George Wagner III (Billy Wagner)

George Wagner III, commonly known as "Billy" Wagner, was born in 1991 and grew up in Pike County, Ohio, as the eldest son of George Wagner II and Angela Wagner. He was raised alongside his younger brother, Edward "Jake" Wagner, in a close-knit family involved in farming and other rural businesses. Members of the Wagner family lived and worked together for many years, maintaining strong family ties.

Before the murders, Wagner lived in southern Ohio and worked alongside family members. Although he had no direct custody dispute with the Rhoden family, prosecutors later argued that he became deeply involved in a family conspiracy centred on helping his younger brother obtain permanent control over his daughter with Hanna Rhoden.

During the early hours of April 22, 2016, eight members of the Rhoden family were murdered at four separate locations across 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.

Prosecutors established that the Wagner family spent months planning the coordinated attacks. George Wagner III participated alongside his parents and brother as the family travelled between multiple residences, shooting victims while many were asleep. Several children were present inside homes during the attacks but were deliberately left unharmed.

The primary motive presented at trial was the Wagner family's determination to gain custody of Jake Wagner's young daughter with Hanna Rhoden. Prosecutors argued the family believed eliminating members of the Rhoden family would permanently resolve the custody dispute.

The murders were carefully planned over many months and carried out during a single overnight operation. Firearms fitted with homemade suppressors were used to minimise noise while victims were shot, primarily in the head, inside their homes.

Investigators established that the Wagner family conducted surveillance of the victims, stole firearms beforehand, created silencers, disabled security systems and carefully coordinated movements between crime scenes. After the murders, members of the family attempted to destroy evidence, altered vehicles and moved to Alaska before eventually returning to Ohio.

The coordinated nature of the attacks demonstrated extensive planning rather than spontaneous violence.

The Pike County murders triggered one of the largest homicide investigations in Ohio history. Hundreds of investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the FBI, the Pike County Sheriff's Office and numerous other agencies spent more than two years reconstructing the conspiracy.

Evidence gradually linked the Wagner family to the murders through forensic evidence, electronic records, interviews, firearms analysis, surveillance evidence and witness testimony. In November 2018, George Wagner III, George Wagner II, Angela Wagner and Edward "Jake" Wagner were all arrested and charged with the murders.

A major breakthrough occurred when Jake Wagner entered into a plea agreement in 2021. He admitted personally participating in the murders and agreed to testify against the remaining members of his family. During Billy Wagner's trial, Jake described months of planning and detailed his brother's role in carrying out the killings.

Billy Wagner's trial began in Pike County before being moved to Ross County because of extensive publicity surrounding the case. The proceedings lasted several months and became one of the longest and most complex murder trials in Ohio history.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Wagner actively participated in planning and executing the murders. Jurors heard testimony from Jake Wagner, Angela Wagner and numerous investigators, along with extensive forensic evidence connecting the family to the conspiracy. The defense argued that Jake and Angela falsely implicated Billy to obtain favorable plea agreements and maintained that he was not present during the killings.

On December 1, 2022, the jury found Wagner guilty of eight counts of aggravated murder along with aggravated burglary, conspiracy, tampering with evidence and numerous other offences.

The court sentenced him to eight consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, together with additional prison terms for the remaining convictions. His convictions remain subject to the normal appellate process.

The Pike County massacre remains one of the largest family homicide cases in modern American history. The investigation involved more than one hundred search warrants, thousands of interviews and extensive forensic examination across multiple crime scenes. Authorities described it as one of the most complex criminal investigations ever undertaken in Ohio.

Billy Wagner consistently maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and trial. Prosecutors relied heavily upon testimony from his mother and brother, both of whom entered plea agreements, together with extensive corroborating forensic and circumstantial evidence presented over months of testimony.

The case has generated continuing public attention because four members of a single family were accused of participating in the murders. While Jake Wagner and Angela Wagner accepted plea agreements, George Wagner III and George Wagner II proceeded to trial separately. George Wagner II was later convicted on all counts in 2025.

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