AP

Prosecutor: Triggerman or not, find man guilty in 8 slayings

Nov 28, 2022, 1:32 AM | Updated: 3:37 pm

WAVERLY, Ohio (AP) — The first defendant to face trial in the slayings of eight people from another Ohio family should be convicted regardless of whether he was a triggerman, a prosecutor told jurors Monday as closing arguments began.

George Wagner IV, his brother and parents were charged in southern Ohio’s Pike County for the 2016 slayings of seven adults and a teenager from the Rhoden family, which authorities say the Wagners spent months planning. The 31-year-old Wagner wasn’t accused of shooting any of the victims, and he testified in his own defense, denying that he knew anything about his relatives’ involvement in the killings.

But special prosecutor Angela Canepa told jurors that Wagner knew what would happen, participated in the plans and should be convicted in the killings, which authorities say stemmed from a dispute over custody of Wagner’s young niece.

“He doesn’t have to be the person that actually pulled the trigger,” Canepa said.

Prosecutors allege that Wagner was with his brother and father when they drove to the locations of the killings, went inside with them and helped his brother move two bodies.

Jurors are scheduled to hear closing arguments from the defense on Tuesday before beginning their deliberations.

They’ve listened to testimony from dozens of witnesses over the course of more than two months, including from Wagner, who said he wouldn’t have let the slayings occur if he had known of the plans.

His testimony stood at odds with that of his own brother and mother, who previously admitted their roles under earlier plea agreements in the slayings.

His younger brother, Edward “Jake” Wagner, admitted killing five victims and implicated his father in the other three slayings. Jake had pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges and agreed to testify against George and their parents in a deal to help the family avoid potential death sentences.

Prosecutors said the Wagners became obsessed with gaining control of a child that Jake Wagner had with Hanna Rhoden.

Angela Wagner, who pleaded guilty to helping to plan the slayings, testified that Jake wanted to kill Hanna Rhoden. But Angela Wagner said it was her husband, George “Billy” Wagner III, who believed they had to kill the whole Rhoden family to avoid a possible revenge attack.

Billy Wagner has pleaded not guilty in the slayings and awaits trial.

The victims were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children: 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 19-year-old Hanna, and 16-year-old Christopher Jr.; Frankie’s fiancée, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Prosecutor: Triggerman or not, find man guilty in 8 slayings