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Two Wagner family members involved in the 2016 Pike County massacre will be re-sentenced

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PIKE COUNTY, Ohio (WOSU) — The Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals ruled last week that two members of the Wagner family convicted for their participation in a 2016 massacre in Pike County will be re-sentenced.

The state filed the appeal and the court agreed the trial court had erred in several areas with the sentencing of Angela Wagner and her son Edward “Jake” Wagner in the murders of eight people in Pike County.

These undated images released by the Ohio Attorney General’s office, show from left, George “Billy” Wagner III, Angela Wagner, George Wagner IV and Edward “Jake” Wagner. Authorities announced Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, that the family of four has been arrested in the slayings of eight members of one family in rural Ohio two years ago. (Ohio Attorney General’s office via AP)

The victims were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr. and his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden and 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr.; 20-year-old Hannah Gilley, who was Clarence Rhoden’s fiancee; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.

The trial court had sentenced Angela and Edward Wagner, before they testified in the trial of another family member, George “Billy” Wagner, the patriarch of the family. He is still awaiting trial.

Angela, as part of a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to 14 of the 22 counts in the indictment and received a 30-year sentence.

Edward pleaded guilty to 23 charges and initially received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. But then a new judge in the case changed the plea deal by granting him parole eligibility.

Angela and Edward Wagner did testify against George Wagner IV, another family member, at his 2022 trial. He was convicted of 22 charges, including eight counts of aggravated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors said George Wagner IV, his brother, Edward, and their parents plotted the murders during a dispute over custody of Wagner’s niece, whose mother was among those killed.

Prosecutors had agreed to not seek the death penalty for any of the four Wagner family members.

It is not known when Angela and Edward Wagner will be re-sentenced.