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Ohio police finally arrested four people during the shocking murder, in 2016, of a family that was running a huge marijuana operation after his death.
State Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Tuesday the busts of the journalist, in connection with a crime that seems to stem from a battle for the custody of two families.
"This is the weirdest story I've ever seen involved in law enforcement," DeWine told a news conference on Tuesday, adding that the defendants were obsessed with the custody and the control of children related to victims.
In April 2016, eight members of the Rhoden family, aged 16 to 44, were found shot dead in their beds in four different homes. Three of these houses had large marijuana farms, authorities said.
The police handcuffed four members of the Wagner family: George "Billy Wagner III, 47; his wife, Angela Wagner, 48; and their sons George Wagner IV, 27, and Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26 years old.
The Wagners, who were indicted on Monday, are each charged with eight counts of aggravated murder and are punishable by death.
The victims were Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, his ex-wife Dana Manley Rhoden, 37, and the three children of the couple: Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; Hanna May Rhoden, 19; and Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20 years old.
Frankie Rhoden's fiancée, Hannah Gilley, 20, Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44, and his cousin Gary Rhoden, 38, were also murdered.
At the time of the murders, the police stated that all but one victim had been shot in the "execution" head while they were sleeping in their bed.
The former Christopher Rhoden was shot in the chest, said the coroner.
According to police officers, the murderers saved the lives of three children, including the 5-day-old daughter of Hanna Rhoden. The baby, Kylie, was in bed next to Hanna when she was executed, the police said. (The other children were 6 months and 3 years old.)
Jake Wagner was an ex-boyfriend of Hanna Rhoden, and both have a daughter, then 3 years old.
DeWine said Tuesday that the Wagners had planned their "heartless and mercilessly cold-blooded" executions for months. The alleged killers studied the habits and habits of their victims and took note of the disposition of their homes and where they slept. The Wagners have been friends with the Rhodens for years, DeWine said.
The Wagners face additional charges, including conspiracy, bribery, aggravated burglary and falsification of evidence, as well as forgery – for allegedly falsifying child custody records.
Two grandmothers-Rita Newcomb, mother of Angela Wagner, and Fredericka Wagner, the mother of Billy Wagner – were also arrested on Tuesday for allegedly helping to conceal the crimes.
Last summer, investigators announced that the Wagner clan was wanted for interrogation and had recently settled in Alaska.
The Attorney General has refrained from revealing a motive, citing the ongoing lawsuit, but said custody of a young child plays a role in the heinous affair.
Yet an article by Cincinatti.com published several weeks after the killings seemed to announce a conflict between Jake Wagner and Charlie Gilley, the father of Kylie, the newborn of the victim Hanna Rhoden. The two men were apparently waiting for a paternity test.
In June 2016, Jake Wagner told Cincinnati.com that he was 50% likely to be Kylie's father and had been with Hanna Rhoden for about three years before hosting their daughter Sophia.
Jake said that even though he was not Kylie's father, he "would like a mandatory visit to see her regularly" so that Sophia could spend time with her little sister.
His mother, the alleged accomplice to the murder, Angela Wagner, also spoke to the Ohio print media at the time.
"They need one of the other," said Angela Wagner about little Sophia and Kylie. "When they are old enough to understand, they will really need each other."
For his part, Charlie Gilley – who is also the murder victim's brother – told the publication that he had hired a lawyer and believed that Kylie was his daughter.
"It kills me every day that I can not see her. That she is with perfect strangers. I can not stand this idea, "said Gilley, who in October 2015 made Hanna's sonogram her cover photo on Facebook.
"I'm just looking forward to holding it. I know that she is mine. "
Meanwhile, even as the police focused on the Wagner family, Jake Wagner did not stop talking to the media.
In an interview with Cincinnati.com last year, Jake Wagner said his family had moved to escape suggestions that they would be involved in the Rhoden massacre – and to protect his then-3-year-old daughter.
Jake then said at the exit by e-mail: "No, I did not tell Sophia that her mother had been killed / murdered. It would be too difficult for her now. She knows that her mom visits Jesus and lives in her heart whenever she needs her.
According to the indictment released Tuesday, Jake Wagner is accused of illegal sexual behavior with a minor for having sexual contact with Hanna Rhoden at the age of 15, while he was 20 years old. Their daughter, Sophia, was with the Wagners on the night of the murders, the Attorney General's office announced.
In the months leading up to the murders, the Wagner made several purchases, including "brass sensors" to recover used cartridges, an insect detector, ammunition and a magazine clip. They also shared information about the victims' property and the site surveillance devices, including pets and indictments.
Prosecutors said the family had also destroyed or tampered with evidence, including a video recording device bought by Jake Wagner in March 2016, elements of a home security system, surveillance cameras and phones belonging to some of the victims. The Wagners are also accused of "illegally monitoring various social media accounts."
As previously reported by the Daily Beast, this southern part of Ohio was teeming with drugs and the locals, who were initially eager to raise money for a reward in the murders, took a step back when the drug traffic of Rhodens was revealed by the police.
As the Beast revealed, two of the Rhoden brothers were not shy about making enemies. Frankie Rhoden served a probation sentence for cringing a rival's teeth.
DeWine said investigators from several government agencies had provided more than 1,100 tricks, conducted 550 interviews and served 200 subpoenas, search warrants and court orders, and tested 700 pieces of evidence over the course of the year. investigation, which lasted two and a half years.
The detectives traveled to 10 states and spent a lot of time in Alaska, DeWine told reporters.
At the same time, Charles Reader, Pike County Sheriff, said he had been stationed for less than a year when the murders took place. "Images of homes, bodies, scenes, I will never be able to erase them," Reader said, adding that even 20 years of law enforcement experience could not prepare for the horrible crime scene.
"We have been obsessively focused on solving this case," Reader said. He added: "Today, we have the answer. The members of one family conspired, planned, executed and concealed their act of violence to exterminate members of another family.
"They did it quickly, coldly, calmly and with a lot of attention, but not enough," the sheriff said.
The Wagners left behind a series of alleged crimes, including the parts needed to build a muffler, the fake documents, the cameras and the cell phones they tampered with, Reader said.
When a journalist asked for information on allegations that the Rhodians were involved in dog fights and a marijuana grow-op, DeWine said the case involved "a flurry of drugs", but there was no evidence that the murders were drug related.
According to Reader, no matter what these reports, "No one deserved in the dark of the night for the cowards to go into sleep and perform them in a way that is unbelievable for anyone, including for the forces of l & # 39; order. "
The authorities refused to say whether the Wagners knew that the arrests were coming.
Family patriarch Billy Wagner was arrested Tuesday afternoon in front of a horse hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.
He was inside a horse trailer that police stopped, while the rest of his family was arrested in Ohio.
John Kearson Clark, a lawyer for the Wagner family, declined to comment in detail but said that they looked forward to their day in court, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
"They are hoping for a thorough examination of the facts," Clark said.
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