Pike County massacre trial: George Wagner IV, 31, convicted in 2016 murder of 8 members of Rhoden family
PIKE COUNTY, OHIO: George Wagner IV accused of conspiracy and the brutal massacre of eight Rhoden family members in 2016 was found pleaded guilty on Wednesday, November 30. Wagner was convicted of 22 charges, including eight counts of aggravated murder, as well as further counts of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, forgery, and conspiracy. George Wagner IV, 31, remained “fairly stoic” as the verdicts were read aloud in the courtroom, according to WLWT.
Prosecutors said the Wagner clan had worked with his mother Angela Wagner, father George 'Billy' Wagner, and brother Edward 'Jake' Wagner, to fatally shoot the eight members of the Rhoden family “execution-style” in multiple locations near Piketon in April 2016. Relatives of the Rhoden family sobbed as the verdicts were announced. “I feel sorry for him,” Tony Rhoden, whose brother was among those killed, told reporters outside the courthouse. “Because he is human.”