PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — The murder trial for George Wagner IV has been delayed until next week due to the "illness of a person involved with the trial."
George Wagner, who is charged in the 2016 slayings of the Rhoden family, faces the death penalty if he is convicted. The trial was originally set to begin Tuesday, but was rescheduled to start Sept. 12 at 9 a.m.
His parents and his brother, Jake Wagner, were charged in the fatal shootings of the Rhoden family near Piketon. Authorities said the shootings of seven adults and a teenage boy stemmed over a custody battle of a child Jake Wagner had with one of the victims.
Jake Wagner admitted to killing five of the victims as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that spared him of the death sentence. He also gave a statement about the killings and agreed to testify against other members of his family.
John Parker, who is George Wagner's attorney, said that the deal Jake Wagner made with prosecutors limits his ability to conduct a thorough cross-examination. Parker has also said that Jake Wagner told prosecutors that his brother did not kill anyone.
Angela Wagner also pleaded guilty to helping plan the murders. She faces 30 years in prison.
George Wagner IV and George "Billy" Wagner III have previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Wagners plotted for months to kill the Rhoden family over a dispute over custody of the daughter of Jake Wagner had with Hanna Rhoden, prosecutors said. They targeted some of the victims, but “some sadly were killed because they happened to be there,” special prosecutor Angela Canepa has said.
Most victims were shot in the head and some had signs of bruising. Three young children at the scenes were unharmed.
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, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr., and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden; 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.