OH - Pike Co - 8 in Rhoden Family Murdered Over Custody Issue - 4 Members Wagner Family Arrested #74

[tlcya]

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio —

A town woke up one morning to the horror that eight people were brutally killed. The Rhoden family suffered an unthinkable loss eight times over on one late April night in 2016. And years would go by before an arrest was made, and the massacre of an entire family still haunts Pike County, Ohio to this day. On April 22, 2021 Edward Jake Wagner pleads guilty and agrees to testify against family members.

PRESSER: APRIL 27, 2016

Video Interview with Attorney General DeWine Published 8-13-16

Minors: You may discuss what is covered in the main stream media regarding the custody of minor children. If posting snips from articles regarding the children please redact their names. These babes are innocents. One day they will google their names or those of their parents. And plenty will come up. Let's be respectful of them and the catastrophic loss they have suffered at such tender ages. Thanks.

DO NOT SLEUTH STILL LIVING FAMILY MEMBERS' FACEBOOK PAGES AND POST ABOUT IT HERE. Just don't mention it. Period.

Leave the politics, both national and local, at the door. There is no room for them here.

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MEDIA, MAPS & TIMELINE LINKS *NO DISCUSSION*

Detailed Timeline Post by BettyP

CASE NOTES (courtesy of cujenn81) this link contains locations, distance, victim info, relationships and more.

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[Tiff23fr]

Mod Note:
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Thanks,
Tiff

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

This is a trial thread. Bickering, rudeness and personalizing are violations of TOS at any time, let alone in a trial thread. If it resumes, permanent thread reply bans will be issued to members involved.

 

[Niner]

last tweet from yesterday.



Evan Millward
@EvanMillward
PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: Kendra recounts a time at the Scioto Co. Fair when Jake said something "demeaning" to Hanna. Kendra kicked him int he shin and Hanna separated the two.

Kendra says Hanna wanted her to get to know Jake better - but they just didn't like each other.

Kendra says she wasn't allowed to be around during Hanna's pregnancy - says Jake was who wouldn't let her be there.

After Hanna had Sophia, she moved in with Jake and his family on Peterson Rd. - also stayed with them on Bethel Hill Rd for a time.

Kendra says Hanna had recordings of calls and in-person convos she and Jake had.

In those. she says he admits to "hitting her, choking her, pushing her against a wall."

Hanna shared with Kendra have she and Jake split.

Defense objects to some of this questioning too - they are in sidebar.

Meantime, h/t to @ldufour
@Enquirer
for sharing these photos from Gary Rhoden's funeral - showing Billy, Jake, and George entering.



Kendra recalls a phone call in which Jake was trying to say Kylie (Hanna's second child) was his. She remembers both she and Hanna pointed out that Kylie could not be his - and he could not be part of her life.

Kendra recalls a phone call on speaker - Jake tells Hanna if she leaves him, she leaves Sophia too. He wants them to parent as a unit.

Kendra says Hanna broke up with Charlie Gilley because he wouldn't commit and was using pain pills.

Knew she was pregnant when she started dating Corey Holdren. She helped him through pain pill withdrawal and he got clean.

Kendra says she spent time with Hanna, Kylie, and Corey - and Kendra's then-bf - on April 21, 2016. They went fishing at a pond around Pike Hill.

Kendra was supposed to stay at Hanna's - but ended up babysitting for her friend and it lasted until the morning.

A family friend called to say Chris Sr had been shot. She rushed to Union Hill and was stopped before Frankie's house.

Kendra says she and her brother Luke and her ex-bf were there. She became upset hearing Hanna had died - was crying - some family tried to push past deputies. One cousin was actually arrested.

Kendra says she had called her dad Kenneth - he would normally call back on his lunch break around noon. When that didn't happen, Luke and Donald went to check.

Her aunt got a text that Kenny was dead - screamed out. Kendra ran from church.

Kendra says she had a family friend drive her across the highway where she ran to a state trooper.

"I was trying to get to Hanna because I just wanted to be with her."

Kendra says she knew about Kenneth's marijuana - he liked to brag about it. She would buy it from him for herself and her then-bf.

Kenneth didn't approve of her smoking, so she lied and said it was for her then-bf only.

Kendra says George, Billy, and Jake were at the funerals for the six Rhodens - she spoke with Jake briefly there.

Kendra recounts another call on speakerphone in which Jake Wagner told Hanna he didn't want their daughter Sophia around her new boyfriend Corey Holdren - and if she was, "he would take her away."

Kendra says she also knew Chris Rhoden Sr had marijuana on his property because he talked about it - and would go into the garage to "conduct business" with people including Billy Wagner.

If she and Hanna were there, he would send them inside the house.

Kendra says a man named Rick attacked Chris Sr with a 2x4 and put him in the hospital. Her dad Kenneth visited him in the hospital.

Says Chris kept a shotgun by his bedroom door. Dana had a small handgun. Hanna did not own a gun.

Kendra says her dad Kenneth was protective of Chris Sr and the whole family.

Kendra says she saw Sophia once after the murders.

it was at the Wagners' home on Peterson Rd - they saw Sophia and George's son Bulvine. She says it was outside - Jake was with them. Angela was inside.

Kendra says she saw a text from Jake to Hanna right before the murders - offering to keep Sophia for a few extra days so Hanna could recover from giving birth to Kylie.

Canepa wraps direct.

Richard Nash is on cross-examination.

Asks about "Big Mike from Cincinnati" and about Kendra telling BCI agents Chris Sr was going to buy a building for a pill mill.

Lots of objections happening - Kendra says she gave that info based on hearsay.

Nash asks about info Kendra gave BCI about Kenneth's dog Brownie and Chris Sr's dog Chance.

Says they were aggressive to people they did not know.

Nash asks Kendra if she knew is Chris Sr was engaged in more than marijuana trafficking. She says she does not have firsthand knowledge.



link: https://twitter.com/evanmillward

 

[Niner]

Evan Millward
@EvanMillward
·
12h
PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: Back from break - Corey Holdren is on the stand.

He was dating Hanna May Rhoden at the time she was killed.



Holdren says Kendra introduced him to Hanna May.

Canepa asks how their relationship was?

"Great. She was in love with me, I was in love with her. She was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Holdren says at the time they met, he was addicted to pain pills.

Says Hanna sat by his side as he went through withdrawal getting clean.

"Nobody does that unless you love somebody."

Corey says he's the one who chose baby Kylie's name, was with Hanna whens he gave birth and cut the umbilical cord.

Kylie's biological father was Charlie Gilley - but Hanna left him because of a drug problem and he wouldn't commit.

Last texts between Corey and Hanna were telling each other that they loved each other.

Corey breaks down on the stand - telling the jury Hanna's grandma is the one who told him she was dead. "They kept saying they were gone."

Corey calls Hanna a great mom.

Says Jake came to his house about one week before the murders - he wanted to visit Sophia and see where she was staying.

Corey says Hanna told him Jake kept her "locked up" in the bedroom and she couldn't even go see her dad Chris Sr.

Corey says it felt like it was all a prank "and Hanna was going to come walking out ....it still feels like that."

Defense does not cross-exam Corey.


link: https://twitter.com/evanmillward

 

[Niner]

Evan Millward
@EvanMillward
PIKE COUNTY TRIAL: Chelsea Robinson, Frankie Rhoden's ex and the mother of Brentley who Bobby Jo said let her into their trailer to find them, is the next witness.

She has opted out of broadcast video and audio.


link: https://twitter.com/evanmillward


And that is all Evan has for Chelsea.

 

[YaYa_521]

Continue the discussion here.

 

[sunshineray]

CR's testimony by the normally sited numerous reporters seems to have not been written down in any other way other than...she testified and opted out from video and audio recording.
Some info about what was asked and answered on her direct examination can be found viewing my posted reply to Skully67's post carried over from the last thread...

Twitter acct @chasingpaper89 has some hand written notes uploaded of the last witness of today. Don't know who wrote them, don't know if they accurate as to the testimony. So that's why I'm not posting here, but you may want to look for yourselves.

Ok everyone should check out this twitter mentioned in Skully's post. There are more cases than the W's being talked about so you have to scroll to read the information on CR''s testimony yesterday (her cross examination will start on Monday). That whole JW to HR exchange about stay put or I'll chop your legs off is explained in context of when it happened and how CR can testified to it.

 

[Johnny B Bad]

I don’t blame Chelsea from not being on tv, she had a person creeping around her place she lived at, the summer after the murders, according to the newspaper article she gave how her and her so was doing after the massacre, the Wagner family, sounds like they are good at intimidating people and also revenge, JMO

 

[ColMustard]

I don’t blame Chelsea from not being on tv, she had a person creeping around her place she lived at, the summer after the murders, according to the newspaper article she gave how her and her so was doing after the massacre, the Wagner family, sounds like they are good at intimidating people and also revenge, JMO

The news article said those creepers were "dressed like ninjas".

MOO .. Wagners paranoid about what she knew, trying to make her be quiet? Or trying to tie up loose ends?

 

[Betty P]

CR's testimony yesterday, per Patricia Newberry of the Cincinnati Enquirer

Patricia Gallagher Newberry

@pattinewberry


Chelsea Robinson, who had a son with victim Frankie Rhoden, said Jake Wagner once threatened to cripple Hanna May Rhoden. "If she tried to leave he was going to chop her legs off so she could never leave the house," Robinson said, recounting Hanna May's call about the threat. 6/8

https://twitter.com/x/status/1575980964680826881

 

[rescuemom]

CR's testimony by the normally sited numerous reporters seems to have not been written down in any other way other than...she testified and opted out from video and audio recording.
Some info about what was asked and answered on her direct examination can be found viewing my posted reply to Skully67's post carried over from the last thread...



Ok everyone should check out this twitter mentioned in Skully's post. There are more cases than the W's being talked about so you have to scroll to read the information on CR''s testimony yesterday (her cross examination will start on Monday). That whole JW to HR exchange about stay put or I'll chop your legs off is explained in context of when it happened and how CR can testified to it.

For some reason I did not see much info from this...maybe I didn't look hard enough but would love to read what was said. I wonder why so little has been written by the other journalists who tell us almost verbatim what is said after trial day.

 

[LMDlong]

For some reason I did not see much info from this...maybe I didn't look hard enough but would love to read what was said. I wonder why so little has been written by the other journalists who tell us almost verbatim what is said after trial day.

A link would help.

 

[Skully67]

A link would help.

I had found 3 separate pages of hand written notes via that Twitter acct. I don't know how to link. Also, I can't verify the truthfulness of what was written. So everyone who wants to will just have to dig thru that acct to find the 3 I found.

 

[rescuemom]

GW4 is charged with multiple counts and those counts need foundation and to be explained. Realistically for GW4 to get a fair trial it has to happen this way otherwise the jury would not have much to go on. I try to put myself in the juror's seat. I agree RB that not much has come out about GW4 but if the trial focused just on GW4 from the beginning and had no background info I would wonder. I think the way this is going chronologically day by day, scene by scene. victim by victim is the only way to do it They tell a story with all of the participants and locations. We just have to be patient. I think it is about to get interesting!

 

[justtrish]

For some reason I did not see much info from this...maybe I didn't look hard enough but would love to read what was said. I wonder why so little has been written by the other journalists who tell us almost verbatim what is said after trial day.

When you open that twitter account look at the photos instead of the tweets. I was able to find the 3 photos of the hand written notes as the first few photos there. This twitter account posted these in a reply to Angelette Levy (sp). That is how I found them. I hope that helps!

 

[Betty P]

The news article said those creepers were "dressed like ninjas".

MOO .. Wagners paranoid about what she knew, trying to make her be quiet? Or trying to tie up loose ends?

Still looking for that article, I know its out there. Here's a snip from Holly Zacharia's article about Chelsea shortly after the murders

She said with her faith and the help and love of family, she knows her son will be fine. Yet she's afraid. Her child cheated death. A killer took the others she loved and left him alone.

Chelsea can't help but wonder why.

The Robinsons sleep together now in a huddle. Their guns are loaded. A neighbor catnaps during the day so he can stand watch at night.

"I go to bed scared every night," Chelsea said, wiping away her tears. Then she looked over at Brentley who was focused on his fistful of army men. She caught her breath. "But I wake up grateful every morning knowing that we've lived another day."

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2016/05/13/mother-3-year-old-who/24140891

 

[justtrish]

GW4 is charged with multiple counts and those counts need foundation and to be explained. Realistically for GW4 to get a fair trial it has to happen this way otherwise the jury would not have much to go on. I try to put myself in the juror's seat. I agree RB that not much has come out about GW4 but if the trial focused just on GW4 from the beginning and had no background info I would wonder. I think the way this is going chronologically day by day, scene by scene. victim by victim is the only way to do it They tell a story with all of the participants and locations. We just have to be patient. I think it is about to get interesting!

Totally agree. They have to lay foundation for all the charge not just the murders. I think they have it planned out well in order to present this information to a jury. I think we know a lot because we have followed this case so we just want them to get to the parts we don't know yet. We are waiting for the info from the wire taps, the recorded calls and informants. The jury if they really haven't followed the case as they have said they didn't, then they are hearing a lot of this for the first time. They don't know where houses were located and who was killed at each one like we do.

 

[justtrish]

@RAISINISBACK I am copy/pasting a couple of your statements from last thread here!
What the actual frick did Angie want with all those grandkids to take care of? If I had been her I would have been on a fast plane to Costa Rica as soon as those boys mentioned it.

I think for Angela it was all about control. She didn't have a life outside of her kids. IMO, she built a life around her husband and boys. Her husband was up to no good and then got the boys into that same life. She just assisted and supported it all. I know we've discussed here the relationship between Hannah and Jake and how young Hannah was. Angela knew this too. I have sons and no way I'd allow my over age sons, underage girlfriend to move in. She wanted the baby because I think she wanted a girl, she wanted to control things. For her there was no life outside her kids/grandkids. You had a life you were living other than raising your son so once he was grown, you had other interests and things to focus on. When someone has nothing else, sometimes that is good and positive. Many grandmothers love helping care for grandchild while parents work because the world is a crazy place and it's hard to trust strangers these days to care for your children. I know many grandparents that happily care for grandchildren during the day, but are also just as happy to send them on their way home at night. There is a wide range of normal when it comes to these relationships and we all navigate that when it comes and what we are comfortable with and what we personally can do. Angela Wanger was not normal. Her motive was just control. What she says goes and it seems from outside looking in, her sons just did what she said and anyone that opposed her got hell.

This is really the heart of this case. Most of us here are "normal" and me saying that is including a very wide range of "normal". Plenty of different personalities and views make up a large spectrum of "normal" behaviors. That is what makes the world so unique and generally a great place. We (general we) can't fully grasp they why and how because we just don't think like these people. We want to use our "normal" logic to try to figure out the why and how, but it just isn't going to ever make sense. We are not this controlling, we can't imagine ever trying to forge custody documents, or hiding our spouse up in a room and not letting them speak to their parents, trying to have grandkids call us mom, or any of these others ludicris things Angela did. We probably don't have a family unit that we operate like a cult. We don't vote on family matters like murdering an entire family.

I think this was just a perfect storm unfortunately. I am not defending Jake or George, but growing up in this environment with Angela controlling everything, it does change a person. I am sure the ability to get them to all agree to do this started with how they were raised. Over time as decisions were made to operate as a family unit, I am sure loyalty starts to come in, not going against the group, being guilted over smaller decisions, then this plan comes up and over the course of a few months, they planned it and then when it came to it, they all participated.

 

[rescuemom]

I had found 3 separate pages of hand written notes via that Twitter acct. I don't know how to link. Also, I can't verify the truthfulness of what was written. So everyone who wants to will just have to dig thru that acct to find the 3 I found.

I did find them, thanks. I snagged them and will try to post. They seem to be between Angenette Levy... her notes??.. <modsnip> I hope these are approved.