The first trial in the case of eight Ohio family members who were fatally shot more than six years ago was scheduled to begin with opening statements on Monday.
In the 2016 killings of the Rhoden family close to Piketon in southern Ohio, defendant George Wagner IV was accused in Pike County Court. If found guilty, Wagner, 30, would be executed. Last Monday, a 12-member jury with six alternates was chosen in county court in Waverly, which is located about 65 miles (105 kilometres) south of Columbus.
According to the authorities, a quarrel over custody of a kid that George Wagner’s brother, Jake Wagner, had with Hanna Rhoden, one of the victims, led to the shootings of seven adults and a teenage boy. The accusation also included George Wagner’s parents and brother. According to the prosecution, the Wagners planned the murders for months in response to the custody issue.
Last year, Jake Wagner admitted to killing five of the victims in his guilty plea to the shootings. In exchange for his plea, the government agreed to drop the death penalty against him. Angela Wagner, Wagner’s mother, also admitted to participating in the murder plot. Father of Jake and George Wagner, George “Billy” Wagner III, has entered a not-guilty plea.
