Pike County Massacre: Billy Wagner’s trial date moved to 2025

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - The Pike County Massacre saga continues after the visiting judge on the case delayed the trial date for George “Billy” Wagner III.

Originally, Billy Wagner’s trial was supposed to begin on May 6, 2024. However, Brown County Common Pleas Court Judge R. Alan Corbin announced on Thursday that the new trial date is set for Jan. 6, 2025, at the earliest.

During a status hearing, Billy’s defense attorney, Mark Collins, requested a later trial date due to several issues that recently came up:

• A few members of the defense counsel had medical issues.
• Billy’s attorney has also been assigned to a death penalty case coming up in April.
• The defense just received 16,000 pages in transcripts for Billy’s case.
• Billy did not want to start the trial in May if the co-counsel was not going to be there.

Due to these reasons, the defense said they would not be ready in time.

“Based on that, your honor, out of an abundance of caution, we believe that we should definitely get it to this court and get it to the prosecutor in advance, and I apologize, your honor, to the Rhoden family, your honor, that we’re requesting this but it’s something we didn’t want to have happen a day or two or a week before the trial...,” Collins said.

In turn, Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa objected to the request for a continuance, arguing that this would not only affect the witnesses’ schedules in the case but also the surviving Rhoden family members.

“[T]he victims’ family in this case has been dealing with this and wanting justice and closure since April of 2016, when they first learned of this tragedy,” Canepa explained.

After hearing both arguments, Judge Corbin granted the request for a continuance.

“[...] I wouldn’t be granting it if I didn’t think it was [justified], however, I do know that the Rhoden family [...] isn’t probably too enthusiastic about this, and I understand that - I apologize. But I think in order to forward reasonable accommodations to the defense to present their case and to prepare to present it, this continuance is necessary so I am granting a continuance of the May 6th trial date,” Corbin explained.

Soon after hearing the earliest possible date for the new trial, two women walked out of the courtroom, one of whom was Wilma McCoy, a surviving Rhoden family member.

“Almost nine years. Almost nine years. We will be in a decade before they’re all found guilty and sentenced,” McCoy told FOX19 NOW.

McCoy adds that 81-year-old Geneva Rhoden, the family’s matriarch, will now have to wait at least another year for the trial. She says Geneva rarely comes to court due to health reasons.

“She takes one day at a time. One day at a time. And now, she has to wait another year,” McCoy explained. “Will she make it?”

Prosecutors requested that the trial date not be moved again.

Who is Billy Wagner?

The Wagner family is accused of murdering eight members of the Rhoden family back in 2016. The mass murder was soon called the Pike County Massacre as it is one of the largest murder investigations in Ohio’s history.

The victims are Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his older brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; his cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38; Chris Rhoden Sr.’s former wife, Dana Lynn Rhoden, 37, and their children: Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, Hanna May Rhoden, 19, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and Frankie’s fiancé, Hannah “Hazel” Gilley, 20.

Three of the four Wagners involved in the case have already pleaded guilty or have been convicted. In 2021, Billy’s wife, Angela Wagner, and his youngest son, Edward “Jake” Wagner, pleaded guilty to their involvement. His eldest son, George Wagner IV was convicted in November 2022.

That leaves Billy, the patriarch of the Wagner family, who pleaded not guilty to 22 charges.

Billy remains locked up without a bond at the Butler County Jail.

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