OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue - 4 Members Wagner Family Arrested #73

[Chelly]

Evan Millward

@EvanMillward
·
29m

PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: Judge Deering explains yesterday's abrupt adjournment - says a juror had a family issue that needed dealt w/ in timely manner. Decided to end early rather than excuse juror. It is resolved, so biz as usual. Suzanne Elliott up - but opted out of broadcast
@WCPO

 

[MyTinkieGirl]

But evidence of absence is not the legal standard for a criminal trial. Perhaps it is in drug testing or when looking for black holes, but not criminal trials. Evidence of absence truly should result in an acquittal. The defendant does not need to prove they are there

I believe it's more about a circumstantial criminal case. Putting together all the pieces in an understandable and believable sequence most definitely will/has led to convictions. I'm guessing sometimes they gotta work with what they got.
I'm not anything close to a legal expert and this is just in my opinion. There's these little things Nancy Grace would say so often they just get tattooed on your brain. LOL
There was also "premeditation can happen in the twinkling of an eye". Glasses, sometimes forget on my face. Nancy Grace-isms, forever. LOL

 

[TwoBlueJays]

I believe it's more about a circumstantial criminal case. Putting together all the pieces in an understandable and believable sequence most definitely will/has led to convictions. I'm guessing sometimes they gotta work with what they got.
I'm not anything close to a legal expert and this is just in my opinion. There's these little things Nancy Grace would say so often they just get tattooed on your brain. LOL
There was also "premeditation can happen in the twinkling of an eye". Glasses, sometimes forget on my face. Nancy Grace-isms, forever. LOL

But evidence of absence is not the legal standard for a criminal trial. Perhaps it is in drug testing or when looking for black holes, but not criminal trials. Evidence of absence truly should result in an acquittal. The defendant does not need to prove they are there

I do wonder if I was on the jury, as I sit through the evidence and testimonies, whether I would think that GW was of course involved - because his entire family was involved and with their dynamic, he would have been complicit if not directly involved. He isn't some random person or distant relative. Intent is a huge part of this.

 

[Betty P]

I do wonder if I was on the jury, as I sit through the evidence and testimonies, whether I would think that GW was of course involved - because his entire family was involved and with their dynamic, he would have been complicit if not directly involved. He isn't some random person or distant relative. Intent is a huge part of this.

We're still at the early stages of hearing all the evidence. There will be more evidence to connect the family and GW4 to the crime. For those who haven't followed the case closely in recent years you can expect to hear about:

• More ballistics evidence - state has the weapons used in the murders. Experts have already described ballistics evidence retrieved from victims and the crime scene
• Digital evidence - a mountain of texts, messages, photos, locations, social media, etc. before, during and after the murders by the killers
• Audio recordings from phone calls and wire taps inside the family home and the trucks driven by Jake and George. These may include family meetings
• Video evidence and financial transactions related to the purchase of equipment, supplies, etc. for carrying out the murders
• Full confessions from two of the 4 Wagner family members - not much of the contents have been revealed and the rumor mill has exaggerated quite a bit about those confessions.

We're just getting started on the evidence. Just because there was no killer DNA at the crime scenes doesn't mean there isn't a lot of evidence. It's just that a trial with 8 victims and 4 crime scenes and 3 shooters with 3 weapons takes a while to explain.

There's a mountain of evidence, be patient, ignore rumors, ask for links.

ETA: We're also just getting started on shoeprint evidence. It's more valid than you might think.

 

[justtrish]

We're still at the early stages of hearing all the evidence. There will be more evidence to connect the family and GW4 to the crime. For those who haven't followed the case closely in recent years you can expect to hear about:

• More ballistics evidence - state has the weapons used in the murders. Experts have already described ballistics evidence retrieved from victims and the crime scene
• Digital evidence - a mountain of texts, messages, photos, locations, social media, etc. before, during and after the murders by the killers
• Audio recordings from phone calls and wire taps inside the family home and the trucks driven by Jake and George. These may include family meetings
• Video evidence and financial transactions related to the purchase of equipment, supplies, etc. for carrying out the murders
• Full confessions from two of the 4 Wagner family members - not much of the contents have been revealed and the rumor mill has exaggerated quite a bit of those confessions.

We're just getting started on the evidence. Just because there was no killer DNA at the crime scenes doesn't mean there isn't a lot of evidence. It's just that a trial with 8 victims and 4 crime scenes and 3 shooters with 3 weapons takes a while to explain.

There's a mountain of evidence, be patient, ignore rumors, ask for links.

So true! We haven't even gotten into their investigation part yet, just how the victims were found, how they processed the crime scene. They received so many tips and interviewed so many people that lead to other leads and then other evidence. In a "normal" trial of just one or two victims, this part would have been done in a few days, but with so many victims and 4 different scenes they had to go over it all chronologically and methodically. This was important for the jury to understand before they start hearing the rest of it.

 

[Niner]

I know this first one was posted - but adding the picture!

Evan Millward
@EvanMillward
·
1h
PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: Judge Deering explains yesterday's abrupt adjournment - says a juror had a family issue that needed dealt w/ in timely manner. Decided to end early rather than excuse juror. It is resolved, so biz as usual.

Suzanne Elliott up - but opted out of broadcast



Elliott is a BCI shoe print expert and testified yesterday about the Walmart shoes that matched a print taken from Scene 1 (Chris Sr's trailer).

I cannot be in court in Waverly this week - but @JoyCourtTV
is there.


link: https://twitter.com/evanmillward


Well I went to Joy at CourtTV - and she has not yet posted anything about the trial - yet. So I will check on her later.


I did find this good article about Elliott's testimony from yesterday.

Pike County murder trial: Bloody shoe prints, surveillance footage and cell phone records are focus

Ohio BCI shoeprint expert Suzanne Elliott will re-take the witness stand to continue her testimony about footprints found by investigators as the trial of George Wagner IV continues.

www.wcpo.com

 

[Betty P]

I know this first one was posted - but adding the picture!

Evan Millward
@EvanMillward
·
1h
PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: Judge Deering explains yesterday's abrupt adjournment - says a juror had a family issue that needed dealt w/ in timely manner. Decided to end early rather than excuse juror. It is resolved, so biz as usual.

Suzanne Elliott up - but opted out of broadcast

View attachment 369477

Elliott is a BCI shoe print expert and testified yesterday about the Walmart shoes that matched a print taken from Scene 1 (Chris Sr's trailer).

I cannot be in court in Waverly this week - but @JoyCourtTV
is there.


link: https://twitter.com/evanmillward


Well I went to Joy at CourtTV - and she has not yet posted anything about the trial - yet. So I will check on her later.


I did find this good article about Elliott's testimony from yesterday.

Pike County murder trial: Bloody shoe prints, surveillance footage and cell phone records are focus

Ohio BCI shoeprint expert Suzanne Elliott will re-take the witness stand to continue her testimony about footprints found by investigators as the trial of George Wagner IV continues.

www.wcpo.com

From the article:

"Two shoe prints, found in blood amid drag marks in the kitchen of the first scene, were collected by BCI agent Shane Hanshaw in 2016. Matches could not be made between the prints found and any shoe patterns loaded into the BCI database, so Elliott said she went shopping.

She found the print pattern at a Walmart, on a pair of cheap shoes with velcro fasteners and, after checking different sizes, determined the prints were made by sizes 10.5 and 11. Both prints were from a left shoe, she said.

During opening statements, Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa said investigators found a receipt for two pairs of the exact same shoe inside a plastic storage bin when they executed a search warrant on property owned by the Wagner family."

 

[twall]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575136336259973121

 

[iulia]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575135354381803521

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575135357632389120

 

[24Roses]

IMO-morning break is just over now and they are about to cross examine Suzanne E. It just flashed on You Tube Law and Crime for a few seconds.

 

[iulia]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575135485378404355

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575134988047192064

 

[justtrish]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575135354381803521

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575135357632389120

Thanks for posting these! I really want to hear the cross. Curious if they are going to go hard at this witness or try to downplay it by not going too hard. If there client wasn't there, then does it even matter if a size 11 and 10.5 are there?

 

[Chingaling]

They already caught him in two lies. One the BCI investigator said it was highly unlikely anyone crawled through the window at Frankies given the tiny space without kicking over that trash can of feed or the tub of feed or tripping on electric wires or some kind of toy. AC tried to get the BCI Agent to admit it was possible on re direct but the agent wouldn't budge off that highly unlikely. She finally gave up on it.

The second is when he said Hannah turned her head to look at him but didn't recognize him before he killed her. The coroner said she was lying on her side maybe nursing and was shot twice in the back of the head. No way she was looking at him or she would have been shot in the face. AC tried to cover it by bringing up something about her head lying or falling back on a bar on the headboard of the bed after she was shot. The coroner admitted that could cause that white mark on the back of Hannahs head but would not commit or move off Hannah lying on her side and being shot in the back of the head or say her body was repositioned after death so the baby could nurse. So that means Jake lied about Hannah waking up, seeing him before he shot her, and repositioning her body so the baby could nurse.

Jake just said that to make himself look like a kind hearted cowboy in a Willie Nelson song who loves babies, warm puppies and girls of the night. He wanted to make it look like he was really just a good guy who loves babies and didn't want the baby to go hungry. I call BS because JM testified he heard little KR crying, probably from hunger.

JMO

Right. And I guess my issue is taking this to trial with lies imbedded with a little truth. I was a big fan of AC, but this has tainted my view of her.

 

[TwoBlueJays]

We're still at the early stages of hearing all the evidence. There will be more evidence to connect the family and GW4 to the crime. For those who haven't followed the case closely in recent years you can expect to hear about:

• More ballistics evidence - state has the weapons used in the murders. Experts have already described ballistics evidence retrieved from victims and the crime scene
• Digital evidence - a mountain of texts, messages, photos, locations, social media, etc. before, during and after the murders by the killers
• Audio recordings from phone calls and wire taps inside the family home and the trucks driven by Jake and George. These may include family meetings
• Video evidence and financial transactions related to the purchase of equipment, supplies, etc. for carrying out the murders
• Full confessions from two of the 4 Wagner family members - not much of the contents have been revealed and the rumor mill has exaggerated quite a bit about those confessions.

We're just getting started on the evidence. Just because there was no killer DNA at the crime scenes doesn't mean there isn't a lot of evidence. It's just that a trial with 8 victims and 4 crime scenes and 3 shooters with 3 weapons takes a while to explain.

There's a mountain of evidence, be patient, ignore rumors, ask for links.

ETA: We're also just getting started on shoeprint evidence. It's more valid than you might think.

Thank you for listing the upcoming evidence. I live west of Waverly, and it's fascinating to watch the trial. I'd add that it's not wrong to think that people choose to hide their identities for fear of retaliation. 'Hillbilly Mafia' is a thing. 'Justified' isn't just a tv show for many in southern Ohio.

 

[sunshineray]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575135485378404355

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575134988047192064

Do we know what size shoe GWII wears?

 

[Chelly]

@iulia @twall @Niner and everyone else posting tweet reporting: Thank you all so very much for providing news and information.

 

[Chelly]

Thank you for listing the upcoming evidence. I live west of Waverly, and it's fascinating to watch the trial. I'd add that it's not wrong to think that people choose to hide their identities for fear of retaliation. 'Hillbilly Mafia' is a thing. 'Justified' isn't just a tv show for many in southern Ohio.

Thanks @TwoBlueJays for sharing this with us. It's great to have input from a local.I am beginning to understand why LE and BCI opted-out of appearing on camera in court.
(big fan of "Justified" tv show)

 

[24Roses]

Court is back live. Julia Eveslage is testifying.She is a BCI crime analyst and phone records expert. Here are 2 links.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=459391842822867

 

[twall]

Going over CR Sr. phone activity for night of 4/21/16. This witness is a speed talker!

 

[Chelly]

Edited my message as I just read the post that said the shoe print at murder scene #1 also matched the shoe print found at Dana Rhoden's murder scene. ( #3. ). Question answered.
Chris Graves

@chrisgraves


Elliott testified that she went back in 2018 to amended earlier (minor) errors to her reports. Big take-away today was size 11 impression left from Walmart shoe at Chris Rhoden Sr. Trailer same as one discovered at Dana Rhoden’s trailer.