Edward Wagner (Jake Wagner)

Edward Lee "Jake" Wagner was born on December 27, 1991, and grew up in Pike County, Ohio, as the younger son of George "Billy" Wagner III and Angela Wagner. He was raised alongside his older brother, George Wagner IV, in a close family involved in farming and other rural businesses throughout southern Ohio.

As a young adult, Wagner entered into a relationship with Hanna May Rhoden. The couple had a daughter together, but their relationship ended amid an increasingly bitter custody dispute. Prosecutors later argued that Wagner became determined to obtain sole control of the child, while members of the Wagner family feared the Rhodens would continue to play a major role in her upbringing.

During the early morning hours of April 22, 2016, eight members of the Rhoden family were murdered at four separate locations throughout Pike County. The victims were Christopher Rhoden Sr., Dana Rhoden, Christopher Rhoden Jr., Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, Hanna May Rhoden, Gary Rhoden, Kenneth Rhoden and Hannah Hazel Gilley.

According to Wagner's own admissions, the murders had been planned over several months by members of the Wagner family. He acknowledged personally shooting several victims while his parents and brother participated in the coordinated attacks. The murders were carried out across four homes during a single overnight operation, with many victims shot while asleep. Young children present inside several homes were deliberately left unharmed.

Wagner later admitted that the primary motive was the custody dispute involving his daughter with Hanna Rhoden. Prosecutors established that the family believed murdering the Rhodens would permanently remove opposition to the Wagner family's control of the child.

The murders were carefully planned and coordinated well in advance. Wagner admitted the family conducted surveillance of the Rhodens, stole firearms, manufactured homemade suppressors and rehearsed aspects of the attacks before carrying them out.

Victims were primarily shot in the head using firearms fitted with suppressors to minimise noise. The family travelled between four separate crime scenes during the night before attempting to destroy evidence, dispose of weapons, alter vehicles and create alibis. They later relocated to Alaska before eventually returning to Ohio.

Investigators concluded that the killings represented one of the most carefully planned multiple homicide conspiracies in Ohio history.

The Pike County massacre triggered one of the largest criminal investigations ever undertaken in Ohio. More than one hundred investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the FBI and numerous local agencies spent over two years collecting forensic evidence, conducting interviews and reconstructing the conspiracy.

On November 13, 2018, Wagner, his parents and his brother were arrested and charged with the murders.

In April 2021, Wagner entered into a comprehensive plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder and numerous related offences, avoiding a potential death sentence. As part of the agreement, he agreed to provide complete and truthful testimony against his mother, brother and father.

Wagner pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder, conspiracy, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, forgery, unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance and numerous additional felony charges.

He was sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, together with additional prison terms for the remaining offences. The plea agreement permanently removed any possibility of parole while also eliminating the possibility of a death sentence.

During the subsequent trials of George Wagner IV and George "Billy" Wagner III, Wagner became the prosecution's principal witness. Over several days of testimony, he described the planning meetings, surveillance, manufacture of suppressors, allocation of victims and the roles played by each member of the Wagner family. His testimony was supported by forensic evidence, electronic records and other witness testimony presented throughout the lengthy trials.

Jake Wagner's guilty plea fundamentally changed the prosecution of the Pike County massacre. By admitting responsibility and agreeing to cooperate, prosecutors avoided multiple lengthy capital murder trials while securing detailed first-hand testimony concerning one of Ohio's most complex homicide conspiracies.

The Pike County massacre remains one of the largest criminal investigations in Ohio history. Wagner's testimony, together with that of his mother Angela Wagner and extensive forensic evidence, contributed directly to the convictions of George Wagner IV in 2022 and George "Billy" Wagner III in 2025. His admissions also established the custody dispute involving his daughter with Hanna Rhoden as the central motive for the murders.

Despite accepting responsibility through his guilty plea, Wagner will spend the remainder of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

• Ohio Attorney General's Office
• Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation
• Pike County Sheriff's Office
• Ohio court records
• Associated Press
• CBS News
• NBC News
• Court TV
• WCPO 9 Cincinnati