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PIKETON, OHIO –
While the judicial process for the six people arrested following the assassination of eight people in Pike County in 2016 began, a wave of relief has spread in this rural community traumatized by two and a half years not to know if the case would ever be resolved.
George "Billy" Wagner III was the first to appear in court. He said he would not fight extradition when he appeared Wednesday in a Fayette County, Kentucky hearing room.
Wagner, who was arrested Tuesday in a caravan in Lexington, must be back in Ohio on Dec. 7 and could be transported to Butler County Jail, according to Sheriff Richard K. Jones.
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Prosecutors hope to seek the death penalty for Billy, along with his wife Angela Wagner and their sons George Wagner IV and Edward "Jake" Wagner. The four are accused of a complicated plot to kill eight people in four different homes in Pike County.
Billy's mother, Fredericka Wagner, and Angela's mother, Rita Newcomb, are expected to be brought to justice this afternoon in Pike County, according to a court official. They are accused of perjury and obstruction of justice. Newcomb also faces a charge of forgery.
Authorities say it will probably take years for the courts to determine whether all family members are guilty or innocent of the crimes. But the security forces have ensured that no one else responsible would be put on the nerves.
"When I heard this last night, a sigh fell on me, as if a ton of bricks had been removed," said Robert Oberdier as he was heading to his truck from the Briar Patch store located just off Lucasville.
"When people come out like that, nobody knows where they are," he said. "You can not believe anyone, you can not trust anyone. The community is much better right now.
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"Put a bandage on an open wound"
Bill Harbert, a hairdresser in Waverly, Pike County headquarters, said the arrests were "a bandage on an open wound." It's really trying to heal now.
Harbert said his clients had been speculating for years on the potential perpetrators of such a sophisticated crime that investigators would apparently have few tracks to follow. Hidden car allowance applications have risen sharply, he said.
"We feel a little safer now, thinking that they are on the street, hoping the right people are," he said. "It's scary for the whole community."
He added that the Wagner were famous for their beautiful farm and real estate. "Nothing serious has ever been said here about them".
Morty Throckmorton, director of Piketon's Smart Mart Discount Store, said she did not know either family, but the whole community was affected by the crime.
"It hurt this little town," she said. "We could see people who were afraid"
"It will be a scar, but over time it will heal."
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Closure still far
The victims have become household names for Ohio residents in the 935 days between the assassination and the announcement of the arrests on Tuesday, as news agencies frequently traveled to the area. populated 100 miles southeast of Dayton, although there was little news to report.
Their names – Christopher Rhoden Sr .; his ex-wife Dana Manley Rhoden; and their three children Hanna May Rhoden, Christopher Rhoden Jr. and Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden; Hannah "Hazel" Gilley, the fiancee of Frankie Rhoden; Christopher Rhoden's older brother, Kenneth Rhoden; and his cousin Gary Rhoden – will never be forgotten here.
Saundra Ford, a colleague of Dana Rhoden, said the community's attention turned to the Wagners when they settled in Alaska last year.
"The minute they left the city, everyone started to speculate," she said.
But while the community feels relieved, it may take some time before the company closes, said Matt Lucas, editor-in-chief of Pike County Newsman Watchman.
"Everyone was wondering if the day would come when they would make arrests," he said, noting that the many years of legal proceedings could have detrimental consequences for the family and friends of the victims.
"The process is just beginning and it's not over for a long time," he said. "Something has happened, there's movement on the case, but it's early in the closing."
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Family pastor
The pastor of the murdered family hopes that the arrests will lead to the closure of the Manley and Rhoden families, as well as the community.
Phil Fulton, pastor at Adams County's Union Hill Church, said he was "ecstatic" when he learned of the existence of the arrests.
"It was the best news we had in two and a half years," he said.
While many residents of Pike County thought the case would not be resolved, Fulton knew the answers would come to an end.
"I was expecting it to come, but I did not know when," he said. "It was just good news that they had finally made the arrests and the closure could really happen."
Although no motive has been announced, investigators have stated that custody issues between Edward "Jake" Wagner and Hanna Rhoden, one of the victims with whom he shared a child, had played a role.
"Jake was very good friends and was very close to this family until the battle for childcare," said Fulton. "Why this triggers them is the mystery for me."
The charges, if proven, are shocking, the pastor said, "Why would you murder eight people because you wanted full custody of a little girl. It blows me the spirit. "
Fulton hopes that the arrests will bring some peace to the victims and their families.
"The Rhoden family can finally rest assured that their family members will get justice," he said.
John Bedell of WHIO-TV and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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