OH Pike Co., 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue, 4 Members Wagner Family Arrested #55

[Justus Forall]

Something about the days prior to and that night that I'm puzzled about. It's been stated by LE that there was an altercation between one or more Rhoden and one or more Wagner days or weeks before. It's been speculated the Rhodens knew there would be another encounter. Why were they caught off guard? My theory is the Rhodens did not expect a cowardice dead of night assassination. IMO

 

[Caylee Advocate]

Something about the days prior to and that night that I'm puzzled about. It's been stated by LE that there was an altercation between one or more Rhoden and one or more Wagner days or weeks before. It's been speculated the Rhodens knew there would be another encounter. Why were they caught off guard? My theory is the Rhodens did not expect a cowardice dead of night assassination. IMO

Do you mind posting a link to where LE stated this? TIA.

 

[Betty P]

Do you mind posting a link to where LE stated this? TIA.

It was actually mentioned in court or a court document in one of the very recent pre-trial hearings. Finally confirmed in writing that there had been a fight between CR 1 and Billy Wagner some time before the murders.

It may have been on of the docs the prosecution filed asking the judge to not allow Billy's request to be released from jail on bond.

Do a google search for one of the articles about Billy's pretrial hearing on June 22. It's been hinted at and rumored for years, but it has been confirmed. Prosecution made it part of their motion because Billy's attorneys argued he didn't kill the Rhodens because he and CR1 were best friends, business partners, etc, etc.

 

[Dudly]

Do you mind posting a link to where LE stated this? TIA.

In the Prosecution rebuttal against GWIII getting bail, it was mentioned that messages from the victims to others indicate verbal and physical altercation between GWIII and CRsr shortly before the murders. This was filed on 6/22/2020.

 

[Cool Cats]

Thanks for these early video news reports, Dudly. I was just noticing at about 5:00 in the video, in the upper right hand corner, you can see the home at 51 Union Hill Rd. On AW's discovery list of evidence to be introduced at her trial, there's security video evidence from this address.

I wonder what was on their security cameras that's proof that AW participated in the murders. Was it video of her driving a car that night around the time of the murders? Was she the driver who dropped them off, then acted as lookout to alert the other W's if LE came by? Had she gone by Dana's home earlier that evening to see if she was home?

Cool Cats - POST from April 21, 2019

51 Union Hill--- Game Camera--- listed in Angela's Supplemental Discovery

51 Union Hill Rd. Looking down UHR with Dana's place down the road on right according to @Ann99's post......Thankx

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_f/ISctzxvfls36ar.jpg

And Backyard view......

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_f/IS1l8p4r80a938j.jpg


Ann99 Well-Known Member - POST from April 21, 2019

Regarding Game Cams, 51 Union Hill Road

To see this google: 51 Union Hill Road Piketon Ohio
Look at the Zillow entry. 32 photos.
Look at # 7 specifically, pink blossoms on tree.
That is a view of UHR, looking toward Dana’s in far distance on right.

There was rumor very early on in the investigation, discussion elsewhere, (possibly here) that LE was very much interested in thoroughly looking, combing over, John Ward Road.

Also mention of a tree stand in that area.

John Ward is a short narrow lane-like road that is north or above, or a left turn out of #51 UHR and also Dana’s property, (as headed toward rt 32 and Manley property)
John Ward Rd connects with the large wide cutout for power lines.

Theory could be that if 51 Union Hill had a high quality game camera
(as Reconyx mentioned in previous post) near the BACK side of their property, it could have captured activity on John Ward.

Or, if a vehicle was left there on John Ward Rd and people traveled on foot across the backside of the ridge to Dana’s, across backside of #51, it could have captured an image. This is a remote possibility.

To be able to visualize this is difficult as the Union Hill Rd has varying topography. Union Hill winds around, up and down, on a Ridge, with both small curves and more angular twists and turns. Mostly heavily wooded. Dark even in daylight. No Street lights. MOST Homes, Trailers, sit far back off the road. CR and FR were exceptions.

The side that Dana was on drops off, sloping downward at the back side of the properties.
The side CR and FR were on is a little more level.
All Rhoden properties are densely wooded at the back side.

The road is narrow, with little room on either side to pull off. However, most driveways are very long, curved, and a very bold intruder in darkness might not hesitate to use one to pull over, especially if they had already identified the drive as a no camera area.

The short space (driveup) in front of the small gray barn on the most southern side of Dana’s property (to far left, facing Dana’s driveway) is a good example.

Continued
Part 2

Or another theory
The 51 UHR property may have had a high quality game cam at the very FRONT of their property, scanning their own front yard and driveway, facing south (in direction of DR, facing away from rt 32)

The trailer on #51 sits high up on a small hill, a camera in front would have an excellent view of UHR for almost the full distance (south) on UHR to very near DR driveway.
The road dips slightly and then rises at Dana’s driveway.
#51 UHR Front yard camera would provide a view of any vehicle traveling on UHR, either direction. Depending upon direction camera faces.

Or, if #51 UHR camera was in front yard facing other way, toward North, (direction of rt 32) cam would have captured a vehicle rounding the curve on UHR.

A high quality game camera anywhere in front yard of #51 UHR would have captured a brief image of vehicles traveling in either direction on UHR. I don’t know how identifiable the vehicles could be in darkness.

I’ve tried to explain it as best I can having driven up and down UHR 4 times over the last 3 years during each season to get a feeling of the locations and visibility.

As you drive on UHR is is mostly a “closed in” feeling, little room to navigate. Example, when driving on UHR in front of #51, one can not immediately imagine that DRs property, driveway entry, is fairly close by, and may be visible from the #51 trailer front yard, up on the small hill.
Maybe others familiar with the area can correct if off base
with my descriptions.

 

[Betty P]

Or, if a vehicle was left there on John Ward Rd and people traveled on foot across the backside of the ridge to Dana’s, across backside of #51, it could have captured an image. This is a remote possibility.

Its always been my theory - that someone dropped off the 3 W men some distance from the crime scene, leaving them to approach through nearby woods. Picked up the same way. The car and the W's were spotted on security and/or game cameras. JMO, they're showing up on AW's discovery evidence list because she likely was the driver.

 

[NotHammerToed]

How plausible is it that Chris Sr purchased that home for Dana so that their grand babies weren’t near his grow ops. What if this is the reason for the brawl because now the Wagners can’t use it as ammo to coerce Hanna into signing custody away?

 

[Cool Cats]

Its always been my theory - that someone dropped off the 3 W men some distance from the crime scene, leaving them to approach through nearby woods. Picked up the same way. The car and the W's were spotted on security and/or game cameras. JMO, they're showing up on AW's discovery evidence list because she likely was the driver.

Probably from (opinion) John Ward Road.

It's a short narrow lane-like road that is north or above, or a left turn out of #51 UHR and also Dana’s property, (as headed toward rt 32 and Manley property)
John Ward Rd connects with the large wide cutout for power lines.

51 Union Hill Game Camera in evidence:
https://html2-f.scribdassets.com/732prfjygw6tp04l/images/2-9a2c875b7b.jpg

Trail Cam Pictures also in evidence and
Wagner Game Cams

It makes sense Angela could have been the driver and stayed with the vehicle. Maybe the kids were sleeping in the vehicle. Very difficult now-a-days to not get caught on video, they were a good 15 minutes or more away and a lot of people have front porch cams and inside door cams with street views etc...They would have no choice but to drive the roads and they sure weren't invisible.

 

[Caylee Advocate]

In the Prosecution rebuttal against GWIII getting bail, it was mentioned that messages from the victims to others indicate verbal and physical altercation between GWIII and CRsr shortly before the murders. This was filed on 6/22/2020.

Thank you. I was not watching hearings, so will look for info, don't want to appear lazy.

 

[Betty P]

How plausible is it that Chris Sr purchased that home for Dana so that their grand babies weren’t near his grow ops. What if this is the reason for the brawl because now the Wagners can’t use it as ammo to coerce Hanna into signing custody away?

Yes, that's a theory we've talked about and its very likely. Threats were being made about custody and the home they lived in, so CR1 bought the house for Dana (and himself).

Thank you. I was not watching hearings, so will look for info, don't want to appear lazy.

No problem. Go back several pages and you'll find the video. It didn't last too long.

 

[Caylee Advocate]

Here is a small part I wanted to see. Hmmm, interesting. Have a good 4th of July, be safe and remember .... don't drink and drive!!

 

[ColMustard]

Pretty sure I recall a cell tower site on John Ward Rd, or the road that parallels it. If so, there should be some nice fat pings on it.

Not fetching links since medical stress limits my computer time. So this is all my big fat opinion.

Meanwhile, I'll try to get the password to my phone. ... but still won't be fetching links.

 

[Betty P]

Pretty sure I recall a cell tower site on John Ward Rd, or the road that parallels it. If so, there should be some nice fat pings on it.

Not fetching links since medical stress limits my computer time. So this is all my big fat opinion.

Meanwhile, I'll try to get the password to my phone. ... but still won't be fetching links.

Good to see you Col. Mustard. Don't worry about fetching it. I think I recall or around there too.

 

[Howcanppldosuch]

Been a while since I followed the case but now a second person has resigned from AG office with association to this case. The first investigator now Canepa. will this have a negative impact on the case? What’s going on, are these ppl going to beat the charges? This is the never ending case

 

[molly1255]

How plausible is it that Chris Sr purchased that home for Dana so that their grand babies weren’t near his grow ops. What if this is the reason for the brawl because now the Wagners can’t use it as ammo to coerce Hanna into signing custody away?

It's a possibility, but I think another possibility might be something that was discussed on this forum quite a while ago and that was the possibility the W's may have approached trying to get custody of SW by trying to claim it was not an ideal living arrangement for SW and that they could provide better for her. IIRC, prior to the purchase of DR's new home, shortly before the murders, HR, SW, DR, and CR Jr. were living with FR and HG and their son in what then became FR's home, and HR was expecting another baby. That is a lot of people living in a very small space.

Just pure speculation on my part, but maybe the W's were stunned and angered when that new home for DR, CR Jr., HR, SW and the new baby was purchased. It might also fit into the timeline of the big fight between CR Sr. and BW. It appears to me the new home and the fight occurred a few weeks before the murders. DR's new home was very nice and very homey and it would have taken away any room for argument if the W's were trying to use the previous living arrangements as a reason to get custody.

ETA: Other than DeWine's original statement, I haven't seen anything that shows there was actually a grow op. He made it sound like it was a big operation and soon there was even media speculation of a drug cartel being responsible. Maybe that's what DeWine wanted, to get the killers feeling safe and that's when all the lies started that eventually put LE on the right trail. Reader specifically said "all the lies they told".

The narrative changed when the arrests were made to an "undercurrent" of drugs. I'm not so sure these were R drugs. Could have been the W's.

All JMO.

 

[Puzzles8]

Pretty sure I recall a cell tower site on John Ward Rd, or the road that parallels it. If so, there should be some nice fat pings on it.

Not fetching links since medical stress limits my computer time. So this is all my big fat opinion.

Meanwhile, I'll try to get the password to my phone. ... but still won't be fetching links.

I would think they would have known, not to bring their cell phones. IIRC, there were some 2-way radios in Discovery.

I'm also assuming they used the Excursion to get around. Is there any built in GPS system in that vehicle, maybe even On-Star? Satellite radio - Sirius XM capability?

Feel better

ETA - Interesting if the Excursion was model year 2001-2005, there is a site that advertises - Black Box Recovery
Ford — Black Box Recovery | Independent Crash-Data Lab

 

[Cool Cats]

Something about the days prior to and that night that I'm puzzled about. It's been stated by LE that there was an altercation between one or more Rhoden and one or more Wagner days or weeks before. It's been speculated the Rhodens knew there would be another encounter. Why were they caught off guard? My theory is the Rhodens did not expect a cowardice dead of night assassination. IMO

APRIL 26, 2016

10 Days before Pike County massacre, family patrolled property with firearms - Knowledge Glue on line news source

 

[Cool Cats]

Do you mind posting a link to where LE stated this? TIA.

AG withdraws from Rhoden case, new details about Wagner-Rhoden relationship revealed

However, in a response to Billy Wagner’s request, prosecutors wrote that the evidence proves the Wagners committed the murders. And, while the Wagners and the Rhodens had been close at one time, the relationship had soured. The prosecutors wrote that messages from Hanna Rhoden to other family members discussed violence she had endured from Jake Wagner. The prosecutors also referred to an incident a few weeks before the murders that Local 12 had reported on previously in which family members claimed Billy Wagner and Christopher Rhoden had been in a physical fight.

From MSM articles:

Reader said some of the family was involved in two fights not reported to police before the murders.

Relatives of some of the victims describe the relationship differently. They said Jake Wagner and his dad argued and fought with the Rhodens in the weeks just prior to the killings.

Jake Wagner balked at that: “No, I did not go to Hanna’s home three weeks prior to April 22 and kick in the door demanding she sign over custody of Sophia. "

After Canepa mentioned - in Jake's October 8th, 2019 Motion Hearing - that Jake was violent with one of the victims, she said something interesting:

"There are some theft issues and other acts/information."

Interesting:

Defense might call witnesses to the stand during Billy's bond hearing.

 

[Dudly]

Here is a small part I wanted to see. Hmmm, interesting. Have a good 4th of July, be safe and remember .... don't drink and drive!!

That states in rather plain terms that the Prosecution has evidence of violence on HR, and a physical confrontation between CRsr and BWIII.

 

[Dudly]

How plausible is it that Chris Sr purchased that home for Dana so that their grand babies weren’t near his grow ops. What if this is the reason for the brawl because now the Wagners can’t use it as ammo to coerce Hanna into signing custody away?

I would think highly likely that the purchase was to take away ammo that the Ws may have had for forcing HR to give JW custody. The timing seems right. My opinion only.