WAVERLY, Ohio — Two members of the Wagner family who took plea deals years ago will finally be sentenced, according to court records in Pike County.
Edward "Jake" Wagner and his mother, Angela, will both be sentenced on December 17; Angela will officially be sentenced at 9 a.m. that day, while Jake will be sentenced at 11 a.m.
Both took plea deals in 2021.
In the deal with Angela, prosecutors agreed to drop eight charges of aggravated murder in exchange for the plea, and recommended she serve 30 years in prison with no early release.
Jake's guilty plea is more complicated: he pleaded guilty to 18 counts, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the possibility of the death penalty for all members of the Wagner family in exchange for Jake's testimony at any trials. He could still receive up to eight consecutive life sentences for the murders.
Jake, along with his mother, Angela Wagner; his father, George "Billy" Wagner III; and his brother, George Wagner IV, was charged in the deaths of 19-year-old Hanna May Rhoden; her parents, Dana Rhoden and Christopher Rhoden Sr.; her uncle, Kenneth Rhoden; her father's cousin, Gary Rhoden; her 16-year-old brother, Christopher Rhoden Jr; her 20-year-old brother, Clarence Rhoden; and Clarence's fiancee, 20-year-old Hanna Hazel Gilley. All eight were shot to death "execution style" while they slept.
Both Jake and Angela testified in the trial of George Wagner IV in 2022.
Now, it's unclear whether they will testify in the trial of George "Billy" Wagner III, who is currently scheduled to stand trial in January.
However, on Monday, Judge Jonathan P. Hein ruled in favor of the defense's request to move the trial out of Pike County, citing there has been too much public and media interest in the case to seat an impartial jury.
According to Hein's ruling, the new venue for Billy's trial has not been identified yet. The trial was scheduled to begin January 6, though it's unclear whether the change of venue will impact that timeline.
"The court finds that the intense scope of media coverage in this case — and other closely related cases — was so pervasive that prejudice is presumed," reads Hein's decision. "The small population of Pike County and the intense media coverage leads the court to conclude that no jury could truthfully answer that they have no prior knowledge of the horrendous factors of this case."
During a Wednesday hearing, Hein told attorneys he also planned to dismiss the death penalty Billy faces before his trial begins, since the prosecution's plan is to drop it after Jake testifies anyway. That ruling has not yet been filed in Pike County.
It's unclear whether the sentencing will impact the prosecution's ability to call Jake or Angela to testify in Billy's trial; if the death penalty is dismissed before trial begins, and both of them have already learned their sentence, there may be little to no obligation to take the stand.
Hein acknowledged that his decision to move sentencing up and possibly dismiss the death penalty outright ahead of trial creates "a dilemma" for attorneys. Prosecutor Angela Canepa accused Hein of trying to sabotage the case during the hearing Wednesday.
You can read about the Pike County murder trial of George Wagner IV here.
