The tragedy of the Pike County shootings took place on April 21 and 22, 2016. This horrific incident took the lives of eight members of the Rhoden family. The victims included seven adults and one sixteen-year-old boy. Also, the execution-style shooting was used on seven of them, while one of them was shot dead in his camper.
The Wagner family committed this crime. According to Cincinnati.com, this family included Edward Wagner (Jake), 26, George Wagner IV, 27, and their parents, George Wagner (Billy), 47 & Angela Wagner, 48. Due to a plea deal, Angela Wagner is imprisoned for at least 30 years. The charges against her were counts of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, etc. Moreover, aggravated murder charges were dismissed.
The Oxygen documentary titled The Pike County Murders: A Family Massacre covered this heartbreaking case in detail. Further, it premiered on November 24, 2023.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of The Pike County Murders: A Family Massacre reads,
“Eight members of the Rhoden family are brutally murdered execution-style in four different locations on a night in 2016 by another family they consider friends. “The Pike County Massacre,” the story of the largest murder investigation in Ohio’s history. It exposes an underbelly of violence, pitting family against family, mother against son, brother against brother, in a haunting story of lies, secrets and betrayal.”
What did Angela Wagner say in court?
When Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa asked her if she believed she could get away with what she did. She responded by saying,
“Even if we were arrested or ended up in jail, my belief (is) you never get away with it. You live with it”
Moreover, according to Fox 19 Now, Angela Wagner revealed in court that her elder son, George Wagner IV, volunteered to take full responsibility for the killings.
