Live: Jake Wagner returns to the stand in brother's Pike County killings trial
WAVERLY, Ohio – Jake Wagner will return to the stand on Tuesday to continue testimony in the Pike County murder trial of his brother, George Wagner IV.
On Monday, in all-day testimony, Jake Wagner told jurors he killed five of the eight victims on April 21-22, 2016. He said he shot to death Dana Manley-Rhoden and two of her three children, Hanna May Rhoden and Christopher Rhoden Jr., in one location. He shot her other son, Frankie Rhoden, and his fiancee, Hannah Hazel Gilley, in another location, he said.
He implicated his father, George "Billy" Wagner III, in the remaining three deaths, and did not cite his brother as the shooter at any of the four scenes.
A custody battle between Jake Wagner and Hanna May Rhoden over the then-2-year-old daughter they shared inspired the crime, according to prosecutors.
George Wagner IV entered a plea of not guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder and 14 other charges in the case. His trial, which began Aug. 29, is now in its eighth week in the Pike County Common Pleas Court.
Jake Wagner, who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder last year, returns to the witness stand at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Because of a court media order – and Wagner's decision to opt out of being recorded or photographed – journalists can only capture his testimony with handwritten notes.
Reporting from the courtroom will be posted here throughout the day.
Jake Wagner back on the stand this morning in #PikeCountyMassacre trial of his brother #JakeWagnerIV. pic.twitter.com/v66xqEC6lQ
— Patricia Gallagher Newberry (@pattinewberry) October 25, 2022
Jake Wagner is walking jurors through what happened after he killed five members of the Rhoden family in #PikeCountyMassacre trial of his brother, #JakeWagnerIV. 1/7
— Patricia Gallagher Newberry (@pattinewberry) October 25, 2022
As Jake Wagner continues his testimony in the #PikeCountyMassacre of his brother, #GeorgeWagnerIV today, he's offering facts in opposition to what Wagner IV's lawyers put in front of the jury in their opening statement in the trial. 1/7
— Patricia Gallagher Newberry (@pattinewberry) October 25, 2022
Jake Wagner spent much of the afternoon reviewing ground covered by other witnesses so far in the #PikeCountyMassacre trial of his brother #GeorgeWagnerIV. Under questioning from Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa, he offered a few new details about his family and the case. 1/11
— Patricia Gallagher Newberry (@pattinewberry) October 25, 2022
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is Jake Wagner telling jurors in the Pike County case?
