WAVERLY, Ohio — Attorneys for George “Billy” Wagner III, the accused mass murderer in the 2016 Rhoden family killings, were in a Pike County courtroom this week, continuing legal maneuvers ahead of his upcoming trial.
On August 8, a warrant for Wagner’s removal was issued to transfer him from the Butler County Jail to Pike County for a pre-trial hearing. However, that order was withdrawn on August 29 after his attorneys indicated that Wagner’s presence was not required. On September 3, defense attorney Mark Collins filed an amended motion for a change of venue. Wagner’s legal team has long argued that the extensive publicity surrounding his case and the trial of his son, George Wagner IV, makes it impossible for him to receive a fair trial in Pike County.
Judge R. Alan Corbin had previously denied a motion for a change of venue, rejecting the defense’s argument for relocating the trial. The amended motion filed this week seeks to revisit that decision.
Wagner is accused of being one of the perpetrators in what is widely considered the worst mass murder case in Ohio’s history—the killings of eight members of the Rhoden family, including Hannah Gilley, in 2016. His trial is scheduled to begin in 2025.
