PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — Defense counsel for one of Ohio’s most notoriously accused murderers says there will be a trial.
George “Billy” Wagner III appeared before a new judge on Wednesday in Waverly. Wagner faces more than 20 charges, including eight counts of murder for the 2016 slaying of the Rhoden family. The hearing was the first for Judge Allen Corbin, who was appointed last month by the Supreme Court of Ohio to oversee the Wagner cases after Judge Randy Deering retired.
Also charged in the murders is Wagner’s wife, Angela, son Jake, mother-in-law Rita, and now-convicted son, George IV.
On Wednesday, the hearing was brief, which Corbin called “a status conference.” In it, the judge said a calendar would soon be set for the flow of the case, including an expected 2024 trial date. Wagner’s defense lawyer, Mark Collins told the media after the hearing that “there will be a trial in this case.” Corbin said, if so, it would happen after January 2024. When Wagner heard the judge utter the date, the defendant shook his head in disgust, rolled his eyes, and silently scoffed.
Defense counsel said they are awaiting nearly 15,000 pages of transcripts from the trial of Wagner’s son, George Wagner IV, who was convicted and sentenced last year to life for his involvement in the slayings.
Among three pending motions the new judge must decide is a change of venue. That is expected to be discussed sometime in May. Defense counsel contends that Pike County is “too small” and that the pool of potential jurors have been tainted by media coverage and a previous trial in George IV’s conviction.
Noticeable changes were present in the courtroom on Wednesday; the first hearing since the new judge was assigned. The tactical team that transports Wagner to-and-from court were not wearing any handcuffs or firearms, whereas previously, the men were decked out with assault rifles and heavy artillery. It was not released to the media why the men had a change in uniforms.
Also different was who was seated at the prosecution’s table. Angela Canepa, who was hired by former prosecutor Rob Junk to assist in the trial of George IV was sitting by herself with the lead agent who investigated the murders. Canepa is currently outgunned and outnumbered. Wagner had four lawyers present for the hearing, but the public should not expect that to last. Canepa, while employed by the county specifically for the Wagner cases because of her history with the attorney general’s office‘s involvement in the initial phases of the case, is seeking co-counsel to assist her in the trial. It was stated on Wednesday that she is seeking two prosecutors to assist her and so far, those people have not been chosen. Former special prosecutor Andy Wilson, who helped Canepa in George IV’s conviction has taken a state cabinet job under Ohio’s Governor and is no longer involved. A timeline for when the new prosecutors will be named has not been given.
Before the hearing, Judge Corbin was overheard asking “for the case files” of the case, and remarked that he “knew nothing about the case.” He said on the record that he would be spending time familiarizing himself with the case and those of the four other codefendants.
The victims of the massacre were Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his older brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; his cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38; Chris Rhoden Sr.’s former wife, Dana Lynn Rhoden, 37, and their children: Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, Hanna May Rhoden, 19, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and Frankie’s fiancé, Hannah “Hazel” Gilley, 20.