WAVERLY, Ohio — Dozens of guns were introduced on the twentieth day of George Wagner’s trial in Pike County, but none of them had anything to do with the killing of eight members of the Rhoden family.
State prosecutors introduced numerous guns that they said they found when they executed search warrants in 2017 and 2018 on properties owned by the Wagner family. They showed the jury a selection of pistols and rifles, and even some antiques, but none of them were the presumed murder weapons.
Defense attorneys for Wagner argued that introducing the guns was not relevant and that the firearms had nothing to do with the homicides, and that they were only being displayed in court to prejudice the jury into thinking the family of four were homicidal maniacs.
Judge Randy Deering denied a motion by the defense to exclude the guns, and the day was spent almost entirely breaking down firearms that the family owned — again, none of which were used in the killings, according to both the state and the defense. The state contends, though, that the firearms are necessary because some of them seized in various search warrants executed on the Wagners were contained on a list found on Jake Wagner’s phone. Jake Wagner, of course, is the brother of the defendant. Some of the guns on the list were found at the Wagner properties in raids. The issue, the state said, is what was not found: the guns on the list that matched the guns used in the homicides, while all the other guns on the list were recovered. Investigators said they know what type of guns were used because of the bullets found in the victims and it was only those guns that were missing from the stash.
There were 21 guns listed on the ownership list, but the state said they only found 17. At least two guns missing from the list not found found match ones used in the killings.
The jury was dismissed at around 4:30 on Tuesday and the trial will resume on Wednesday.