Live: Pike County murder trial of George Wagner IV continues Thursday

Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer
·1 min read

The trial of George Wagner IV, now in its fifth week, continues in Pike County on Thursday. Wagner IV entered a plea of not guilty on 22 counts related to the 2016 shooting deaths of seven members of the Rhoden family and one future member.

Highlights from Wednesday:

  • Attorneys for George Wagner IV called for a mistrial after the prosecution played a nearly two-hour recorded interview between Wagner IV's father and an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent.

  • In the video, George "Billy" Wagner III talked to an agent about his friend Chris Rhoden Sr., one of the eight victims shot to death in 2016 in Pike County. Billy Wagner talked about Rhoden's marijuana business and said he had been expecting a large shipment of the drug.

  • Billy Wagner said locals could not have committed the Rhoden killings. "That ain't no bunch of hillbillies done that," he said in an interview secretly recorded in a Kroger parking lot.

On Tuesday, Wagner IV's former wife, Tabitha Claytor, called the Wagner family "strange and controlling" during a full day of testimony,

On Monday, two family friends along with Claytor, described Wagner family dynamics. Wagner IV's mother, Angela Wagner, made many of their decisions, witnesses said.

More family members are expected to testify moving forward.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pike County killings live coverage Thursday