PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — The location for the final trial in the Pike County Massacre has been set.
According to Pike County court documents, George "Billy" Wagner III will go to trial in Seneca County, Ohio, which is located in northwestern Ohio.
Wagner III's trial start date was set in August — more than a decade after eight members of the Rhoden And Gilley families were killed in 2016 in Pike County.
Wagner III, who is the father of George Wagner IV and Edward "Jake" Wagner, as well as the husband of Angela Wagner, faces the same charges as each of the other members of his family.
Found dead that day were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr., 37-year-old Dana Rhoden, 20-year-old Hannah "Hazel" Gilley, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr., 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 37-year-old Gary Rhoden, 19-year-old Hanna May Rhoden, and 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden.
Previously, Angela Wagner and her son, Jake, pleaded guilty to several counts of aggravated murder associated with the deaths. George Wagner IV was found guilty of the murders by a jury after a three-month trial in 2022. Following that trial, he was sentenced to eight consecutive life terms in addition to over 120 years in prison for firearm specifications.
Both Angela and Jake are to have new sentencing hearings after an appeals court ruling in June.
The decision to sentence Billy's alleged co-conspirators prior to his trial was not a popular one because of the intricacies of the plea deals struck with the prosecution.
In the deal with Angela, prosecutors agreed to drop eight charges of aggravated murder in exchange for the plea, and recommended she serve 30 years in prison with no early release.
Jake's guilty plea was more complicated: he pleaded guilty to 18 counts, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the possibility of the death penalty for all members of the Wagner family in exchange for Jake's testimony at any trial.
In the June appeals court decision for Angela and Jake, the Fourth District Court of Appeals determined that Jake should not have been sentenced before he fully fulfilled the obligations of his plea agreement by testifying at his father's trial.
The death penalty is also back on the table for Billy's trial after the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal on the matter.
Judge Jonathan Hein previously ruled to move Billy's trial out of Pike County because he said that there had been too much public and media interest in the case to seat an impartial jury.
According to court documents, Seneca County was chosen for several reasons, including that it possesses many similarities to Pike County, such as rural demographics, agricultural heritage and remoteness from urban areas.
"Seneca County is outside the media market for print and broadcast media which have traditionally covered this case and related cases; thus, the taint from prior publicity should be lessened," the court documents read.
The court documents also explain that Seneca County's courtrooms, correctional facilities and more will be of adequate use for the trial.
Billy is currently being held in the Pickaway County Jail in central Ohio. His trial is set to start Jan. 11, 2027.
Follow our full coverage of the Pike County murder cases here.
Listen to While They Were Sleeping: The Pike County Murders podcast, which covers the 10 years since the murders happened, here or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can listen to Episode 1 on YouTube here:
