Pike County was just in national headlines for a recent murder involving corruption at the sheriff’s office and the county prosecutor. Innocence was not just lost, corruption had become it’s identity.
WAVERLY, Ohio — Prosecutors in the Pike County massacre case laid out new evidence Monday to paint the Wagner family as a "criminal enterprise" during a hearing on what could be allowed at trial, saying the family allegedly took a vote to commit the murders and then set up a fake drug deal as an ambush.
Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk says Wagner pleaded to conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, several counts of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, and other charges as part of a plea deal. The remaining eight counts of aggravated murder were dismissed.
With that said, still Pike County’s violent crime rate was not only 66 percent lower than the state average, but nearly 98% lower than the national average. Friday, April 22, 2016 was supposed to be Sheriff Reader’s day off. Then the call went out over the radio about the quadruple homicide that occurred at two neighboring homes on Union Hill Road.
Beverly Noe and Ida Prewitt murdered the three and buried them eight feet down in an unmarked grave dug out on Grover Prewitt’s property for a septic tank in Pawnee County, Oklahoma. Beverly Noe was subsequently arrested and convicted. Ida Prewitt had died back in 2011. Carnage Redefined.
Sr., was shot three time in the head. Next-door to Chris Sr, were the bodies of Frankie Rhoden and Hannah Gilley. Frankie was shot three times, however, Hannah was shot five times in the face and head. Their infant son Ruger, was found alive in between his dead parents by Bobby Jo Manley.
The elder Christopher Rhoden was shot in the chest according to the coroner. They indicated that a total of 31 shots had been fired, yet failed to elaborate who and where. Sadly, it was one of the many inaccurate narratives the PCSO told the media and residents of Pike County.
Between the late evening hours of April 21 and early morning hours of April 22, 2016; eight members of the Rhoden family were executed at four separate residences just outside the village of Pebbles, in Pike County , Ohio.
During those two years the Pike County coroner and prosecutor fought relentlessly to keep the autopsy reports away from the public. Dating back to May 2016, the Cincinnati Enquirer had fought make the reports public through the Freedom of Information Act. Numerous media outlets followed suit soon after.
Ruger is Sophia’s first-cousin. It remains unclear if the family member raising Ruger and Kylie would now seek temporary custody of Sophia. Messages to that family member were not returned. Most in the tight-knit family have not seen her since before the killings and are worried about the trauma she has endured.
“Those kids have lost so much we will just have to wait and see what a trial brings,’’ Tony Rhoden, who is Sophia’s great uncle, said last week.
I wanted to continue what we were doing. It was working just fine.”. It does not appear any written custody agreement between Hanna Rhoden and Jake Wagner was ever filed in Pike County juvenile court prior to her death.
The charges included eight counts of aggravated murder, as well as charges of conspiracy, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and other counts. Edward "Jake" Wagner, 28, pleaded guilty to 23 counts in Pike County. (Ohio Attorney General's office via AP)
Wagner admitted he was personally responsible for five of the deaths, special prosecutor Angela Canepa said. He gave prosecutors a full account of the slayings, along with information that led to them to additional evidence.
The victims were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Jr., ...