OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue - 4 Wagner Family Members Arrested #84

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/jamespilcher

After 15 minute break, now talking about moving to Alaska. George says he bought a gun no problem once, but then after BCI and Ohio AG put out press release about Wagners he couldn't get a gun. Recalls meeting Beth Armer over dinner at his house.

George says he bought the Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier mask to wear when he rode motorcycles

George testifies the security system at the house was taken down and put over on his grandfather's (Angela's dad) house. Says Grandfather Carter would sell pills for a living illegally. He got robbed and Angela Wagner wanted to put the system there.

Says he gave money to his dad to go get a truck. The next day, he and Chris Rhoden Sr. showed up and Billy left with the different truck (the one supposedly used the night of murders). Says he never got in truck. Says he didn't see it again until fall 2016.

DId you have any idea truck was used? Not until brother's proffer. Says learned brother had pled guilty while he was in jail. Also still didn't believe Jake did it at the time only believed it after he heard proffer.

Once again George denies involvement. Says he never told mother about footprint at crime scene. Says never helped brother in any way. "I was heartbroken and betrayed" when he learned his brother and mother pleaded guilty

Says he doesn't believe that the Rhodens would have been capable of sexually abusing any of the kids including Jake's daughter. Also came home once when his father was naked when his wife was also there.

Says he never saw the shoes purchased at Walmart, never put them on.

Says he doesn't call Jake his brother anymore - ashamed his family has anything to do with this. Has same feeling about his mother.

Now going through the gun list from Jake's phone ... saying he didn't own several under his name

Says he owned more SKS rifles than you can count. But he didn't own one at time of murders. The one found was his brother's - they had fought over it at some point and he let Jake have it.

Says the list is a wish list ... it's the way Jake kept track of what he wanted as well as what he had. Never seen half of what he had on that list.

George says he never knew about Jake building a supressor or silencer. A car alarm is going off in parking lot - turns out it's defense lawyer John Parker's car.

Done with testimony for the day. Jury going home. But two sides will continue entering and arguing prosecution evidence/exhibits here for a while this evenings.

The livestream will be back up in a few on of the evidentiary hearing but we need to take it down for a bit.

 

[Skully67]

Well, what does everyone think?

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/jamespilcher

Done with testimony for the day. Jury going home. But two sides will continue entering and arguing prosecution evidence/exhibits here for a while this evenings.

 

[twall]

Going back to working on admitting evidence now.

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/CFranciscoWCPO

Now, George is talking about Jake and Beth meeting in Alaska.

Before going to Alaska, he stored his guns at his grandma's at the Flying W. He didn't want them in a trailer where they could rust and someone could mess with them.

He described his brother marrying Beth. He described returning to Missouri with the fam to try to find a new home. Plans there were to take his dad back to Flying W. I left the minute I got there. He said he never spent the night in Missouri as Beth testified.

He's looking a photos of his brother. "I always made fun of him for looking like a drug dealer.”

George: My mom wanted a security system on the house at Peterson Rd. That stayed up there 8,9 months. "My grandfather had his house broken into... and my mom wanted it put on his house.”

Someone hit him in the head and took his bag of money and bag of pills. "My grandfather sold pills for a living." "Everybody knew it.”

Now, he is looking at a picture of the truck Jake claims he bought from Uncle Todd to commit the homicides with. George said his dad came in saying he needed to loan Uncle Todd money and was going to buy a truck from him to help.

George said he got money out of gun cabinet, gave it to Billy and assumes he went to buy the truck. He never saw it again until Fall 2016. It was at Flying W because his uncle from Athens Co. drove it down.

Remember, George's cousin said Billy gave the truck to her the day after the homicides. He said he never even knew the truck was used in the homicides until his brother's proffer.

He said he learned his brother's guilty plea when attorney Rick Nash came and told him. "I figured my brother had just gone crazy sitting in jail.”

After the plea, George said he listened to Jake's proffer. "I couldn't understand how my brother would be capable of doing something like this." He said he felt heartbroken and betrayed once he realized it was probably true.

He said hearing his mother testify against him was hard to believe considering she wouldn't even look at him. He sounded like he almost cried saying that. He said he never told his mom that was his footprint at the crime scene or he tried to smudge out footprints.

He said he cannot imagine why they would say the Rhodens were abusing a child. He can't imagine why they would want to kill the Rhodens.

The shoes and picture of mom buying them at Walmart: George said he was in the car. He did not know she was buying shoes to be used in a murder. She never discussed that with him before or after.

The firearms list: "Agent Scheiderer texted it to me." "My understanding was he wanted to know about one of the firearms on it... a Colt 1911/22." He did not own one. He did not know his brother owned one.

he said his brother was a gun fanatic and liked trying to build silencers.

wrapped for the day. returning tomorrow with George on the stand. His attorneys are not done questioning him

 

[justtrish]

Wow, I can't believe I'm watching this

He is lying through his teeth

JMO

I have a word for what I think of George and it's in the DSM-5. Just my opinion and I'm certainly not a psychiatrist, but I am curious if George has ever been evaluated by one. I think there is something going on with each of the W's, but watching him, it really is disturbing.

 

[twall]

Disturbing is coming home to find BW naked in front of the refrigerator and your wife in the bathroom. I would of hauled azz out of there and never looked back!

 

[Skully67]

I would expect his testimony to contradict JW and AW, but BA about sleeping in the hotel? Why would she make that up? Maybe he only took a catnip and BA thought it was longer then a nap. Perception.

 

[twall]

George: My mom wanted a security system on the house at Peterson Rd. That stayed up there 8,9 months. "My grandfather had his house broken into... and my mom wanted it put on his house.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
He never said why the security system was removed and DVR burned did he? My daughter came home and was talking to me for a bit so did I miss that?

 

[Betty P]

Parker’s car is beeping? OBJECTION! INTERFERENCE!

He's using every trick in the book to cause a distraction in the courtroom, isn't he? Next time, he'll have Nash jump up and yell "FIRE"

 

[pittsburghgirl]

only I could have missed the second-best day of trial, best day will be cross, I hope Wilson does cross not Canepa

Me too. I'm on the road.

 

[dgfred]

Didn't know shoes were bought at WalMart... right.

It wasn't like she bought a bunch of stuff. Was he asleep in the car?

 

[arielilane]

His mother was present for the thefts "99% of the time," and he and his brother were there from a young age, he told the jury.

LIVE: Pike County murder trial: George Wagner IV testifies in own defense

They burned the homes by sticking newspaper under the fuse box, he said, and Angela taught Billy how to do it and, later, her sons.

 

[Betty P]

George: My mom wanted a security system on the house at Peterson Rd. That stayed up there 8,9 months. "My grandfather had his house broken into... and my mom wanted it put on his house.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
He never said why the security system was removed and DVR burned did he? My daughter came home and was talking to me for a bit so did I miss that?

Crazy. Like her dad would have allowed her to record footage of his drug sales in the driveway. That would have gotten her dad killed really quick.

This seemed like a story GW4 could tell to throw his mom under the bus again. He and Parker have meticulously gone over every bit of incriminating evidence and witness testimony and twisted it around to make GW4 look like the innocent victim.

Very obvious ploy, but I think P&N are just trying to sow confusion in the minds of the jurors. The state had just finished presenting all their evidence & witness testimony. They had all the evidence cards organized and stacked in order. P&N just came in and scattered them all over the floor.

 

[dgfred]

Still, no matter what he claims there is absolutely no reason for AW and JW to throw him in on the killings if he was not involved. There just isn't any.

 

[Betty P]

His mother was present for the thefts "99% of the time," and he and his brother were there from a young age, he told the jury.

LIVE: Pike County murder trial: George Wagner IV testifies in own defense

They burned the homes by sticking newspaper under the fuse box, he said, and Angela taught Billy how to do it and, later, her sons.

He's really throwing her under the bus, big time. Freud would have a field day with this.

 

[Tillicum]

Well that was a painful waste of my day. Did anyone see G4 look towards the jury? It seemed to me he was focused on Parker the entire time.

 

[justtrish]

Crazy. Like her dad would have allowed her to record footage of his drug sales in the driveway. That would have gotten her dad killed really quick.

This seemed like a story GW4 could tell to throw his mom under the bus again. He and Parker have meticulously gone over every bit of incriminating evidence and witness testimony and twisted it around to make GW4 look like the innocent victim.

Very obvious ploy, but I think P&N are just trying to sow confusion in the minds of the jurors. The state had just finished presenting all their evidence & witness testimony. They had all the evidence cards organized and stacked in order. P&N just came in and scattered them all over the floor.

@Betty P didn't they have a receipt for the security system that had the warranty included? It was not bought 8 or 9 months before the murders.. I recall it being from early 2016? Remember the second Walmart receipt? I only recall it being a big deal because they purchased the extended plan for it and then didn't return it, it was found burnt up.

 

[Cool Cats]

I would expect his testimony to contradict JW and AW, but BA about sleeping in the hotel? Why would she make that up? Maybe he only took a catnip and BA thought it was longer then a nap. Perception.

I think it is normal for people to remember things differently. Been a long time, from 2017, 5 years. So some discrepancy is expected. Actually, when cops interview suspects they get suspicious when their stories match identically.
Even people who witness crimes give different versions.

 

[dgfred]

He most likely should not have got on the stand. Today was useless for him IMO.