OHIO -- RHODEN FAMILY EXECUTIONS

[Midwest Spy]

The Wagners had been planning the Alaska move for years. Big Mama Wagner (whom I've heard wears the pants in the family) was not going to leave OH w/o her grandkids. Her one other son had a daughter, and the mother of that girl gave full custody to the girl's dad (GW). Hanna R was being pressured to give custody of her & JW's girl to JW. She wouldn't do it. A court battle for custody would likely take years, be costly, would expose a lot of personal details that no one wanted aired, and in the end JW wasn't likely to get full custody anyway. They gave her a chance to do it the easy way...

IMO, of course.

Very insightful, and probably on the money.

[Duchess]

Ma Barker! I can see someone like that having people murdered. It's not hard to imagine it at all.

[HairOfTheDog]

The Wagners had been planning the Alaska move for years. Big Mama Wagner (whom I've heard wears the pants in the family) was not going to leave OH w/o her grandkids. Her one other son had a daughter, and the mother of that girl gave full custody to the girl's dad (GW). Hanna R was being pressured to give custody of her & JW's girl to JW. She wouldn't do it. A court battle for custody would likely take years, be costly, would expose a lot of personal details that no one wanted aired, and in the end JW wasn't likely to get full custody anyway. They gave her a chance to do it the easy way...

IMO, of course.

Very insightful, and probably on the money.

Yep, RJs-Ex called it.

• ^ Four members of the Wagner family were charged today with murdering eight members of the Rhoden family in Ohio in 2016.
  
• Those arrested include: George 'Billy' Wagner III, 47; his wife Angela Wagner, 48; and their two sons, George Wagner, 27, and Edward Wagner, 26.
  
• The arrests are the culmination of a massive investigative effort since the seven adults and a 16-year-old boy were found shot dead at four different homes.
  
• The Wagner family, who lived nearby and whose son fathered one of the victim's children, moved to Alaska after being questioned over the killings multiple times.
  
• Autopsy reports suggested the murders were calculated and brutal.
  
• Police have not revealed a motive.
  

Story:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...mbers.html

[HairOfTheDog]

In a press conference this afternoon, Sheriff Reader said the crime scene remains in his memory.

"We have obsessively focused on solving this case. We have been patient when it was painful to be, running down every lead no matter how small. It all has brought us to this day. Today we have the answer."

D.A. DeWine said that the Wagners planned the murders well in advance and studied the Rhodens' habits.

"Because this is an open prosecution, we won't be able to say much about motive", he said. He did reveal that it's a bizarre story and involves "obsession" over custody of the child that Edward "Jake" Wagner shared with murder victim Hanna Rhoden.

According to DeWine's office, their daughter was staying with the Wagners on the night of the murders and the Wagners took her to Alaska when they bailed Ohio.

All four of the Wagners are charged with 8 premeditated murders and face the death penalty.

Full story: https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/4-arre...02121.html

[Midwest Spy]

It doesn't appear that anyone in this family held a significant job, other than an older cousin who was the only body found at his location.

So, can we surmise that this family operated a large marijuana business and that's how they clothed and fed themselves?

I'm guessing the three older men were the main targets, and then the kids became collateral damage? No witnesses kind of thing.

I'd say a business partner(s) is/are the ones who did this.

They'd be familiar enough with animals that the dogs wouldn't rip them to shreds.

Because these people are true backwoods hicks, it'll end up being someone local. Another family that was in business with them. A couple of brothers perhaps.

We'll see.

I know RJ’s EX ended up nailing this one, albeit 18 months after the crime occurred, but, I have to say, my one and only stab at a theory was pretty good, especially the last paragraph.

I just didn’t have motive nailed down... and that wasn’t really available just 10 days after the crime.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well MS............

It doesn't appear that the murders had anything to do with the marijuana business.

And, it doesn't appear that the men were the primary targets. The motive apparently relates to a custody battle with one of the female Rhoden children.

But, yes, you were right about it being locals, including a couple of brothers.