The Piketon Massacre Tragedy, Continued

Four-ish years ago, I related the story of the Rhoden family murders in Piketon, Ohio. You should re-read that to get up to speed, because there have been developments that require the background to fully grasp. For the short version, it was an awful story about the slaughter of 8 family members in multiple locations in Piketon on one night in April of 2016. Among the dead were Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40; his ex wife, Dana Manley, 37; their sons, Frankie, 20 and Chris Jr, 16; their daughter, Hanna Mae, 19; Frankie’s girlfriend, Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20; and Chris Sr’s cousins, Gary, 38, and Kenneth Rhoden, 44. All were shot to death in the middle of the night, several in their beds. Both young women were murdered with their very young babies lying next to them.

The gruesome scenes spread out over 4 homes in three locations. Rumors of cartel hits and the like swirled for months, but it was 5 years before the shocking truth came out: the whole thing was the culmination of a custody dispute between teenage Hanna Mae and her much older ex-boyfriend, Jake Wagner, then 24, over their 3 year old daughter. According to authorities, Jake Wagner was behind the killings, along with his mother, Angela, father, George III, and brother, George IV.

It was a crazy and tragic story, updates to which continue to this day. Jake pleaded guilty in 2021, admitting to 5 murders directly and planning and being present for the rest. He agreed to 8 consecutive life sentences and to testify against the rest of his family. His mother, widely thought to be the real mastermind, also admitted her role in the planning of the murder, in exchange for 30 years. Brother George went to trial, was convicted by the jury, and received the same 8 consecutive life sentences agreed to by his brother, despite not having pulled the trigger on any of the victims. The only Wagner left standing is George III, who has yet to plead guilty and awaits trial.

Yesterday in a Pike County courtroom, Angela and Jake were sentenced. It was expected to be a formality, since the plea agreements were already in place. For the Rhoden, Manley, and Gilley families, it ended up being anything but a formality.

First came Jake Wagner’s statement to the family. It’s a defendant’s right to address the Court, but Jake turned to the victims’ families to speak his piece. Instead of offering even a half-hearted attempt at an apology, this man, this loser who statutorily raped and impregnated a 14 year-old-girl whom he would eventually shoot dead in her bed next to her newborn, this hellspawn who, by his own admission, shot to death 5 of the 8 victims personally, decided this was the time to deliver a Bible-based lecture (I won’t give it the respect of calling it preaching) on forgiveness and repentance to the grieving family and friends of those he slaughtered like livestock. Several of them got up and walked out; others hid their faces and refused to look at him.

The nerve of this jerk to deliver a self-righteous, almost finger-wagging lecture to people who have endured a hell he created for them. I was surprised the judge didn’t cut him off much sooner than he did.

Then again, the judge was just full of surprises that day, the biggest being when he decided to discard the plea agreement and, instead of the 8 consecutive life sentences, he decided this octuple murderer need serve only one life sentence- and be parole eligible after 32 years. He has 6 of those 32 in already. In case you were wondering, that 32 breaks down to 12 for obstruction of justice, and a mere 2.5 years per life taken. More time for lying to cops and hiding evidence than for the taking of each individual life.

In explaining his decision to spit in the faces of the Rhoden and Gilley families, he cited Jake’s “cooperation,” along with the sentences given to his mother, brother, and grandmother (read the previously linked article for details on what granny did.) Specifically, the judge stated he felt Jake should receive a more lenient sentence than his brother because Jake plead guilty while his brother, who, again, is not alleged to have been the triggerman in any of the deaths, had the audacity to exercise his right to a trial by jury.

Lest you think I’m not personally considering the value of Jake’s confession and cooperation, I would point out that prosecutors took the death penalty off the table for all four Wagners as part of Jake’s bargain. In a crime this heinous for which guilt is a certainty, that is benefit enough. Now, instead of likely dying in prison, he will have the chance for freedom when he is only in his mid-50s (which I’ve come to learn is not that old.) Of course, it is entirely likely that no parole board will ever see fit to release him, but 26 years is a long time to dull the sharp edges of the memory of what Jake and his clan did. And if he continues the pious, born-again act, there’s always a chance of a soft-hearted, redemption-minded parole board thinking he’s suffered long enough.¹

The Wagner patriarch is set to start trial on Monday. He, according to Jake, is the one who shot the 3 victims that Jake did not. Jake’s testimony is likely to ensure he joins his family in becoming a convicted murderer, and the judge’s known propensity for sticking it extra hard to those who go to trial suggests he is likely to get the 8 consecutive life terms Jake was spared, as well. He deserves it, but so did Jake, and so did Angela. No, Angela did not accompany her husband and sons on their mission to destroy the Rhoden family- she stayed home with Jake and Hanna Mae’s daughter- but according to evidence, and to  Jake, she was instrumental in the planning and coverup.

If you are interested in a deep dive on this case, I have two recommendations. If podcasts are your thing, look for iHeart True Crime’s The Piketon Massacre. If you’d prefer a visual medium, The Pike County Murders: A Family Massacre on Peacock was insightful. With either series, you learn just how insular and cult-like the Wagners were, how Angela ruled the roost, and how they could so easily make the decision to murder an entire extended family.

1. Listen, I have a public defender’s heart. I am anti-death penalty, and don’t believe in life sentences without parole except for the very worst cases. I can’t imagine any case more qualifying than this one.