OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue - 4 Members Wagner Family Arrested #80

[Skully67]

Am I missing something today? I don't see any tweets from media from morning session. <shrug>

Try Todd dykes, c francisco

 

[Betty P]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1585315589299412993

Quick recap of morning in George Wagner IV trial in Pike Co. Was in courtroom all morning with no phone. Judge ruled Jake could continue to opt out in morning hearing. Later the appeals court clarified its ruling from yesterday, saying people could continue to opt out
@local12

Jake retook the stand at about 10:30 a.m. and testified for 20 minutes before another delay - the fire marshall was called for possible overcrowding in the courtroom. Proceedings continued until 12:30 - and back at 1:45 p.m.
@local12

Highlights of today included seeing the actual murder weapons for the first time. Jake identified all the parts from all three guns he had cut up and that were recovered from the cement buckets in lake at Flying W ranch.
@local12

Jake testified he told his father he had no regrets about the homicides but that he lied because he didn't want his father to think he did something that wasn't worth it and then commit suicide.
@local12

He said he was arrested in November 2018. Soon after that, his grandmother Rita Newcomb recanted and admitted she didn't notarize the custody documents. He said that affected him and made him not want to lie anymore.
@local12
"It seemed like it was the answer I was looking for -- that it was an answer from God?" prosecutor asked. "It was what I was praying for." Rita had pleaded guilty in December 2019 - shortly thereafter, Jake confessed to his lawyers "to get it off my chest."
@local12

 

[Betty P]

Jake's lawyers eventually approached prosecution about possible deal - that was reached in March/April 2021. He actually entered his plea April 21, 2021 - the five year anniversary of the murders.
@local12

Jake told investigators where to find the murder weapons and then the truck they used - he knew his father had given it to his cousin Katie in Athens Ohio.
@local12

Items in those concrete buckets included not only the guns and parts, but live ammo for .40 caliber Glock, as well as 9 mm - the kind he used in the Beretta when he test fired the silencer that ruined that gun.
https://twitter.com/jamespilcher
https://twitter.com/jamespilcher
@jamespilcher
·
13m

Replying to
@jamespilcher
There was also a lot of discussion about what the two brothers talked about in the R&L truck we know was bugged. Jake admitted saying "I know you're listening Ryan" in the truck referring to lead BCI agent Ryan Scheiderer
@local12
He also recounted brother George getting a text from BCI with the picture of Jake holding the 1911 they recovered from the laptop. They then immediately called off work "for a family emergency."
@Local12

ETA: Sorry for the messiness, I'm not practiced at copy/paste from Twitter

 

[sunshineray]

There won’t be a mistrial over the option in or out. It has zero to do with the case being tried. Like Deering said, they don’t know who will be called until the last minute in some cases, then they don’t know if the witness will opt out till the last minute. They would have to stop the regular trial for a separate hearing each time a witness opts out. The trial would take forever to get finished with all that going on. He also said it was a state mandate, not his mandate, that people could opt out….

But a witness, like JW, who comes to testify thinking they won't be on camera or audio will be too traumatized when they find out they can't opted out to testify correctly and the ones who are inmates may feel it puts them in more peril back at their jailhouse digs.

Exceptions to not being able to opted out would of course be undercover LE and such. They would all need a hearing first though.

I'm being facetious at the beginning, if it wasn't obvious.

 

[Cool Cats]

He was sticking to it until JW's lawyer mentioned his safety in prison being put in peril, then the prosecution got up and said they agreed with that and we can call witness(es) to testify to that...judge said ok, they did called one prison guard who basically said, yeah "snitches get stitches"...that's all it took...ridiculous, IMO

HA! So Jake is already pegged as a snitch in jail. Looks like it will be worse in prison. Probably be stuck in solitary confinement for his own safety. He turned on his family is how the inmates see him.

 

[Skully67]

Angenette Levy has posted

 

[sunshineray]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1585315589299412993

Quick recap of morning in George Wagner IV trial in Pike Co. Was in courtroom all morning with no phone. Judge ruled Jake could continue to opt out in morning hearing. Later the appeals court clarified its ruling from yesterday, saying people could continue to opt out
@local12

Jake retook the stand at about 10:30 a.m. and testified for 20 minutes before another delay - the fire marshall was called for possible overcrowding in the courtroom. Proceedings continued until 12:30 - and back at 1:45 p.m.
@local12

Highlights of today included seeing the actual murder weapons for the first time. Jake identified all the parts from all three guns he had cut up and that were recovered from the cement buckets in lake at Flying W ranch.
@local12

Jake testified he told his father he had no regrets about the homicides but that he lied because he didn't want his father to think he did something that wasn't worth it and then commit suicide.
@local12

He said he was arrested in November 2018. Soon after that, his grandmother Rita Newcomb recanted and admitted she didn't notarize the custody documents. He said that affected him and made him not want to lie anymore.
@local12
"It seemed like it was the answer I was looking for -- that it was an answer from God?" prosecutor asked. "It was what I was praying for." Rita had pleaded guilty in December 2019 - shortly thereafter, Jake confessed to his lawyers "to get it off my chest."
@local12

Must he all those reporters coming and going, there's no empty seats for them to sit in the back rows, which is how the judge ordered it done...if you got out and come back in you must sit in the back rows

"Jake retook the stand at about 10:30 a.m. and testified for 20 minutes before another delay - the fire marshall was called for possible overcrowding in the courtroom. Proceedings continued until 12:30 - and back at 1:45 p.m."

 

[Betty P]

Must he all those reporters coming and going, there's no empty seats for them to sit in the back rows, which is how the judge ordered it done...if you got out and come back in you must sit in the back rows

"Jake retook the stand at about 10:30 a.m. and testified for 20 minutes before another delay - the fire marshall was called for possible overcrowding in the courtroom. Proceedings continued until 12:30 - and back at 1:45 p.m."

It's a small, old courtroom in a very poor county. I wonder if there's a way they can allow them back in by watching from the satellite room they have set up downstairs with a live feed that includes the witness testifying.

ETA: I always notice when they pan the camera up to the ceiling - those chandeliers are antique "gasoliers", gaslight fixtures converted to electric lights. Those are antique "Eastlake" fixtures from around the Victorian era. I did a google search and each one of those is probably worth $10,000 to $20,000. Pretty rare.

Antique Lighthouse - UNIQUE 12-arm gasolier, Eastlake based

FULLY RESTORED. Fantastic and unique high-Victorian American gilt-brass gas chandelier, yet based off of Eastlake styling. A very rare piece, probably one-of-a-kind in the world, it has twelve gas ar

www.antiquelighthouse.com

 

[Pru2U]

I can help. I see Betty P got James Pilchner.

Courtney hasn't posted in an hour, she ended with Jake/Billy no regrets conversation. Was that posted here earlier? When was last update (prior to Betty P?)

 

[arielilane]

@arielilane - just checking with you - can you do Friday's tweets, since there is no court tomorrow, as far as I know. I can do morning ones - the afternoons are way too late for me! I'm old! LOL!

I'm back online now. Yes, will do Friday tweets. No court on Thursday. Will start to gather all tweets for today unless you have already done so. Need a bit of time. Will finish out the day with pm tweets.

 

[sunshineray]

It's a small, old courtroom in a very poor county. I wonder if there's a way they can allow them back in by watching from the satellite room they have set up upstairs with a live feed that includes the witness testifying.

Yep, I could tell when judge was saying, ok but anyone who leaves and comes back in has to sit in the back rows so they don't disturb proceedings. They showed the people in the back rows leaning forward and looking around their rows, then looking at one another shaking their heads like, well I don't know where he's thinking they're gonna sit, I'm not giving them my seat.

I'm sure that led to standing in the back and somebody called the fire marshal, AJMO

 

[CIA Team Member]

There's a simple solution to all this, a compromise. What's the difference between pen and paper in the courtroom or write only tablets (like the old Kindles were capable of) connected to wifi in the courtroom? Absolutely no difference in this day and age.

It actually would get rid of the need for reporters to leave and come back in problem. Why isn't this being discussed as an option? It's so simple a solution. No camera, no audio, just words being published FROM the courtroom in real time. Are they afraid the public will know every single thing that's said and done?
AJMO

IMO, America's courts are archaic. The states need to revisit what "testifying in public/open court consists of. We here online ARE the public.

But, why should we be required to be "in-person" to hear live testimony? THIS is truly the subject at hand here.

Should this case end up with SCOTUS it would upend our entire legal system as it stands now (if SCOTUS refers the case to the full court.) Of course there should be exceptions. JW and AW are not secretive/whistleblowers, some LE who require protection, they're convicted felons.

JMO's.

 

[Betty P]

I can help. I see Betty P got James Pilchner.

Courtney hasn't posted in an hour, she ended with Jake/Billy no regrets conversation. Was that posted here earlier? When was last update (prior to Betty P?)

I think they just started reporting again about half hour ago, due to lunch break.

 

[Pru2U]

I'm back online now. Yes, will do Friday tweets. No court on Thursday. Will start to gather all tweets for today unless you have already done so. Need a bit of time. Will finish out the day with pm tweets.
[/QUOTE


@arielilane
I've got Todd Dykes pulled up now & will post it & let you finish the rest.

 

[sunshineray]

IMO, America's courts are archaic. The states need to revisit what "testifying in public/open court consists of. We here online ARE the public.

But, why should we be required to be "in-person" to hear live testimony? THIS is truly the subject at hand here.

Should this case end up with SCOTUS it would upend our entire legal system as it stands now (if SCOTUS refers the case to the full court.) Of course there should be exceptions. JW and AW are not secretive/whistleblowers, some LE who require protection, they're convicted felons.

JMO's.

Yes and everywhere, every courthouse must have wifi, it's really a no-brainer to me, lets them transcribe in real time on tablets over wifi.

 

[arielilane]

Here are the remainder of Courtney's am tweets. Courtney's earlier tweets can be found on this thread's previous pages.

https://twitter.com/CFranciscoWCPO

Jake still on the stand. We expect a break soon. He started by saying he knew his mother and grandmother had gone to the sheriff's office to give handwriting samples due to the forged custody documents in which Angela used Rita's notary.

He said George was with the family as they all discussed the handwriting sample subpoena.

He recalled a time he said his dad asked if he regretted the homicides. "I had told him that I did not," said Jake. Jake said he did, actually, regret it. So, prosecutor asked why he said that. Jake said, "To make him feel better.”

Jake said, "I felt that if I told him that I believed it could have gone differently, it could cause him to have more insecurities about what he had done.”

 

[Skully67]

IMO, America's courts are archaic. The states need to revisit what "testifying in public/open court consists of. We here online ARE the public.

But, why should we be required to be "in-person" to hear live testimony? THIS is truly the subject at hand here.

Should this case end up with SCOTUS it would upend our entire legal system as it stands now (if SCOTUS refers the case to the full court.) Of course there should be exceptions. JW and AW are not secretive/whistleblowers, some LE who require protection, they're convicted felons.

JMO's.

I don't think the US Supreme Court allows video. I don't know about audio.

 

[iridized]

It's a small, old courtroom in a very poor county. I wonder if there's a way they can allow them back in by watching from the satellite room they have set up downstairs with a live feed that includes the witness testifying.

ETA: I always notice when they pan the camera up to the ceiling - those chandeliers are antique "gasoliers", gaslight fixtures converted to electric lights. Those are antique "Eastlake" fixtures from around the Victorian era. I did a google search and each one of those is probably worth $10,000 to $20,000. Pretty rare.

Antique Lighthouse - UNIQUE 12-arm gasolier, Eastlake based

FULLY RESTORED. Fantastic and unique high-Victorian American gilt-brass gas chandelier, yet based off of Eastlake styling. A very rare piece, probably one-of-a-kind in the world, it has twelve gas ar

www.antiquelighthouse.com

Is there an elevator in that building? If not, how do they provide accessibility to those not ambulatory? Surely they are ADA compliant. Then again, perhaps not.

 

[Niner]

I'm back online now. Yes, will do Friday tweets. No court on Thursday. Will start to gather all tweets for today unless you have already done so. Need a bit of time. Will finish out the day with pm tweets.

Check Betty P's posts 425 & 426 - she did some of James - do not want you to repeat! And okay on you doing the Friday tweets! Thanks!

 

[Pru2U]

Todd Dykes WLWT

Jurors just went to lunch. Toward the end of the morning session, Jake said it was his maternal grandmother's decision to confess to her role in forged custody documents that prompted Jake to do the same.

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Todd Dykes
@ToddDykesWLWT
·
1h
Replying to
@ToddDykesWLWT
After Rita Necomb (Angela Wagner's mom & Jake's grandmother) came forward, Jake Wagner said, "To me, it felt like it was the answer I was looking for at the time.. an answer from God."

Jake shared the regret he felt about the #PikeCountyMassacre during a brief convo w/ his dad, co-defendant Billy Wagner. Jake said he told Billy he "did not" feel regret, which Jake said today was not true. He said he told his dad this b/c he worried about Billy being suicidal.

Jurors also saw, for the first time, the weapons used when Jake says he and his family executed a plan to kill 8 members of the Rhoden family in April 2016.
I'll post images the jury saw - of the murder weapons - momentarily. My ace videographer
@VideomikeWLWT
is editing them as I type.

ALSO OF NOTE: Jake Wagner described being taught (pre-homicides) how to evade law enforcement when he & his family committed crimes. He said he was taught to be "respectful" of police but that he "was to hide something, to hide it plain sight."
·
1h
PERSONAL OBSERVATION: One of the strangest things I've deduced from Jake Wagner's testimony is how little it appears all 4 Wagner co-defendants talked about the #PikeCountyMassacre after it happened. Jake said they talked about the investigation, but that seemed to be about it (save for a few conversations here and there, like the one I mentioned a short time age between Jake & his dad Billy).. Talk about compartmentalization. #WLWT #PikeCountyMassacre