Rhoden Family Murders: 4 Arrested 2 Years After Killings

WAVERLY, OH — More than two years after members of the Rhoden family were found shot to death in their homes, four people have been arrested in connection with the high-profile killings in southern Ohio.

"All eight victims were killed in cold blood. They were shot in their own homes. They were brutally executed," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said during a press conference on Tuesday.

All four suspects are members of the Wagner family: George "Billy" Wagner III, 47; Angela Wagner, 48; George Wagner IV, 27; and Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26. All four people have been charged with planning and carrying out the murders of the Rhodens.

George Wagner was arrested in Kentucky on Tuesday morning. The other three suspects were arrested in Ohio, according to Pike County Sheriff Charles S. Reader.

DeWine said he believes evidence will show the Wagners conspired to kill the Rhodens over a span of months. Each suspect is charged with eight counts of aggravated murder and each charge carries death penalty specifications, for each suspect.

Custody of a young child may have played a part in the killings, DeWine said. He said he believes the Wagners studied the Rhodens habits and routines and planned the killings for months. He added he also thinks the Wagners may have tampered with evidence.

"We always believed the perpetrators were familiar with the victims' homes," he said.

Investigation into the killings continued through November 7, 2018, DeWine said. The last piece of evidence was gathered on October 30, 2018. He declined to say what exactly that piece of evidence was, but he said it was part of a meticulous puzzle and not a case-making piece.

The attorney general said this was the largest case undertaken by the Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

"We have never stopped working toward justice for the victims," he said. He estimated that far more than 10,000 hours had been spent looking into the killings. More than 700 items were tested by labs, in connection to the case. Law enforcement traveled to 10 states, including Alaska, as part of the investigation.

In 2017, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced he was narrowing the Pike County investigation around the Wagner family. The two families lived near one another, and search warrants were executed at the Wagner's former homes. Edward "Jake" Wagner reportedly fathered a child with Hannah Rhoden, one of the victims, the Dayton Daily News reported.

“Despite what has been said and alleged, the Wagners were on friendly terms with the Rhodens,” the Wagner family's attorney told the publication. “Therefore, the Wagners had no reason to wish them harm.”

The victims of the killings were: Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, and his ex-wife Dana Manley Rhoden, 37. Christopher and Dana's three children, Hanna May Rhoden, 19, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and Clarence Frankie Rhoden, 20, were also killed.

Frankie's fiance Hannah "Hazel" Gilley, 20, was also killed, along with Christopher Rhoden's brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44, and cousin Gary Rhoden, 38.

Readers can hear 911 calls from around the time of the killings by clicking here.

Attorney General and governor-elect Mike DeWine will hold a joint press conference with Pike County law enforcement on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the arrests.

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Graphic from Ohio Attorney General's Office

Photo: Mourners arrive at Dry Run Church of Christ as authorities provide security before funeral services for six of the eight murder victims from Pike County, Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in West Portsmouth, Ohio. Seven adults and a 16-year-old boy from the Rhoden family were found dead April 22 at four homes scattered across a few miles of countryside near Piketon, about 80 miles east of Cincinnati. Photo by John Minchillo/Associated Press