OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered - 4 Wagner Family Members Arrested #88


In turn, Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa objected to the continuance request, arguing that this would not only affect the witnesses’ schedules in the case but also the surviving Rhoden family members.

“[T]he victims’ family in this case has been dealing with this and wanting justice and closure since April of 2016, when they first learned of this tragedy,” Canepa explained.
 
@pattinewberry

Trial for #BillyWagner is now set to start in January -- not this May. Full details here:




.#BillyWagner will be tried in the #PikeCountymassacre case next year, starting Jan. 6, a Pike County judge ruled today. (Photo by @ldufour @Enquirer) 1/5


Wagner was supposed to face trial beginning May 6 on eight charges of aggravated murder and 14 other counts in one of Ohio's largest-ever homicide cases. 2/5


Visiting Judge R. Alan Corbin delayed the trial at the request of Wagner's attorneys, who said they would not be ready by May. Two of his lawyers have medical issues -- a knee replacement for one, pregnancy for another. 3/5


Additionally, Wagner's team is stilling working their way through 15K-16K pages of the transcript from the fall 2022 trial of George Wagner IV, Billy's son. The younger Wagner was found guilty on all 22 charges against him in the April 2016 crimes. 4/5


Billy Wagner is facing the same charges, tied to the shooting deaths of seven members of Pike County's Rhoden family and one future member of the family. 5/5

 
"Since they were arrested, it's been five years. They've had five years to get the case together," said Wilma McCoy on the steps of the courthouse, her voice shaking. "All these other cases in Columbus and everywhere else is more important than what our family was ... these reasons are not good enough. They're not good enough because I just feel like our family's case — this one, especially — has been put on the back burner."

But Corbin ultimately determined the defense's request for a continuance of the trial date was a reasonable one, given the circumstances presented.

Billy has been imprisoned since his family's arrest for the murders in November of 2018.



and last updated 4:35 PM, Mar 07, 2024
 
Short video at link. Wilma expressed frustration with the delay of (JUSTICE!) trial.


Updated: 5:06 PM EST Mar 7, 2024
She is 100% correct though. I'm just at the point I don't care how many pages of transcrips they have to read or who had surgery or a baby. It's just delay and stall and it isn't right. It isn't like these murders happened a year ago and suddenly they have so much to do out of nowhere. They have had all this time to prepare and what if George didn't go to trial first? They would have zero transcripts to read so then what is the defense? They have had a year since Georges trial also and much of the trial was broadcast online and those videos are still there.. so they can listen and not have to read so much if they so chose too.. they wouldn't even have to wait for paper transcript to be given to them to get started with important testimony they need to review. Also some of the testimony is just getting to know you questions.. the meat and potatoes of what they need to read is NOT going to take another year to read.

Also I have had babies and I've had hip surgery. Not much can be done when you are laid up after either of these scenarios.. if getting to trial was a priority then reading over pages during recovery from both of these life events is 100% possible. Heck I would have loved to have some good reading material after I experienced both of those events.

Don't they also have help with this? Clerks or others that can review transcripts and highlight important info?

It's just delay delay delay and who benefits? Billy sitting in the county jail sure isn't harmed at all by these delays.

These families have been through enough already.
 
She is 100% correct though. I'm just at the point I don't care how many pages of transcrips they have to read or who had surgery or a baby. It's just delay and stall and it isn't right. It isn't like these murders happened a year ago and suddenly they have so much to do out of nowhere. They have had all this time to prepare and what if George didn't go to trial first? They would have zero transcripts to read so then what is the defense? They have had a year since Georges trial also and much of the trial was broadcast online and those videos are still there.. so they can listen and not have to read so much if they so chose too.. they wouldn't even have to wait for paper transcript to be given to them to get started with important testimony they need to review. are online to view except those that didn't want to be on camera so even if they need to read those transcripts it's not the full entirety of this trial. Also some of the testimony is just getting to know you questions.. the meat and potatoes of what they need to read is NOT going to take another year to read.

Also I have had babies and I've had hip surgery. Not much can be done when you are laid up after either of these scenarios.. if getting to trial was a priority then reading over pages during recovery from both of these life events is 100% possible. Heck I would have loved to have some good reading material after I experienced both of those events.

Don't they also have help with this? Clerks or others that can review transcripts and highlight important info?

It's just delay delay delay and who benefits? Billy sitting in the county jail sure isn't harmed at all by these delays.

These families have been through enough already.
Agree with all of this. These people have been on the clock for a year now. A couple of us could sit down and get through those transcripts in a week or less. All of the exhibits and evidence have already been organized by a professional, recall? GW4's attorneys demanded that, complete with annotations and time stamps of which video or audio excerpts would be used at trial.

Maybe we need the governor's office to light a fire under them. I'm not sure we can count on the Ohio AG, as he decided he didn't want to prosecute the case when he first took office.
 
I would recommend using pencil to mark it on your calendar....

IMO, they are going to try to delay this trial as long as possible.

JMO

Interesting seeing Robin there. Some reporter said 3 people were there for the defense. Please cue me in if anyone knows who these 2 other people are.

I totally get what your saying but I can't imagine postponing a trial longer than this one already is.

Arrested November 13th, 2018.

Trial January 6th, 2025.

6 years 54 days.......Is this more common in Ohio? Or more common because it is a DP case?

After my State stopped the DP- cases really sped up.
 
I would recommend using pencil to mark it on your calendar....

IMO, they are going to try to delay this trial as long as possible.

JMO
They claimed in a couple of his hearings Billy was pushing for his trial to begin...right. Supposedly the defense cannot change The Jan 6 date but we know how that goes.
 
Interesting seeing Robin there. Some reporter said 3 people were there for the defense. Please cue me in if anyone knows who these 2 other people are.

I totally get what your saying but I can't imagine postponing a trial longer than this one already is.

Arrested November 13th, 2018.

Trial January 6th, 2025.

6 years 54 days.......Is this more common in Ohio? Or more common because it is a DP case?

After my State stopped the DP- cases really sped up.
I never even saw Robin was there, glad you mentioned that she was.
 
Interesting seeing Robin there. Some reporter said 3 people were there for the defense. Please cue me in if anyone knows who these 2 other people are.

I totally get what your saying but I can't imagine postponing a trial longer than this one already is.

Arrested November 13th, 2018.

Trial January 6th, 2025.

6 years 54 days.......Is this more common in Ohio? Or more common because it is a DP case?

After my State stopped the DP- cases really sped up.
Could it be extra legal help courtesy of Billy's mom?
With delays and all, it sounds like she might be applying some pressure. She wants him there to run the FWF
 
I never even saw Robin was there, glad you mentioned that she was.

I think this is a mistake.....posted articles' purport to show updated footage but I think it is old footage.

Your link is current, thanks.

I can't even find Wilma giving her opinion on the court steps, I wish we could get better coverage of this case. No criticism towards anyone on here, I appreciate all links.

2 Cents
 
Could it be extra legal help courtesy of Billy's mom?
With delays and all, it sounds like she might be applying some pressure. She wants him there to run the FWF

I think what I saw was old footage that was presented as new footage. The only reliable footage I can find is from @Covert Operative.

Again, thanks to everyone for trying to get new current footage and photos.

I don't even remember FW or RW at George's trial.

2 Cents
 
Last edited:
I think what I saw was old footage that was presented as new footage. The only reliable footage I can find is from @Covert Operative.

Again, thanks to everyone for trying to get new current footage and photos.

I don't even remember FW or RW at George's trial.

2 Cents
Here's the full video of the hearing. Only a little over 15 minutes

 

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