The trial of William “Billy” Wagner III, the Ohio man accused of participating in the mass murder of his son’s ex-girlfriend and seven of her family members in 2016, is seeking a change of venue. He claims that the local jury pool in Pike County has been tainted against him and is requesting the trial be moved to another county.
William Wagner, 53, is accused of being involved in the execution-style killings of Hanna Rhoden, his son’s ex-girlfriend, and her family members during a custody battle for Rhoden’s daughter. A pretrial hearing was held in Pike County, with the trial scheduled for Jan. 6.
According to Fox 19, Wagner’s defense team had previously requested a change of venue due to the tainted jury pool in Pike County. Wagner has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges, including eight counts of aggravated murder.
In court, Jake Wagner, William Wagner’s son, admitted that he planned to kill Hanna Rhoden after she refused to share custody of their daughter. Jake enlisted his parents and brother to carry out the killings of Rhoden and her immediate family, including a 16-year-old boy.
The family allegedly hunted down their victims in three different trailer homes, using guns with homemade silencers. Jake shot Rhoden twice in the head while she was breastfeeding her newborn baby, propping up her body so the baby could continue nursing. Two other young children were also found alive at the scene.
It took two years for the police to make arrests in the case. Initially, they suspected gang or cartel violence due to the discovery of marijuana plants near the murder scenes.
Jake Wagner avoided a potential death sentence by pleading guilty and testifying against his family members. He confessed to shooting five of the victims. He and his brother, George Wagner IV, are serving life sentences for the murders.
Angela Wagner, William Wagner’s wife, had her charges downgraded to conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, burglary, and tampering with evidence in exchange for her guilty plea and testimony. However, William Wagner has refused to plead guilty to any charges, and his family members are expected to testify against him in the upcoming trial.
The victims of the 2016 massacre included eight members of the Rhoden family: Gary Rhoden, Kenneth Rhoden, Christopher Rhoden Sr., Dana Lynn Rhoden, Hanna May Rhoden, Christopher Rhoden Jr., Clarence Rhoden, and Hannah Gilley.
