When Bobby Jo Manley found her brother-in-law’s body in April 2016, she thought he’d been severely beaten. It was only after she saw all the blood in the house that she realized he and his cousin might be dead.
Then she found her nephews next door – the six-month-old alive and covered in his dead parents’ blood.
Over the next few hours, seven members of the Rhoden family and one future member were found massacred in their Pike County homes.
Nobody would be arrested for the crimes for more than two years.
It would be more than six years before the public would learn the murders stemmed from an alleged custody dispute gone sour.
Now, 10 years after the Pike County crimes, the last of the accused has still not gone to trial or accepted a plea deal.
Journalists for The Enquirer were at the scene as it all unfolded a decade ago and they’ve covered the case meticulously over the years.
In this week’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast, reporter Patricia Gallagher Newberry and retired photographer Liz Dufour recount covering the case, recap the details of what happened to the Rhoden family, and remind listeners that justice has still not been served for some.
You can listen to the podcast at The Enquirer’s website or wherever you get your podcasts.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s in the episode and where you can jump in to learn more about the case.
‘This isn’t Cincinnati’
Listen around 2:30.
Reports of a double homicide in Pike County rolled in early on April 22, 2016.
The county is about two hours east of Cincinnati and out of The Enquirer’s typical coverage area. So, initially, reporters weren’t sent to the scene. Then the number of victims began to grow.
Dufour, who retired last year, was among those sent to find out what was happening.
“It’s April. It’s springtime. It’s gorgeous,” Dufour recalled. “I remember driving the backroads to get there in a sea of yellow flowers, just a sea of green and yellow flowers and big trees and everything is green. And you’re realizing this isn’t Cincinnati.”
When she got to the scene, there wasn’t much to see. Roadways were blocked. Police seemed to be everywhere.
“It was kind of unfathomable that eight people were killed in four different locations,” she said.
An explosion of rumors
Listen at 6:30.
As the killings attracted national attention, people were searching for more information about the crimes.
Newberry, who joined The Enquirer and the story in 2022, said some of the victims were involved in growing and selling marijuana.
“There was a rumor, or theory, that was discussed – even by then Attorney General (Mike) DeWine at a press conference – that drugs were a motivation here and that perhaps it was a cartel kill,” she said.
But not everything added up to that theory. Three children at the scenes and pets weren’t harmed, for instance.
“The counter-narrative was, ‘Wouldn’t the cartel kill the kids and pets, too?’” Newberry added.
Wagner family arrests
Listen about 13:45.
Two and a half years after the crime, police announced the arrests of four people in the Pike County murders: George “Billy” Wagner III, Angela Wagner, and their two sons, George Wagner IV and Edward “Jake” Wagner.
Jake Wagner had been in a relationship with victim Hanna Rhoden and the two of them had a child together.
But the Rhoden and Wagner families all knew each other and were involved in each other’s lives.
Billy Wagner, for instance, later told police that Chris Rhoden – whom he allegedly shot at point-blank range – was his best friend.
It would be years more before the public would know the details behind the murders.
Jake Wagner’s plea deal
Listen about 18:30.
In 2021, Jake Wagner accepted a plea deal, one where the death penalty was taken off the table for him in return for a full confession and his cooperation in testifying against his brother and dad.
In court, he confessed to killing five of the eight people murdered, including the mother of his child.
He said he’d found religion while in prison and apologized to the Rhoden family.
A reduced sentence for his mother, Angela Wagner, was also part of the deal.
Jake Wagner was sentenced to life in prison with the chance for parole in 32 years, his mother to 30 years without the chance of parole.
But the plea deal meant details of the crime wouldn’t be public until George Wagner IV’s trial in 2022.
Wagners kill 8 people ‘because they were there’
Listen around 29:30.
During George Wagner IV’s trial, the public learned that Billy Wagner went to Chris Rhoden’s home on April 21, 2016, under the ruse that he wanted to discuss a marijuana deal.
There, he drew Chris and Gary Rhoden outside, where his sons were waiting to open fire.
In court, Jake Wagner said he shot Chris Rhoden in the arm, and his father then shot both men both at point-blank range.
Soon after, just next door, Jake killed Frankie Rhoden and his fiancée, Hannah Gilley, while they slept in their bed, Jake said in testimony. Their son was sleeping between them. Another child was asleep on the sofa.
Jake, George and Billy then went further down the street to the home of Dana Rhoden, Chris Rhoden’s ex-wife.
Jake shot Dana and Hanna Rhoden, his ex-girlfriend, while she was breastfeeding her four-day-old child, he said. He also admitted to killing Hanna’s brother Chris Rhoden Jr.
According to Jake, Billy Wagner killed Kenneth Rhoden in his nearby home before the three fled the scene and hid the weapons.
When Angela Wagner saw the news coverage of the killings the next day, she allegedly asked her husband, “Why so many?”
He told her, “Because they were there,” Newberry said, citing the trial transcript.
‘The plot began’
Listen around 41:50
The motive behind the killing was also revealed during George Wagner IV’s trial.
Angela Wagner suspected her granddaughter was being molested while in the care of the Rhoden family. No evidence to suggest that happened was presented in trial.
“She was ruminating on this and she was talking about it and she planted this idea with her husband and then the plot began,” Newberry said.
The family – which didn’t trust authorities – didn’t consider reporting their suspicions to police.
There was also no evidence that George Wagner IV ever fired his weapon or killed anyone the night of the murders.
But he was found guilty of eight counts of aggravated murder and 14 related charges on grounds that he was complicit in the crimes.
He was sentenced to eight life sentences with no possibility of parole.
‘Life cut short by the selfish acts of others’
Listen around 49:30.
Before George Wagner IV was sentenced, the Rhoden family gave victim impact statements to the court.
Tony Rhoden, whose brother Chris was the first killed, spoke to the court – recounting how he’d remember each of the victims.
“Their life cut short by the selfish acts of others,” he said after sharing stories about each person.
A decade later and one trial left
Listen around 59:00.
Billy Wagner has been incarcerated for the past eight years.
Court dates for a trial and possible plea deals have been discussed over the years.
Currently, his lawyers are arguing that the death penalty should be taken off the table if Billy Wagner is found guilty at trial.
A ruling on the issue is expected in the coming weeks.
Then, a trial or plea deal for the Wagner family patriarch could happen as soon as this year.
In the meantime, Dufour noted that he gets to listen to music, eat fast food, change out of his prison uniform, and enjoy the scenery every time he’s transported to court.
The experience is part of “breaking the monotony” of his life behind bars, she said.
“What’s not to like?” she asked.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reporters recount ‘unfathomable’ Pike County massacre 10 years later
Reporting by Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
