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

[CIA Team Member]

I'm disappointed.

So many things left out, so many questions not asked, so many lies unchallenged, so many opportunities to push George off his feet, all just slipped away.

Where art thou, Clark?

Same.

I'm very disappointed. This morning I was SURE Canepa would continue through most of tomorrow.

 

[Chelly]

George is keeping his cool. I thought Canapa would have been tough on him.

I think Prosecutor Wilson would have done a much stronger cross examination.

 

[CIA Team Member]

Unlike Wilson, AC doesn't seem to think well on her feet. The time between questions allowed 4 to recover his composure. Imo.

He's an excellent facilitator, orator.

 

[justtrish]

I think what was most telling though was when she confronted him about the many lies he told and he had no answer, didn't recall, or he might have said that but didn't remember it, and he didn't recall telling someone something, it's possible, but his memory isn't good, etc. Every question that could expose a lie about the murders, he just didn't remember OR his actions were a result of the BCI falsely accusing his family or framing them. He told people not to talk to BCI, of course because BCI was creating an elaborate plot to frame his family.

He recalled the 5 exact trucks, including color that he dissembled and knew would be reported stolen for $$. He remembered weapons he bought and got rid of and admitted he bought sold 1000s and even kept an assortment in his truck at all times just in case he found one that he wanted more than one he had and other very specific things, but just didn't recall being with his brother when he bought a gun used in the murders.

He sure was so paranoid about BCI for a guy that was never once caught for all the crimes he had been committing for YEARS. His dad and mom only caught a couple times for all the crimes they committed, his brother never arrested for any of the crimes he was committing. Yet BCI/LE is some scary agency that is out framing innocent people and just accusing people for no reason.

 

[Penelope Pitstop]

I think the state needs to call Silas Wagner and Bobby Wagner. They should play the border interview to highlight every lie he told.

I still think they should have pushed him harder when they were talking about molesting kids. He was pretty riled up and then went on for a bit. You can tell it gets under his skin and I don't believe for a minute he didn't know his family suspected Hannah of being too relaxed about this molestation stuff. He went on about how she thought it was okay and we got to see a glimpse of his true self in that moment. Yet at the beginning he stated he never knew there was any issues with the Rhodens or that his family thought anything was happening to Sophia.

He didn't answer her question about what if he came in there and lied. He completely avoided it and answered some other question she didn't ask.

The state hadn’t actually tested yet have they? Plus they should be able to have rebuttal- maybe they plan to play the Border Interview with George since they put him on the stand

 

[FrankieT]

So what happened to the story that he went along to save Jake from Billy? Did I dream that?

 

[Chelly]

There is no way AC is delivering a strong cross examination. She's reading off a list of questions and not delving further into GW4's answers. IMO there have been plenty of times, she could have challenged his responses, but did not. She is not demonstrating much confidence questioning GW4.... just stating an opinion.

 

[Betty P]

He tried to distance himself from his family on the witness stand but his actions spoke louder than his words. With 2 of the 4 saying he was involved, that's some powerful testimony he needs to overcome.

Plus, he kept contradicting himself and his former statements when he tried to distance himself. He was caught in a LOT of lies today.

 

[justtrish]

He tried to distance himself from his family on the witness stand but his actions spoke louder than his words. With 2 of the 4 saying he was involved, that's some powerful testimony he needs to overcome.

He (or his attorneys) try to suggest he was different, he wanted away, he didn't like how they were, etc. Then the state showed over and over again, that he continued to choose to live with them, tell others they were close, put his family before anyone/anything else, and didn't in fact separate himself from them in any way.

All the things he said was because he thought they were being framed. I mean come on. You threated LE because you are afraid you are being framed. You need to rush home from your job because you're afraid you are being framed, you need to get your mom the best lawyer because you are afraid you are being framed, you can't fly home for a funeral because your lawyer said BCI could plant evidence. I'm sure there was more, but each time something didn't line up or he looked bad for something he said or did, he claims it was all because he thought they were being wrongly accused. He had no reasonable answer for each thing they called him out on so that was the excuse.

At least his brother owned up to what he did.

IF the jury believes he was involved, the stunt on the stand might be what gets him the DP instead of LWOP. I think it's one thing for a person to allow their lawyers to defend him and another thing entirely to get on the stand and lie about our involvement.

Everyone else is mistaken, outright lying, misremembering, or just trying to frame his family. That all sounds more believable than he himself was involved, his brother was trying to save all of their lives, and BCI was doing their job.

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/jamespilcher

Said he didn't see his dad leave or come back in the morning (that's when Billy went and dropped off the truck early in the morning to his niece Katy in Athens County) says he didn't know he left that morning.

Canepa done with cross examination. Back to redirect.

Parker - did you have anything to do with this? No under god? No. Are you telling the truth? Yes. Canepa on re-cross: What happens to you if come in admit slaughtering eight innocent people? G: What happens to anybody is that they should have death given to them.

That's it for George's testimony. We're now waiting to find out what's next as prosecution has yet to officially rest its case because of all the evidence needing to be introduced.

Edited to include a few more of James' tweets.

Canepa on re-cross: "What happens to you if come in admit slaughtering eight innocent people? G: What happens to anybody is that they should have death given to them."

MOO, interesting that GW4 unable to answer AC's question. He struggled with it, and still didn't answer it.

 

[justtrish]

There is no way AC is delivering a strong cross examination. She's reading off a list of questions and not delving further into GW4's answers. IMO there have been plenty of times, she could have challenged his responses, but did not. She is not demonstrating much confidence questioning GW4.... just stating an opinion.

I think some of his answers were best left as is. I think she can see the jury and can read the room well. Letting him think some answers were fine and moving along might rattle him more than challenging them. He seems to try to have answer for everything, but when he didn't and just couldn't recall saying or doing something it sorta spoke loud. It was only about the murders that he didn't recall. She might be better in closing to just list off the things he said and then the different answer he gave. List off everything he couldn't recall and it will be a big list of all the lies he told at the border about the night of the murders. I think sometimes we don't have to see a big bang of a "got you" moment. There were many inconsistencies that were just not remembered then as his excuse or my favorite excuse, all the things that made him look bad were done and said because BCI was framing them. Very poor excuse.

 

[arielilane]

Back from recess.

 

[joe jones]

I'm here, is GW still testifying, hope the state has days of cross examination now I can watch,

 

[justtrish]

I'm here, is GW still testifying, hope the state has days of cross examination now I can watch,

He's done, Agent Scheiderer is now back on the stand.

 

[arielilane]

Prosecution recalls BCI agent Ryan Scheiderer.

 

[Skully67]

Well he's lied, that's for sure. But is that enough to say he was part of the planning, murders, cover up. Still no evidence he was there, in my opinion.

 

[arielilane]

IMO, GW4 may have threatened BCI agent, but BCI agent will have the last word. If you know what I mean...

 

[arielilane]

Plus, he kept contradicting himself and his former statements when he tried to distance himself. He was caught in a LOT of lies today.

Yes, lies and contradictions were clear in his testimony, IMO.

 

[pcrum12]

This trial is just crazy -- I have been following trials every day since
Ted Bundy lol and I have never seen witnesses out of order for defense before state rest EVER. This is crazy. Does anyone think this is grounds for appeal?

 

[joe jones]

Have they finished with GW? surely not, we have 4 crime scenes to go over. Did the prosecution not ask him about the crime scenes?

The rules of cross examination must be the same in Ohio if they have not gone over in detail the crime scenes, the defense by not going anywhere near the actual crimes pre and post curtailed the state from asking him about them, clever move on their part,

I guess it all now comes down to who the jury believes JW and AW or GW, the rest is just noise, but I still expect then to find GW guilty,

I have 2 days of GW to watch, and it seems that the transcripts of just AW and JW testimony could be as much as $6,000 I don't expect to be reading them anytime soon, so for us not in the court we have no way to compare and contrast all 3 defendants testimony,