PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — Jury selection has begun in the case of George Wagner IV. Wagner is accused of being involved in the 2016 Pike County massacre.
It has been 6 years since the killing of Dana Manley Rhoden, 37; her ex-husband, Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; their sons, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20; their daughter, Hanna Rhoden, 19, the mother of Jake Wagner’s daughter; Frankie’s fiancée, Hannah Gilley, 20; Kenneth Rhoden, 44, a brother to Chris Sr; and Gary Rhoden, 38, a cousin to Kenneth and Chris Sr.
Two Wagner family members have already admitted to being involved in the horrible murders. The mother, Angela Wagner, accepted a plea deal in September of last year. Jake Wagner, her son, who is thought to have planned the killings, also pleaded guilty. As part of the deal, both will have to testify against their family members.
Richard Nash, Jr., and John Parker, two of Wagner’s lawyers, said in his defense that “statements and recorded confessions from others show that George Washington Wagner IV did not shoot and kill any of the victims.”
The case is set for trial on August 29.
