Pike County massacre: George ‘Billy’ Wagner III appears before new visiting judge

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - The lone Wagner family member facing trial in the 2016 Pike County massacre appeared in court Friday for a pretrial motion hearing.

This was the first time George “Billy” Wagner III faced a new visiting judge who was recently appointed to oversee his upcoming trial, retired Darke County Common Pleas Court Judge Jonathan Hein.

Judge Hein introduced himself and addressed the courtroom about the discussions he had with Wagner’s attorneys and the prosecution prior to the hearing.

He emphasized the importance of the lawyers informing the judge about the next steps and their urgency.

He also highlighted several pending motions in the case and stressed the need to establish a priority list for them.

The judge also said he wants to schedule a court date every month to avoid prolonged proceedings.

Billy’s trial is set for Jan. 6, 2025.

The previous visiting judge on the case, Brown County Common Pleas Court Judge R. Alan Corbin, denied a change of venue motion from Billy’s defense late last year.

However, this new judge can revisit that if he chooses.

The case returns to court on Oct. 7 with other hearings set for Nov. 6 and Dec. 16, court records show.

Billy, 53, has pleaded not guilty to all charges connected to the execution-style shootings of the Rhoden and Gilley families.

He remains locked up without a bond at the Butler County Jail and is now the longest-serving inmate there, according to Sheriff Richard Jones.

The victims of the April 2016 massacre were 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.

Two infants and a toddler were spared by the killers and left behind at the murder scenes: a 5-day-old baby girl, a 6-month-old baby boy, and a 3-year-old boy.

Prosecutors have said the motive in the murders was the custody of the young daughter of Jake Wagner and one of the victims he confessed to shooting in the head twice, Hanna May Rhoden.

The young couple began dating when she was 13 and he was 18. She became pregnant with their daughter at 15.

They broke up after she was born.

Three of the four Wagners involved in the case have already pleaded guilty or have been convicted: Billy’s wife, Angela Wagner, 52. Their sons, Edward “Jake” Wagner, 28, and George Wagner IV, 32.

Angela and Jake confessed and pleaded guilty for their roles in the massacre in separate hearings in 2021, but George IV maintained his innocence through his 2022 jury trial.

It ended in swift “guilty” verdicts on all 22 charges.

George IV is currently serving eight life sentences and 121 years on 16 other charges.

The life sentences are running consecutively.

The death penalty was taken off the table after his brother and mother testified against him for the state.

George IV recently filed an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction.

Gov. DeWine has called his trial “one of the longest, if not the longest, trials in Ohio history.”

Estimates from state and local officials have placed the costs at nearly $4 million, all funded by the state of Ohio.

Those taxpayer-funded expenses are only going to grow as George IV now appeals, and his father heads for trial.

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