones to make out on this land deal? Sure, so and so gets to live on the land but only at Chris's say so." ... and then, ... "They're dragging little, innocent kids and babies into it, too. That's the last straw." Anyway... and then there's that aspect of it to consider.
And the original old time yellow house was on the property, too. Many people view "where they came from " as extremely important and sentimental family history and something that most people just don't have. Turning the property into what it had become might be seen as an insult to the whole family in general. Really... from a tiny little starter homestead to, well, a junk yard. I know it would upset me and make me sad.

I like your theory.

 

[sumzero]

Reading both good theories from rsd 1200 and Lindadanette and my mind goes either way again...all makes sense because no matter how much thought you put into it, it's not one of those crimes that "invites" too many eliminations. Iow, sometimes you can eliminate certain scenarios because they won't fit... both of these can fit. I'll throw one of mine in there, too. Chris Sr may not have owned all the land but he surely was using and occupying (in a big way) most of it along with his immediate family. Was everyone in the bigger picture of family members agreeable and happy with that? Could somebody have recently discovered what stuff (other than car repair) was going on? I remember early on helicopters filming a lot of LE all around the brown barn at the corner of Dana's home property and I know LE said "1 indoor grow site" but, then LE was peering into a shed out behind Chris's big building, too... and Kenneth supposedly had a tray in his "garage" so I'm not sure I believe LE about the 1 indoor grow site. Maybe some other people would have liked to use the land for simple living on... and maybe THEY had kids, too... and maybe they thought it was time to change circumstances especially in view of how that land was being used. They might have feared the state would take all the property due to illegal activity. "Who do they think they are putting us all in danger of losing what's ours? Why are MY kids struggling and who appointed Chris's kids the only ones to make out on this land deal? Sure, so and so gets to live on the land but only at Chris's say so." ... and then, ... "They're dragging little, innocent kids and babies into it, too. That's the last straw." Anyway... and then there's that aspect of it to consider.
And the original old time yellow house was on the property, too. Many people view "where they came from " as extremely important and sentimental family history and something that most people just don't have. Turning the property into what it had become might be seen as an insult to the whole family in general. Really... from a tiny little starter homestead to, well, a junk yard. I know it would upset me and make me sad.
Why would Kenneth have to die? Because he may have known about or been right in the thick of some big argument going on about all of this. An argument that happened so close to the time of the murders that nobody else HAD time to learn about it yet. Kenneth might just have been sitting on the wrong side of the argument and so he had to go.

BBM

So, you're basically pointing the finger at a surviving family member? Is that correct? I'm not arguing the point, just trying to clarify what you're getting at. (Also, according to MSM, LE sources confirmed that grow ops were found at three locations. The indoor one had approximately 200 plants. No estimate on how many the others contained.)

 

[GanoGano1]

I have felt there is significance of one gs wound to KR. See it in my head, the scenerio and can never shake it. He was involved with a lot of things, and I feel Kentucky is somehow involved too. Maybe he was trying to escape something there
..
.would explain his paranoia. Maybe he shared it with his family because he needed help. In my brain someone was after him. One gs wound in the end was Almost like eliminating a business partner after he knows the cost of something. IMveryrandomthoughtfilledO

 

[rsd1200]

Reading both good theories from rsd 1200 and Lindadanette and my mind goes either way again...all makes sense because no matter how much thought you put into it, it's not one of those crimes that "invites" too many eliminations. Iow, sometimes you can eliminate certain scenarios because they won't fit... both of these can fit. I'll throw one of mine in there, too. Chris Sr may not have owned all the land but he surely was using and occupying (in a big way) most of it along with his immediate family. Was everyone in the bigger picture of family members agreeable and happy with that? Could somebody have recently discovered what stuff (other than car repair) was going on? I remember early on helicopters filming a lot of LE all around the brown barn at the corner of Dana's home property and I know LE said "1 indoor grow site" but, then LE was peering into a shed out behind Chris's big building, too... and Kenneth supposedly had a tray in his "garage" so I'm not sure I believe LE about the 1 indoor grow site. Maybe some other people would have liked to use the land for simple living on... and maybe THEY had kids, too... and maybe they thought it was time to change circumstances especially in view of how that land was being used. They might have feared the state would take all the property due to illegal activity. "Who do they think they are putting us all in danger of losing what's ours? Why are MY kids struggling and who appointed Chris's kids the only ones to make out on this land deal? Sure, so and so gets to live on the land but only at Chris's say so." ... and then, ... "They're dragging little, innocent kids and babies into it, too. That's the last straw." Anyway... and then there's that aspect of it to consider.
And the original old time yellow house was on the property, too. Many people view "where they came from " as extremely important and sentimental family history and something that most people just don't have. Turning the property into what it had become might be seen as an insult to the whole family in general. Really... from a tiny little starter homestead to, well, a junk yard. I know it would upset me and make me sad.
Why would Kenneth have to die? Because he may have known about or been right in the thick of some big argument going on about all of this. An argument that happened so close to the time of the murders that nobody else HAD time to learn about it yet. Kenneth might just have been sitting on the wrong side of the argument and so he had to go.

I can see that. I am from a region that the "home place" and the family land is seen as very important to a lot of people. Keeping the land in the family. Upset that the home place was sold. Sad it's being trashed. Look what's happened to my family home b/c of... I've heard all of that before. It can create some sore spots w/in a family too. Like I said in the other post, I get the feeling, and I could be wrong, that CR1 was the leader of the pack. He did what CR1 wanted to do. The female siblings basically signed their shares over to him from what I understand but the male children did not. So, that made CR1 have the most shares (iirc). Then he starts running illegal activities on it? Then can plunk down $30g in cash and borrow another $30g to move his ex across the road so they can cozy back up together?! Then there's BJM who for all intents and purposes could have been a Rhoden. Old man Rhoden's obit even mentions her and her two children as "special" and she's now gleaning the benefits from the land. When I talked this theory over w/a couple other family members, they said, this very well could be family against family and have been a long time brewing.