PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — A man charged in the 2016 slayings of eight members of a southern Ohio family will not face the death penalty if convicted.
The judge’s decision was filed in the Pike County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday weeks ahead of the trial of George “Billy” Wagner III.
The decision also comes two days after a judge approved a change of venue in his trial. Billy’s defense team requested a venue change due to the publicity of the case in Pike County. The new venue has not yet been announced.
The case is centered around the homicides of eight family members eight years ago.
The victims were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden and 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr.; Clarence Rhoden’s fiancee, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.
Prosecutors say the slayings, which initially spurred speculation about drug cartel involvement, stemmed from a dispute over custody of Billy's granddaughter. The fatal shootings at three mobile homes and a camper near Piketon in April 2016 terrified residents and launched one of the state’s most extensive criminal investigations.
Billy was charged with the following:
- Eight counts of aggravated murder
- Once count of conspiracy
- Four counts of aggravated burglary
- One count of unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance
- Three counts of tampering with evidence
- One count of forgery
- One count of unauthorized use of computer or telecommunications property
- One count of interception of wire, oral or electronic communication
- One count of obstructing justice
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
Billy has pleaded not guilty in the killings, and his trial is scheduled to start Jan. 6, 2025.
Just last June, George Wagner IV filed a motion in court requesting a new trial. He claimed there were several errors during his 2022 trial in which he was found guilty of all 22 counts he faced, including eight counts of aggravated murder. He argued in his filing that there's “a reasonable probability that jurors were swayed” by the alleged errors.
Edward “Jake” Wagner, Billy’s younger son, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges and agreed to testify against George and his parents in a deal to help the family avoid potential death sentences. Angela Wagner pleaded guilty to helping to plan the killings.