LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)– More than two and a half years after the execution-style murders of eight members of the Rhoden family, multiple people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the crimes, one of them was apprehended right here in Lexington.
The murders happened in 2016 in Pike County Ohio. On November 13, 2018, LEX 18 was there as George Billy Wagner was arrested for an aggravated murder charge in the case. He was arrested in Lexington at the end of the driveway to the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. Police say they had received a tip that he was there visiting the hospital with a sick horse.
Wagner, his wife, and his two sons are all charged with aggravated murder in the case. Two grandmothers are also accused of helping cover up the crime.
Police say that the brutal murders were planned for months. They believe the motive stemmed from an apparent custody battle between Edward Jake Wagner and one of the victims, the mother of his child.
You can watch the police body camera footage of George Bill Wagner’s Arrest below:
