All Episodes

May 12, 2021 47 mins

A photograph shows the Rhoden and the Wagner families embracing, in happier times. What would tear these families apart and cause a tragedy that would shake a community to its core? Just months before death sentence trials were set to begin and in the middle of production of this podcast- a shocking break in the case changes everything. The Piketon Massacre: Return to Pike County explores the ties that bind the two families at the center of Ohio's largest murder investigation. Episode 1 dives into the theories surrounding the bombshell reveal and what will happen next in Pike County.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's hard to not be discouraged climate change, abortion bands
attacks on the LGTBQ plus community. But you can do
your part by switching to Credo Mobile. Credo Mobile gives
you service on the nation's best network, and it's the
only phone company that donates a portion of their proceeds
to progressive nonprofit groups each month. Right now, get a
two hundred and fifty dollars prepaid card when you switch

(00:21):
to Credo and they'll donate fifty dollars to the Transgender
Law Center with Code Podcast fifty. That's Credomobile dot Com
Code Podcast fifty. Interesting and relatable topics, knowledgeable guests, highly entertaining,
and informative. Words that describe CNN's podcast Chasing Life with
Doctor Sanjay Gupta. As I talked to doctor Rich, what

(00:41):
really stood out to me was his approach to treating
his patients. The therapeutic goal of treatment for problematic interactive
media use cannot be abstinates. This is an essential tool
and essential skill of our time. Listen to Chasing Life
with Sanjay Gupta on the iHeartRadio app. He'll forget about
the video game you gave him on his birthday. Wow,

(01:03):
Thanks Grandpa. But he'll never forget how you invested in
his future with the unst app. Wow, Thanks Grandpa. The
unstapp makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to
give funds to a child's investment account for a limited time.
Download the unst stapp and use the code I Heart
fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollar bonus
when you find your account. That's code I Heart fifty

(01:24):
when you sign up at unest dot COO for a
fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at unest dot coo.
Have you cut the chord and are feeling bored with
your streaming services, Curiosity Stream can help. With thousands of
documentary films and TV shows. Let Curiosity Stream put the
science back in your screen time, astound you with history,

(01:45):
come to life and wildlife that will reach out and
grab you. We've got the fix for your nonfiction fascination
with monthly, annual, and bundled plans. Find one for you
at curiosity stream dot com. Welcome to the Pike to Massacre,
Season two returned to Pike County, a production of iHeartRadio

(02:07):
and Katie Studios. Heavenly followed. We are gathered here today
let us now our head. It was a really good wedding.
She had a camouflage dress and gianta camo tugs. Eight
bodies have been discovered, all members of the Rodent family.

(02:31):
The largest case Ohio's State investigators I've ever seen. I
told her, I said, listen, you don't want to marry him,
and she said, well, whying on? I said, because his
mom is very control Wayne les join hands. From what
we hear, the relationship was intense. It founded like the
half fields of numbccoy's taken to the instagram. So long

(02:55):
as you both shallowed. Four members of the Wagner family
have been charged with eight count It's an aggravated murder.
I have never encountered queer. An entire family is accused
of the mass murder of another family. Is something so
horrific has occurred, and it's almost beyond explanation. When I
look at one particular picture from the wedding day, it's

(03:16):
impossible to believe that nearly half of the people are
dead and half our accused of their murders. This is
the Pikety Massacre. Season two returned to Pike County. Episode
one ties that bind I'm Courtney Armstrong, a television producer

(03:42):
at Katie Studios with Stephanie Lydecker and Jeff Shane. On
the morning of April twenty second, twenty sixteen, authorities found
eight members of the Rodent family brutally gunned down across
four different crime scenes in Pike County, Ohio. Two years later,
in November of twenty eighteen, four members of the Wagner
family were arrested for their murders. It was a gruesome

(04:02):
crime that shocked the nation. We've been following the Roden
family murder case since we made a documentary about it
a few years ago. We were in the middle of
producing season two of this podcast when we suddenly learned
of a shocking development that none of us were expecting.
The fifth anniversary of the murders of our social media
folks started hearing people posting, Hey, there's a hearing fan,

(04:24):
you got to be there. There might be something big
going down. The ECI has told the Roden family to
be at the Pike County Courthouse at one thirty for
a hearing. Breaking news tonight. Shocking new developments from Pike County.
April twenty second of two thousand and sixteen, eight members
of the Roden family were found dead at four different properties.
Investigation lasted nearly two years before authorities arrested Jane Wagner

(04:44):
along with several members of his family. A lot of
people care about it, a lot of people know about it,
and a lot of people are talking about it today.
On Thursday, April twenty second, twenty twenty one, the five
year anniversary of the murders, we sat at our computers
watching a live stream from the Pike County Courthouse. And
there he was, Jake Wagner, flanked by his two attorneys
as Judge Randy Deering entered the courtroom. Thank you, which

(05:14):
for the record. I then found myself and Rob Pike
can prosecutor. I'm here on behalf of the State of
Ohio on State of Ohio versus Edward J. Wicker, and
that would be Pike County Common Police ACOS Case twenty
eighteen CR. I wanted to be four if you want
the court or not. Dave marks the fifth anniversary of
the homicides of eight members of the Roots namilies and

(05:34):
Gilly families. And as it is the fifth anniversary, this
is a pretory a ton of horse that we have
preached an agreement with this defendant, Edward D. Wagner, to
resolve this case. Prosecutor Rob Junk listed off the names
of each Slane member of the Ruden family, Christopher Rudden, Seen,
Gary Ruden, Clarence Frankie Rudden, Kenneth Ruden, Hannah Gilly being

(06:00):
a manly Hannah Rudy, and Christopher Ridden Junior. When Judge
Deering asked Jake how he pled to each aggravated murder charge,
he replied with one simple phrase, what I am. We've

(06:20):
realized that this whole case had blown open and we'd
be following in real time. We immediately got on the
phone with some of the journalists and experts that have
been covering the case. The closest across the board. There
was one pretty consistent reaction. Absolutely stunned. I mean honestly,
you could have knocked me over with a feather. I
didn't see it coming. When we heard the judge say,
I understand you're here to make it agreement, and we're like,

(06:43):
oh my gosh, this is huge. I was really surprised,
especially as long and hard as they fought it. It
was a total shock. I was sitting in a restaurant
when I got the call and I almost fell out
of the booth after all of these years, that somebody
is going to suddenly say, yeah, you know, I know.
We've said you know several times over the last five years.

(07:04):
We've vehemently denied any involvement in this and acted offended,
and then all of a sudden, like, oh yeah, well,
one of them changed their minds. It was a little
bit stunning, but it was Jake, because everybody who's really
covered this case closely thought if anybody wavered, it would
have been George. Our first question, why did Jake Wagner

(07:28):
finally break I don't know that any of us would know.
Is he going to tell us? Why? Why would you
make this deal? Was he doing this to save their lives?
Or was he just turning on them? I can't say
for sure. Is there a likelihood that the other family
members will plead out, I mean, it's entirely possible. Just

(07:50):
weeks before the hearing, we had received a photo from
Pike County native Christina, her sister Tabitha, was once married
to the eldest accus son, George Wagner. In light of
Jake's plea deal, the image is nothing short of chilling
we posted on our Instagram at Katie Underscore Studios. It's
a picture of both the Roden and Wagner families gathered

(08:11):
together to celebrate George and Tabitha's wedding back in twenty twelve.
Looking at it, it's impossible to imagine that, aside from
the bride, half the people pictured would be dead, the
other half accused of their murders. Yet here they are
embracing in happier times. At the left of the photo
is Jake Wagner, the youngest accused son who we just

(08:33):
heard plead guilty. He's smiling, his right hand resting on
his accused mother, Angela Wagner's arm. Standing behind them at
six foot six is Jake's accused father, Billy Wagner, noticeably emotionless.
Standing next to Billy Wagner in the photo is father
and victim Chris Rodin senior family friends. Stefane remembers Chris's

(08:57):
expert craftsmanship and genuine kindness. He was an amazing carpenter,
his imagination. If they said money's no object, you would
be amazed at the things that he could do, and
you couldn't ask for a better person. Coroner Distinguished Professor
and criminal forensic expert Joseph Morgan tried to make sense

(09:19):
of the Rodent murders, starting with father and family patriarch
Chris Senior. Some of this will be hard to hear,
particularly if you're personally connected to the tragedy, but it's
important to understand the magnitude of what happened that night.
He was shot nine times. Now, for me, as a
forensic investigator, I would look at that and I would
deem that as overkill. And you know, why would somebody

(09:43):
need to be shot nine times? They're saying that there's
evidence that he attempted or reacted at least to the
point where he raised his arm, his right forearm, and
it shattered one of the bones. When you've gotten an
individual that he's gotten defensive, that person has an awareness,
so that goes to a level of callousness that that's

(10:07):
Roses too. Standing just in front of Chris Senior in
the wedding photo with his father's arm draped around his shoulder,
is the youngest Roden victim, sixteen year old Chris Junior,
affectionately called Little Chris. Brittany was Chris Junior's best friend,
well Chris, he taught me how to love life, you know,

(10:28):
look at life differently. I can't explain that like it
makes you will to cry. Roden family members spoke to
reporters about Chris Junior soon after the murders. Christopher get
to go to prom. Do you just kind of driver? Super? So?

(10:48):
He's sixteen years old. He had a whole life. Sixteen
year old Chris Junior was shot four toms, including twice
in the top of his head. He was sound wished
behind his bed, implying that he was trying to hide

(11:09):
from the killer. Killers. Just in backup Chris Junior and
the photo stands his older brother, twenty year old victim
Frankie Roden. Christina knew Frankie growing up. Frankie and he
was the kind of guy like he did a first sure,
hunting fisher and all that, but he did like Derby's
bad working on carters and stuff. That was his passion.

(11:31):
Frankie Rodin was engaged to victim Hannah Gilly, not pictured
just before the murders. The couple had had their first
child together. They're six month old and Frankie's three year
old son were left alive at the scene. Frankie and Hannah,
they did want more children, and you know, they had
a bright future and just oh it just it just

(11:52):
hurts my heart to think that, you know, they'll never
get to go on with their future plans. You know,
twenty year old Frankie Road was shot three times in
the head as he lay in bed next to its
fiance and they're six month old. We talked about Hannah
Gillie Hayes shot five times. She catches one in the eye.

(12:16):
It poses this idea, why are you shooting these people
in the face. What's the purpose of it? Because not
only shoe him in the flacier, shoe him multiple times?
What thread did she thought she's laying there was her
child in the bed. To the right of the group photograph,
we see the two newlyweds, the accused eldest son, George

(12:36):
Wagner and his new bride smiling excitedly. We believe that Dana,
victim and matriarch of the Road and family, was behind
the camera taking the photo. Christina remembered Dana Road in
that day in twenty twelve. She seemed pretty bubbly. You know,
she's get along with her family. I've seen her laugh
and with a most way. She's going around taking picture

(13:00):
of everything. Dana Roden and Chris Roden Senior were married
for thirteen years. Even though they divorced, they remained friends.
In fact, Dana lived just down the road in a
home that Chris Senior had purchased for her. Two weeks
before their murders. She had just returned home from a
double shift at her job as a nurse that fateful night.

(13:20):
Here is Stefanne, one of Dana Roden's closest friends. She
was such a good person. But you know, she would
fight for her family. She would literally fight for her family.
And goodhearted, a lot of fun, you know, always laughing,
cracking up. Yeah, from why we hear she was like
really strong, welled and really smart. Yeah, she show was

(13:40):
she She was a very very good person. She's very smart.
She again, like Chris Senior, was shot multiple toms, And
not only was she shot multiple tims, but specifically reports
have her having been shot five toms four times. Pull
Tom in the head. You know, why the hell would

(14:04):
you shoot somebody four times in the head, because you
know one should suffice. But the shooter took the time
to take that muzzle of that weapon. Stick it beneath
Dana's chin. Stick it beneath her chin. Now, this is
a common location for suicide, all right, this is atypical

(14:28):
for homicide. Victim Gary Rodin, Chris Senior's cousin, also not pictured,
was a beloved member of the family. By all accounts,
Gary and Chrissior were very close. Here's Angeanette Levy. She's
an Emmy nominated Ohio reporter who has been covering the
case since the beginning. Gary just happened to be at
Chris's home that night. He was actually from Kentucky, so

(14:51):
you know, he didn't even live in the area or
the neighborhood, but you know, lived close enough to where
he was staying with Chris that evening. We do know
that the shooter was very very close to Gary when
they fired, because they talk about what is referred to
as a press contact bench at wanted it if our
listeners will essentially take your index finger, okay, and point
it towards the palm of your hand and extend the

(15:16):
tip of your finger maybe I don't know, probably about
half an inch away from the surface of your palm.
That's kind of what we would refer to as a
contact moon. And what that means is that you're going
to have you know, the bullet's not the only thing
coming out of the end of the weapon. You're going
to have the fire that actually the ignition of the

(15:37):
bullet in the round. You'll have this burning the powder
that's coming out. You'll have unburned powder that's coming out.
So this is a very intimate event. Kenneth Roden, Chris
Sior's brother, who was also missing from the photo, was
not with the family that day. He was, you know,
a great father and he would do anything for anybody.

(15:59):
You've got Annas who was actually again shot in the face,
and not only was he shot and facing was shot
in my eye. You know what does it say that
they would take the time and put themselves in a
position where they could be face to face with Kenneth.
She was found covered with dollar bills that were stream
about his body. He's just god, I mean, he can't

(16:24):
he can't make this up. Standing front and center in
the picture is then fifteen year old victim Hannah Rodin.
She's in a black bridesmaid's dress and leans in close
to her boyfriend accused younger son, Jake Wagner, their child
together would eventually become the alleged center point of this crime.

(16:44):
They had been dating for a few years when the
photo was taken and appeared very happy. Jake Wagner was
Hannah Roden's first love. Christina told us things between them,
we're getting serious. I heard Hannah and Jake like talking
about how good and pretty Tabby and George's wedding was

(17:04):
that they hoped whenever they get married that it'll be
pretty like that and all that good stuff. Brittany was
also friends with Hannah. She was great, She was funny.
She was really funny. She was really really nice. She
knew everyone. Everyone knew her, and she just like talked
to everyone. She wasn't stuck up or anything like that,

(17:25):
and she lived life to the fullest. Prior to the murder,
Hannah Rodin had broken up with Jake Wagner. She had
started dating someone new, and the pair had a baby
together that she gave birth to four days before the murders.
Hannah rod She was shot twice in the head as
her four day old newborn lay beside her. Maybe they're

(17:47):
curled in a fetal posture along with her baby, just
curled in a fetal posture. Mama was slowly stroking the
head of the baby. Try to, you know, calp sue
the baby during the night. Maybe she awakes and breastfeeds
the baby year in the night while she's sleeping. It's
a position people will slept in for thousands and thousands
of years. It's a position of comfort. You imagine you're

(18:08):
laying there, you're there to protect your baby, and you're
curled up on your side. There's an awareness. The only
people left alive were three children, Hannah's forty old infant,
Frankie's five year old son from a previous relationship, and
the six month old baby he shared with his fiancee,
Hannah Gilly. The choice to spare the children left investigators perplexed.

(18:32):
Here's James Pilcher. He's an on air reporter for Local
twelve News in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a longtime investigative journalist
in the area. Usually when you have a mass shooting
or a mass murder, everybody's killed. So to see that
three kids, all under the age of three years old.
Some infants were left unharmed next to their parents who

(18:55):
were shot dead. Very very unusual. Soon after the murders,
of the Roden family gave a statement to the local
media pleading for help and finding their families killers. We
know what follows is difficult listening, but we want to
acknowledge the pain the entire surviving Roden family has gone
through a lots of people. They lose one family member,

(19:16):
and when you lose eight, nobody has any idea what
we've been through our lives as them right now, They'll
never be so. They stole so much from us. The
killers stole so much. They stole their lives that they
stole ours to because we live with it every day.

(19:44):
Met my brothers, who are good people. They would do
anything to help you. Dana was a wonderful person. She
always try to help do stuff. From my mom, from
Frankie is On say, Hannah, we're taken away from their kids.

(20:06):
They were taken away from us. My niece, Hannah May,
she had a baby that I haven't even got to meet.
The Gillies, Gary's mom and dad. They only know what
we are all going through, and I know that in

(20:28):
their hearts, in their minds, they're hoping and praying every
day just like we are, that whoever did this will
be brought to justice. Looking back at the wedding photo.

(20:50):
What's hard to wrap our heads around is that all
the players are in this one picture Christina gave us.
There they are the Wagners and the road and smiling together.
And just six years later, in November twenty eighteen, the
Wagner family would be arrested for the murders of the Routens.
We promised that the day would come when arrest would

(21:11):
be made in the Pike County massacres. Today or that day.
Billy Wagner, his wife Angela, and their two sons, George
and Jake are accused of multiple counts of murder. Billy, Angela, George,
and Jake Wagner were all charged with eight counts of
aggravated murder. Additionally, Angela Wagner's mother, Rita Newcombe, and Billy's mother,

(21:31):
Frederica Wagner were accused of perjury and obstructing justice for
allegedly misleading investigators. Angela's mother, Rita Newcombe, was also charged
with forging custody documents to cover up the crimes. What
was surprising was that you had these two grandmothers arrested.
Frederico Wagner and then Angela Wagner's mother, Rita Newcomb. You

(21:53):
had two grandmothers being charged with helping to cover up
these crimes. Because then it your mind kind of goes
wild naturally, think, well, did they know before it happened?
You know, if you're alleging they were part of a
cover up. What happened? Though, Rita Joe Nukam reached a
plea deal in which the bulk of the charges were
dismissed and the charges against Fredrika Wagner were eventually dropped.

(22:14):
The suspicion around the family grew, and the ties that
bound the Wagners and the Rodents came into focus. We're
going to take a quick break here. We'll be back
in a moment. Like many of us, you might think

(22:34):
identity theft will never happen to you, but consider this.
There's a new identity theft victim every three seconds in
the US. That's over fifteen million people by the end
of this year, equal to the populations of New York,
Los Angeles, and Chicago combined. Even worse, identity theft victims
often don't even know they're victims. That's why LifeLock identity

(22:55):
theft protection helps you identify threats even the ones that
don't show up on a credit part like data breaches,
fraudulent bank transactions, loan and credit card applications, and crimes
committed in your name. If your identity is stolen, your
own dedicated LifeLock US based restoration specialist will work to
fix it. No one can prevent all identity theft, but

(23:17):
LifeLock protects you in ways that you simply can't on
your own. Save up to twenty five percent your first
year at LifeLock dot com slash iHeart. That's LifeLock dot
com slash iHeart to save up to twenty five percent.
Identity theft protection starts here. Smart journalism, fascinating topics. Words
that describe CNN's podcast The Assignment with Audi Cornish. I'm

(23:40):
Audi Cornish, host of The Assignment, a new weekly podcast
from CNN. We're going to talk about things you might
not want to bring up at the dinner table, from
the economy of sex work to the politics school boards,
conversations with everyday people who don't make the headlines they
live them. Listen to The Assignment with Audi Cornish on
the Heart radio app. Curiosity Stream is the streaming service

(24:05):
built by and for people who want to know more
more about our world and beyond. Curiosity Stream has the
best collection of documentary films and TV shows about everything
from the history of human migration to the future of
space travel. With thousands of titles, Curiosity has something for
everyone science, wildlife, travel, human stories, culture, and pretty much

(24:30):
anything you're curious about. Watch Curiosity Stream on your TV
or any digital device all around the world. Just go
to curiosity stream dot com to sign up or download
the app. Now you'll have access to brand new titles
dropping every week, filled with new discoveries and new stories
that will open your eyes to the world around us.
And with monthly, annual, and bundled pricing plans, it's easy

(24:52):
to find one that works for you and your budget.
Go to curiosity stream dot com to satisfy your curiosity
and sign up today. US Bank is ranked number one
in customer satisfaction with retail banking in California by JD Power.
Since California is home to most award shows, we've prepared
a thank you speech to Californians everywhere We've been proud

(25:14):
to help you plan budget and safe smarter. Our goal
tracking and budgeting tools would have no place to shine
if it weren't for you, and we can't thank you
enough for that, and thank you to our real life
humans who go above and beyond for our customers every
day you have heard for JD Power twenty twenty three
Award in for Nation, visit jdpower dot com Slash Awards
Number ADIC. We talked earlier about the baby Hannah Rodin

(25:43):
and Jake Wagner had together in twenty thirteen. The couple
and their daughter split time between the Rodent and the
Wagner households. For everyone involved, the situation worked well. However,
when the couple broke up in twenty fifteen, the families
became bitter rivals. Well when that news that they were
actually being indicted in charge, I felt like this must

(26:05):
have been something personal. The animosity led authorities to pinpoint
one salient motive in the case. They say that the
Wagners were obsessed with custody and really obsessed with their
bloodline custody of the daughter that Hannah rod And shared
with Jake Wagner. The prosecution says that was the heart
of the motive in this case. They wanted soul custody

(26:27):
and they weren't going to stop until they got it.
Investigative reporter Jodi Barr was shocked by these allegations. I
have never encountered this in my fifteen years of journalism,
where an entire family is accused of the mass murder
of another family over what's presumably, if we're to believe

(26:47):
the prosecution and the investigation, over custody of children. I
think that was the toughest spark for me personally, was
dealing with what happens to those kids, and then it
comes out later this was all about the kids and
there was a fight over the kids. That was that
was troubling to me personally, Like who would do that?

(27:10):
To have custody and to be able to love and
nurture or a child and yet have that act of
violence within themselves, to do that on their behalf. Those
are two things that I just can't rectify in my mind.
It's human nature to ask why why would someone perpetrate

(27:30):
something so horrific. They'll think about what that means, We're
going to eradicate you off the face of the planet.
That's that's well, that's that's so on a biblical scale,
when you begin to think of, by God, we're going
to make sure that they're not just dead, they're Julius
Caesar dead. After their arrest, the Wagners continue to maintain

(27:55):
their innocence and their family was with them every step
of the way. Here's grandmother Frederica Wagner responding to reporters
when asked if she thought her family was involved in
the Roden murders. Absolutely not, no nywhere near that place said.

(28:15):
In the two years since the arrest, most have considered
the Wagners as the most likely suspects in the Roden murders.
It appeared that they were a very close group who
discreetly planned this massacre for months. But at the same time,
it's just beyond the pail to kill an entire family
over custody. And now after Jake Wagner's bombshell plea deal,
we wondered was the Wagner bound breaking the Waggoners were

(28:40):
a cult like family. And if what the Waggoners are
accused of doing to the Rodents, I mean they're accused
of doing this together. They're accused of trying to cover
it up together as a family, and the old cliche
blood is thicker than water. Well, cult like, I don't

(29:01):
know what the probability of in a cult one telling
on another, especially with the consequences that would come down
if one waggoner told on another and you know, one
went to prison, you know, as if the state had
to depend on one waggoner telling on another, the chances
of that happening are likely not very good. Now, finally,

(29:25):
there may be some answers. You know, who went into
what home, who died first, why they died, you know,
why they chose to spare the children. So I would
just hope we get to hear finally from someone, at
least in Jake Wagner's case. I mean, where's the remorse?

(29:46):
You know, is the remorse for what happened? And if not, man,
this is again, if there's a level beyond cold blooded evil,
If there is a level beyond that, I think we
have seen it. I don't know that we know what
to call it. In all, Jake Wagner pled guilty to
all eight aggravated murder charges, as well as to fifteen

(30:08):
other criminal accounts that included conspiracy, aggravated burglary, and tampering
with evidence. He also named his father Billy, his mother Angela,
and brother George Wagner as co conspirators. In exchange for
his plea, the death sentence was taken off the table
for him and the rest of his family. But perhaps

(30:28):
what's most shocking is that Jake is actually going to
testify against all of his family members. It seems, at
the bare minimum, there's not a Wagner that's stepping out
of prison anytime soon. The following is real time audio
from the courtroom when the prosecution laid out the charges
against Shake Wagner. The information that Jake provided clearly immigrating
he and each members of his family to include Billy

(30:51):
Angela and George Wagner as being guilty of all accounts
containing the indictments filed in this manner. Based on the
frutality of the information now known by the state, including
the fourth right statements of the defendant, we have overwhelming
evidence that the defendant and the three co defendant members
of his family are in fact responsible for planning and
carrying out the homicides. Jake admitted that in the lake

(31:12):
evening hours of ABL twenty first, two thousand and sixteen
into the early morning hours of Able twenty second, two sixteen,
is when they committed these comicides. We know that they
trespassed into each of the four residents where the victims
were found with the intent to kill them, and that
they were armed for firearms, at least two of which
had homing silencers at fixed to them when they did so.

(31:34):
We know that they conspired together and planned this homicides
for the months that led up to the offenses, and
that all four co defendants took part of that as
well as making various purchases to accomplish their goal. We
know that they renew the phones of all two of
the victims and cameras and other surveillance equipment of the
victims in order to avoid detection. Jake also admitted to

(31:54):
personally killing five members of the rodents himself, though the
victims were unnamed at this As noted RNA, the defendant
has in essence confessed and apologized for committing these offenses
with his family and numbers, and admits to personally causing
the death by the aid victims and either committing all
of the other offenses contained in the indictment directly or

(32:16):
by being complicit in them. It was also noted that
Wagner provided investigators with information that led to the recovery
of the weapons and vehicles used in the murders. Most recently,
your honor, the State set down with Jake Wagner, who
has provided the State with many more details regarding these offenses,
some of which were very consistent with what the State
or were to view and with the evidence that had

(32:37):
already been collected. Some of the information information, however, that
was provided by Jake, who was new. In addition to
the information that Jay provided us, what he told us
led us to discover some evidence that had yet to
be recovered, specifically the weapons that were used in these offenses,
along with vehicles that were used during these offenses, including
one that the box specifically to use the Knight of

(32:59):
the Homicides only. Though Jake was spared the death penalty,
prosecutors pulled no punches with his sentence. Sing As part
of this flea, the state he is agreed to dismiss
the death specification in exchange the defendant in the State
making joint recommendation to the court with the defendant received
eight consecutive life without whole sentences for his pleas of
guilty to counsel one Groogate in the indictment. Jake's lawyers

(33:22):
responded we're fully satisfied and scorned, eyes wide open into disagreement.
He knows he's going to die in prison without any
judicial release. And as he just said, and I appreciate
it's kind up of mentioning it, and as I'm sure
he'll say more one the day of sentencing arrives. As
horrifying as this is, for all, he was as sorry

(33:44):
as he One moment from the court proceedings stood out
to us. When the judge was running through each victim
and got to Hannah Rodin, it was impossible not to
notice when Jake Wagner had an audible pause and he
noticeable smirk. What do you make of the smirk when

(34:04):
he is pleading guilty? He kind of smiled. I don't
know if you noticed that. Oh I sure did. That's
Mike Allen. He's a former prosecutor and now a criminal
defense attorney in Ohio. He's been covering the case for years.
I don't know how you can work up a smile.
I don't care what you're thinking for something like that.
What does that say about Jay Quagmack. I mean, he's

(34:27):
got a depraved mind. Anybody that could do that, it
would not meet obviously the legal definition of sanity. But
you know, there's something wrong with him that you can
be that cold to go about doing that. I mean, really,
that's all I can say. I've been at this stuff
for a long time and I've never seen one, just

(34:48):
as I guess the order, it comes in my mind
as hardcore as this whenever I've seen a little part
where he was like confessing to and it looked like
he was trying to hold back a laugh or so
I'm like, Okay, I don't know if your horns are

(35:08):
showing or if you're just kind of like one of
those awkward laugh There was a different reaction when Hannah's
name came up. Maybe his reaction was like that because
like he personally killed her or something. Ohio Governor Mike Dwine,

(35:28):
who presided over the investigation as Attorney General, was at
the Pike County Courthouse as Jake's hearing unfolded. Well, we've
all read or heard of the book in cold Blood.
This was cold, cold, cold blood. I mean, this was calculated,
planned out, and then it just you know, I mean,

(35:49):
it just chills you to think about the calculation that
goes into something like this. Five years ago, today I
was here. We met with family members in the church.
I committed to them that we would find who did
this and that we would bring them to justice. There

(36:11):
was a lot of justice done today, and there was
a collective sigh of relief from locals in southern Ohio.
Pike County resident Barbe explained her initial shock. I can't
imagine that he would admit to murdering eight people, and
if he didn't really do it, he said guilty. I thought,
are you lying? What are you? What are you doing?

(36:33):
You know? But then I thought, oh my god, I
just it blew my mind. Brittany tried to come to
terms with the news. I'm just focusing on the good
and a good thing happened today, and I know that
there in heaven looking down and just thinking how stupid
the wageners are thinking they would get away with it.

(36:55):
Christina put the day's events and perhaps the most poetic
way possible, she just put me and karma is a bitch,
and it catches up with everybody eventually. You can run
all you want, but you'll never outrun. We're going to

(37:16):
take a quick break here. We'll be back in a moment.
Following the twenty four hour news cycle can be exhausting.
That's why we bring you CNN five Things, a podcast
that delivers five stories you need to know in five
minutes or less. CNN five Things keeps track of the
biggest headlines all day, every day, so you don't have

(37:39):
to Plus, when there's breaking news, you get it first
and fast. With multiple updates throughout the day, you can
stay in the know whenever, wherever. Listen to CNN five
Things on the iHeartRadio app. Curiosity Stream is the streaming
service for people who want to know more more about
our world and beyond. Curiosity Stream has the best collection

(38:02):
of documentary films and TV shows and now check out
Curiosity's new series, The Real Wild West. Rolling Stone Magazine says,
it's the history of the West. They usually don't teach
you the mythology of the West, laughed out a lot
of the people. The American West is far more different,
far more diverse. Peopleuld say they've never seen a black yawboy. Well,

(38:22):
we've been there, we've been doing it. I never really
learned about the Hispanic Mexican aspect of the story. This
is the history book, but did you know about these
other facts? Watch The Real Wild West now on Curiosity Stream.
Just go to curiosity stream dot com to sign up
or download the app now. With new titles dropping every week,
you'll never run out of things to watch, and with monthly, annual,

(38:44):
and bungled pricing plans, it's easy to find one that
works for you and your budget. Go to curiosity stream
dot com to satisfy your curiosity and sign up today.
US Bank is ranked number one in customer satisfaction with
retail banking in California by A Power. Since California is
home to most award shows, we've prepared to thank you
speech to Californians everywhere we've been proud to help you

(39:07):
plan budget and safe smarter. Our goal tracking and budgeting
tools would have no place to shine if it weren't
for you, and we can't thank you enough for that.
And thank you to our real life humans who go
above and beyond for our customers every day. For JD
Power twenty twenty three Award information, visit jdpower dot com
Slash Awards number at the IC, my mental health was better,
but my mental health medication led to uncontrollable movements called

(39:30):
tardive dysknesia or TD. It felt like these movements were
in the spotlight. When I learned they were unlikely to
improve without treatment, I talked to my doctor. Ingreza valbenazine capsules.
It's a prescription medicine for adults with t D in
the face and body. It's one pill once daily. Don't
take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients.
And it's a relief knowing I can treat my TD

(39:51):
while still treating my mental health. My doctor also said
that in an ingresive clinical study in TD, psychiatric conditions
remain stable. Ingrezza may cause serious side effects in sleepiness.
Don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities
until you know how Ingreza affects you. Other serious side
effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. Now
the treatment has reduced my TV movements. It's nice people

(40:13):
focus more on me. Learn more at Ingreza dot com.
That's I n g r Zza dot com. Ask your
doctor about the number one most prescribed treatment proven for TD, Ingreza.

(40:33):
The question remains, why did JA do this? Now he
was doing it to keep himself from getting the death sentence,
and pretty much powing on the rest of the family. Light. Yeah,
I'm gonna drive you guys down, but I'm gonna save
my butt from Yeah again the death been was he

(40:59):
pleading guilty to save himself for his family. The family
has done nothing but fight, fight, fight, and profess their
innocence in this whole time. And you know, I thought
that they would fight this to the bitter end and
ticket to trial and see what they could do a trial.
So now you know, if Billy the controlling figure or

(41:21):
Mom the controlling figure and doesn't around, Jake's there to
think for himself. He apparently, you know, has information on
a lot of them, and yes he did throw them
under the bus, but perhaps he saved their lives. What's
in store for Jake's co conspirators. None of the other
Wagners have pleaded guilty, so what could we see if

(41:43):
they go to trial. I just think for a family
that was so united and you know, did things like
take votes on finances and wives and children, I mean
they were they lived, you know, as one unit, the
prosecution has said in court papers, and these people didn't
thing without consulting the other. This is a massive break,

(42:04):
a massive shift. It's like a like a huge creator
in the middle of the Wagner family kind of united science.
He is going to testify against his family members. Now,
I mean, I don't know of I don't know of
anybody in Hollywood that could write a better script than that.

(42:25):
You know, how compelling is that something that has this
kind of gothic undertone to it. You know, in rural America,
where these individuals are going to, you know, come forward
and stand and stare at him. You think about staring
into the eyes of your kin folks across the room

(42:48):
as you're sitting in the dock there, and you're looking
at them straight in the eyes, and people that you've
spent Thanksgivings with, Christmases, you know, these moments throughout your life,
and you're looking at them, and you're potentially sending them

(43:10):
to the proverbial gallows by virtue of what you're going
to say. But what happens if the other three Wagners
reached plea deals as well, if any other guilty plea
in this case ends the way Jake Wagner's ended, We
still may not know exactly why this happened. It seemed

(43:32):
like the impossible murder, and you go back to April
twenty sixteen and a month after. I mean, everyone had
assumed that this was a drug cartel hit. It fit,
It made sense. The only way this could happen is
a highly skilled, trained assassin would come in and pull
this off and get away with it. I want to
know exactly what happened that night, you know, how do

(43:56):
they get in the homes? We know the end, We've
got some idea what happened in the middle, but I
think I want to know about the beginning. You know,
was this truly about custody? You know, I would just
like to know, you know, exactly why from Jake Wagner.
When did the switch flip to where the only resolution

(44:17):
to whatever was going on between him and the Rodents
at that point was to go and kill them all.
It makes absolutely no sense. One thing is certain. There's
only more bombshells to come. We will be tracking the
case in real time as they develop, and it proves

(44:37):
that the investigators and the prosecutors did their job. It
was the biggest murder case in the history of the state,
and they got their man. The relationship fractured, however we
want to describe it. You know, there's no turning back
to this family. Now the prosecution now holds all the cars,

(44:58):
and it seems justice has begun to be served. Now
three more Wagners to go. The piked In Massacre Returned
to Pike County is executive produced by Stephanie Lydecker and
me Courtney Armstrong. Editing and sound designed by executive producer

(45:22):
Jared Aston. Additional producing by Jeff Shane, Andrew Becker and
Chris Graves. The piked In Massacre Returned to Pike County
is a production of iHeartRadio and Katie Studios. For more
podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Following the twenty

(45:45):
four hour news cycle can be exhausting. That's why we
bring you CNN five Things, a podcast that delivers five
stories you need to know in five minutes or less.
CNN five Things keeps track of the biggest headlines all day,
every day, so you don't have to plus one. There's
breaking news, you get it first and fast. With multiple
updates throughout the day, you can stay in the know whenever, wherever.

(46:09):
Listen to CNN five Things on the iHeartRadio app. How
long was Neil Armstrong actually on the moon? When did
Europe start speaking English? Did Marco Polo really go to China?
Curiosity Stream is the streaming service for all things history,
plus science, wildlife and more. What's the real story behind
the mona, Lisa, We've got that. What caused the collapse

(46:30):
of Rome? We know? Where? Did we find Mankind's earliest ancestor?
Come find out? From Egypt to Weinstein. Curiosity Stream is
the place for history with monthly, annual, and bundled plans.
Find one for you at curiosity stream dot com. Summer
is here and our sleep is just as important as
our weekend plants. So get the sleep you deserve with Lisa.
For a limited time, save up to seven hundred dollars

(46:51):
off select mattresses plus two free pillows during our summer sale.
Check out our hybrid mattress designed to keep you cool
during those hot summer nights. Lisa also offers shipping and
a risk free one hundred night trial. Get the Sleep
you Deserve shop or Summer Sale now and save up
to seven hundred dollars off select mattresses plus two free
pillows at Lisa dot com. That's l EESA dot Com

(47:12):
exclusion supplied. Visit Lisa dot com for details. The Children
of Hero's charity Fund needs your help to support the
thousands of Ukrainian children who've lost one or both parents
due to the Russian invasion. A monthly donation of just
twelve dollars can provide medical insurance for a child who
has lost to parents. To donate, visit children heroes dot

(47:33):
org slash help that's children, Heroes dot org, slash help
Children of Heroes. Urgent help for Ukrainian children today, for
a writer tomorrow
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.