Jaded Evidence · Interactive investigation
Rhoden and Gilley Family Killings: Billy Wagner Trial
Ohio · Trial transferred to Seneca County
Current legal status: Trial pending; Seneca County venue selected; January 11, 2027 start reported.
Next event: January 11, 2027 — reported jury trial
Explore the people, chronology, evidence and court decisions below. Allegations, testimony, attorney positions and judicial conclusions are labeled separately.
02 | Victim background
Eight people were killed in the April 2016 Pike County shootings: Christopher Rhoden Sr., Kenneth Rhoden, Gary Rhoden, Dana Rhoden, Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, Hanna May Rhoden, Christopher Rhoden Jr. and Hannah Gilley. This case file centers their deaths and separates each defendant’s proceedings.
03 | People and documented roles
George “Billy” Wagner III is the remaining Wagner-family defendant awaiting trial. Judge Jonathan Hein is handling the case. Proceedings involving Angela Wagner, Jake Wagner and George Wagner IV have separate records and cannot establish Billy Wagner’s guilt.
View More — Defendant profile and legal posture
Trial pending; Seneca County venue selected; January 11, 2027 start reported.
A lawyer’s role, a charging decision and a judicial ruling are different kinds of information. The case file identifies only roles supported by the sources below.
04 | Interactive event-by-event timeline
Select an event to expand its evidence and limits. Future hearings and trial settings are identified as future events.
View More — April 2016 — Eight victims killed
The shootings led to the multi-defendant investigation and prosecutions.
Time: Exact time is not established in the reviewed sources.
Evidence / source: WCPO — January 2027 trial background
Disputed information / limits: Evidence against one accused person cannot automatically be transferred to another.
View More — 2018 — Wagner-family arrests
Four family members were charged in the investigation.
Time: Exact time is not established in the reviewed sources.
Evidence / source: WCPO — January 2027 trial background
Disputed information / limits: Each person’s charges and procedural outcome must be tracked separately.
View More — October 13, 2026 — Seneca County selected
FOX19 reported Judge Hein’s venue decision and direction to transfer the file.
Time: Exact time is not established in the reviewed sources.
Evidence / source: FOX19 — October 13 venue decision
Disputed information / limits: Jail-transfer timing and the trial venue are different matters.
View More — January 11, 2027 — Reported future trial
The January setting remains the reported trial date after venue selection.
Time: Exact time is not established in the reviewed sources.
Evidence / source: FOX19 — October 13 venue decision
Disputed information / limits: No verdict in Billy Wagner’s trial is established.
05 | Investigation and evidence
Open an evidence card to see what the record supports and what still needs verification.
View More — Multi-scene reconstruction
The case involves multiple victims and scenes. Exhibit-by-exhibit attribution is necessary rather than treating the prosecutions as a single undifferentiated record.
View More — Cooperating witnesses
Other family members’ statements and dispositions may become important, but their use and credibility must be assessed under the trial court’s rulings.
View More — Venue decision
The court-record report identifies rural character, resources and distance from earlier media coverage among the reasons for Seneca County.
06 | Prosecution and defense
View More — Prosecution position
The State alleges a family conspiracy and charges Billy Wagner with eight aggravated murders and other offenses. The prosecution’s description of him as an organizer is an allegation to be tested at his trial.
View More — Defense position
Wagner has pleaded not guilty and sought a different trial venue. The venue issue concerns the ability to seat an impartial jury; it is not an admission or an adjudication of the underlying allegations.
07 | Trial testimony and courtroom developments
The October venue decision is the latest verified procedural development used here. Earlier uncertain venue descriptions should not be carried forward as current.
View More — Read the proceeding in context
A reported question, an attorney’s argument, an admitted exhibit and a court’s finding are not interchangeable. Where a full transcript, exhibit or signed order has not been obtained, the gap is identified rather than filled with an inferred result.
08 | Verdicts, sentencing and appeals
Billy Wagner’s case remains pending. Other Wagner-family convictions and pleas are separate outcomes.
View More — Outcome and source limits
January 11, 2027 — reported jury trial
Future settings can change. The sources identify whether this entry is based on a filed record, an official announcement or attributed court reporting. A source check does not establish that no later filing exists.
09 | Unresolved questions
- Retrieve the signed venue-transfer and trial-setting orders.
- Verify the operative charges and capital specifications.
- Follow admissibility rulings and the actual testimony at this defendant’s trial.
10 | Court records and source documents
View More — Verification and editorial notes
This case file was reconciled with Jaded Evidence’s master trial records and the public sources listed above. The source descriptions preserve the difference between a primary court document, an official party announcement and reporting. A prosecution release states the prosecution’s account; it is not a substitute for a verdict.
The page links to available originals and clearly identified reporting. Missing transcripts, exhibits, expert reports or signed orders are listed as research gaps. No quotation, timestamp, forensic result or ruling is supplied from inference.