PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — The jury in the case of George Wagner IV will begin their deliberations at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Wagner is accused of participating in what has been called, “Ohio’s Worst Homicide.” Wagner, his brother, mother, and father are charged with the murders of eight members of the Rhoden family.
It has been six years since the killings 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.
Authorities say the murders stemmed from a dispute over the custody of a child that George Wagner’s brother, Jake Wagner, had with one of the victims, Hanna Rhoden.
In September 2021, Jake Wagner entered a guilty plea to the murders. As part of a plea deal and to take the death penalty off the table for his family, Jake would have to testify against his brother George.
The matriarch in the case, the mother, Angela Wagner, also pleaded guilty to her part in the homicides. She would later take the stand, implicating George in the crimes.
Stay with the Guardian for the latest verdict update in this case!
