WAVERLY, Ohio — A jury trial for George “Billy” Wagner III, the last family member charged in the 2016 Pike County murders, is scheduled to begin Jan. 11, 2027, according to our news partners at WBNS-TV.
Wagner is charged in the deaths of eight members of the Rhoden and Gilley families.
The trial date was established in the Pike County Common Pleas Court docket.
Wagner, the patriarch of the family, faces charges related to a series of killings that claimed eight lives across multiple locations a decade ago.
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Several of Billy Wagner’s co-defendants have already been sentenced for their roles in the killings. George Wagner IV was sentenced in 2022 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Rita Newcomb, the mother-in-law of Wagner, was sentenced to five years’ probation after pleading guilty to obstruction.
Two other family members who were previously sentenced for their involvement in the murders may soon receive new sentences.
Edward “Jake” Wagner was originally sentenced to at least 32 years in prison with the possibility of parole, while Wagner’s wife, Angela Wagner, received 30 years. Both individuals had previously accepted plea deals in the case.
An Ohio appeals court ordered new sentencing hearings for Jake and Angela Wagner last June. State prosecutors said in the appeal that the trial court “abused its discretion” when it proceeded with the original sentencings before the pair could finish testifying against Billy and George IV as required by their plea agreements. New sentencing dates for Jake and Wagner have not been set.
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The victims of the 2016 attacks were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; and their three children, 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Jr. and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden. Other victims included Clarence Rhoden’s fiancée, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden. Rhoden was the mother of Jake Wagner’s child.
The court noted that additional pretrial scheduling orders are anticipated before the Jan. 11, 2027, trial date.
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