WAVERLY, Ohio (AP) — A man convicted of murdering eight people from another family in southern Ohio faces life without parole when sentenced Monday.
The main question is whether 31-year-old George Wagner IV will get a chance at parole, and if so, how soon. A Pike County judge may hear statements from victims’ relatives before making a decision.
Wagner denied any knowledge of his family’s involvement in the 2016 shooting of seven adults and a teenager from the Rhoden family. Prosecutors said most of the victims were killed as they slept, in some cases alongside their very young children, who were not injured.
Authorities alleged that Wagner, his brother and their parents plotted the murders amid a dispute over custody of Wagner’s niece, whose mother was among those killed.
The April 2016 shootings of three mobile homes and an RV near Piketon terrified residents of that part of rural Ohio and initially sparked speculation about the involvement of drug cartels. The resulting multimillion-dollar investigation and prosecution is one of the most extensive in the state.
Wagner was convicted on 22 counts, including aggravated murder. It is no longer a death penalty case because his brother made a plea deal to help all four Wagners avoid execution and agreed to testify against the others.
Prosecutors say Wagner shows no remorse and should be locked up with no chance of parole. They say what he really deserves is a death sentence and he was only spared because of his brother’s actions, not his own.
The prosecution claimed that Wagner was with his brother and father when they went to the houses, that he went inside and that he helped his brother move two bodies.
Wagner’s lawyers insist he did not kill anyone and say it would be an unconstitutional, cruel and unusual punishment to deny him “a meaningful chance at parole.”
They also want a new trial. A hearing on that request is scheduled Monday for Judge Randy Deering in conjunction with the sentencing.
Wagner’s lawyers cite two main reasons in the request. One is about the jury being selected for a possible main case, even though prosecutors would ultimately reject the death penalty specifications. The lawyers also say the court hampered their ability to investigate the credibility of Wagner’s younger brother, Edward “Jake” Wagner, by denying them access to notes about conversations between Jake and his lawyer, despite him testifying about it.
Jake Wagner pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges, admitted responsibility for five of the shootings and is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Angela Wagner pleaded guilty to helping plan the murders, and prosecutors recommended that she be sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Her husband, George “Billy” Wagner III, pleaded not guilty to the murders and is awaiting 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 Rhoden, and 16-year-old Christopher Jr.; Clarence Rhoden’s fiancé, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.
