Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #GeorgeWagnerIV

@Brooke_LaValley

As on Tuesday afternoon, Jake Wagner spent much of today reviewing earlier witness testimony in the #PikeCountyMassacre of his brother #GeorgeWagnerIV. But there were a few surprises of note. (Photo: @Brooke_LaValley @DispatchAlerts) 1/13

Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa reminded the jury that Jake Wagner cut a deal with the state to escape the death penalty in exchange for agreeing to testify. She read each of the charges against him and each name of his victims. He confirmed all. 2/13

Canepa also reminded the jury that Jake Wagner will serve eight consecutive life sentences for shooting five of the eight Rhodens to death in April 2016. She asked Wagner if he remembered that Judge Randy Deering earlier told him he would die in prison. "Yes," he said. 3/13

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Lots of drama in the #PikeCountyMassacre trial of #GeorgeWagnerIV this morning as his brother Jake took the stand for the third consecutive day. After two days of responding to questions with spare, limited answers, Jake Wagner admitted regrets for the killings.
1/9

On Monday, Jake Wagner told jurors he killed five of the eight Rhoden victims, shooting them in the head, sometimes multiple times. Today, he said he never talked to his mother or brother about the homicides. But he did talk to his father. "It was very brief,." he said. 2/9

"He was frustrated with me because of what he had, per se, been made to do because of me, and asked if I regretted doing the homicides," Jake Wagner said. 3/9

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@LawCrimeNetwork

LUNCH BREAK IN OH v. #GeorgeWagnerIV. This morning, Angie Canepa clarified that Sophia reportedly made allegations of sexual abuse by Jake Wagner's now ex-wife, Elizabeth, and Sophia later said she made it up because @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

she felt like Jake was giving Elizabeth/Beth Anne more attention than she was getting. Jake confirms his brother told him Elizabeth shouldn't be living in the same house and suggested she needed to go @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Jake said "We agreed she would move in with her friend in Nashville, she would get grants for college, go to med school and they would work on their relationship during the week b/c Jake's truck driving job took him through Nashville @LawCrimeNetwork

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Todd Dykes

@ToddDykesWLWT

2/2 Jurors just went to lunch. Toward the end of the morning session, Jake said it was his maternal grandmother's decision to confess to her role in forged custody documents that prompted Jake to do the same. #WLWT

After Rita Necomb (Angela Wagner's mom & Jake's grandmother) came forward, Jake Wagner said, "To me, it felt like it was the answer I was looking for at the time.. an answer from God." #WLWT #PikeCountyMassacre

Jake shared the regret he felt about the #PikeCountyMassacre during a brief convo w/ his dad, co-defendant Billy Wagner. Jake said he told Billy he "did not" feel regret, which Jake said today was not true. He said he told his dad this b/c he worried about Billy being suicidal.

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Jake Wagner spent much of the afternoon reviewing ground covered by other witnesses so far in the #PikeCountyMassacre trial of his brother #GeorgeWagnerIV. Under questioning from Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa, he offered a few new details about his family and the case. 1/11

New: The Wagner family had settled on an alibi as investigators were growing more interested in their involvement, Jake Wagner said. They were going to say they were all home together, watching a movie. He could not remember the movie's title. 2/11

New: Jake and George Wagner both worked as mechanics from mid-2017 to mid-2018, the year the family spent in Alaska. They first worked at Buddy's Garage, then Kenai Marine & Diesel. After that, Jake Wagner worked for L&R Construction Services. 3/11

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@LawCrimeNetwork

Court in recess until tomorrow morning in OH v. #GeorgeWagnerIV. Hearing set for 8:30 a.m. EST on the media order an Jake Wagner and other witnesses objecting to being broadcast @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Angie Canepa questioned Jake about GW4's relationship with Tabitha Claytor, when they were married, when she left and the circumstances ie - Angela saying "I'm going to go get my gun." @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Jake said the night Tabitha left, she was "in a state". Doesn't mean to be offensive but when women get in an emotional state they start slapping with both hands. @LawCrimeNetwork

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As Jake Wagner continues his testimony in the #PikeCountyMassacre of his brother, #GeorgeWagnerIV today, he's offering facts in opposition to what Wagner IV's lawyers put in front of the jury in their opening statement in the trial. 1/7

Jake Wagner testified that Wagner IV joined him & their dad, George "Billy" Wagner III, on the night of the murders. In his opening for the defense, attorney Richard M. Nash Jr. said Wagner IV was at home that night and learned the Rhoden family had been killed the next day. 2/7

Jake Wagner testified that he spoke w/a friend about the killings the next day while alone in the family's yard. In his opening, Nash said Jake took that call while in the car with Wagner IV and "put on an act worthy of an Academy Award" pretending he'd just learned the news. 3/7

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@LawCrimeNetwork

MORNING BREAK IN OH v. #GeorgeWagnerIV. Angie Canepa took Jake Wagner back to 4:30-is A.M. on April 22, 2016. Jake says they pulled the truck into the new barn and took off all of their clothes, floor mats, ski masks, shoes, etc. @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Jake said he went in the house in his boxers and got "redressed." Put clothes, shoes, victims' cell phones into an old food trough to burn. Used a grinder to cut up the 3 guns and then partially destroyed with a torch. @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Put gun parts in a duffle bag and buried in a post hole in the new barn. The stalls weren't yet built at that point. Before Billy Wagner left with the truck, Jake said he and "my brother" lifted the false bed out of the truck and disassembled it. @LawCrimeNetwork

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Todd Dykes

@ToddDykesWLWT

Stay w/ #WLWT for complete coverage of #GeorgeWagner's murder trial in connex. to the 2016 #PikeCountyMassacre. I'm heading into the courtroom to notate what Jake Wagner has to say during his second day of testimony. Jake has opted out of being filmed.... I'll update when I can.

Jurors in #GeorgeWagner's murder trial are on their first break of the day. Jake Wagner will resume testifying shortly. So far, he's given more testimony linking his brother George to the 2016 #PikeCountyMassacre. #WLWT

Jake said that on the morning after he helped kill 8 members of the Rhoden family, his (Jake's) demeanor was: "shockful, mournful-ish".. (Jake's words in court, under oath). #WLWT

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@LawCrimeNetwork

Court just ended for the afternoon in OH v. #GeorgeWagnerIV. Since lunch, Jake Wagner talked about his family buying a signal jammer to jam cell and radio signals. "I think it was dad's idea." Prevents people from calling 911 @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

There wasn't a silencer for Billy's 40 Glock, Jake says. Tested it at Peterson Rd. to see how loud it would be. He says his mom, Angela, signed Hanna May's name to the guardianship documents. He said he and GW4 signed their names (cont) @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

in case they died carrying out the homicides. That way, if they died, their mom would get custody of their children, Sophia an Bulvine. They modified the bed of the GMC truck that Jake bought to make a false bed @LawCrimeNetwork

Read 28 tweets

Here's the action in #PikeCountyMassacre trial of #GeorgeWagnerIV through noon. At this hour, the prosecution is continuing to walk the defendant's brother through the April 2016 night the Rhoden family was killed in Pike County. 1/4

Edward "Jake" Wagner said he fired, with his eyes closed, at victim Christopher Rhoden Sr. He later went inside Rhoden Sr.'s trailer home and found the bodies of Rhoden Sr. and cousin Gary Rhoden on the bedroom floor. He took a cover from Rhoden Sr.'s bed and covered the two. 2/4

George Wagner IV, positioned under a truck outside the home, did not fire. "I told him to shoot but he didn't," Jake Wagner said. "I took his SKS (gun) from him." Their father returned to the truck and asked what happened. Jake told his father: "He (George) wouldn't shoot." 3/4

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@LawCrimeNetwork

Lunch break in OH v. #GeorgeWagnerIV as Jake Wagner, who opted OUT, testifies against his brother. Jake is wearing a tan jail shirt marked INMATE on the back and blue plans. Shacked at wrists and ankles. @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Jake sits at the stand. Looks at his brother, GW4. I am sitting behind George so I can't tell whether George looked back or not. But, Jake has looked him several times. Sometimes George's head is down @LawCrimeNetwork

@LawCrimeNetwork

Angie Canepa asks him how long he's been incarcerated. He says nearly 4 years. He describes how the family intentionally burned down buildings at the Bethel Hill Rd. property where they'd lived for 20 years. @LawCrimeNetwork

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Chris Graves

@chrisgraves

Jake Wagner, 29, testified this morning that it was his father's idea around January 2016 to "do something" about Hanna Rhoden. And he said he was initially against it 1/8

He said he was growing increasingly worried that the daughter he and Rhoden shared may become a victim of child or sexual abuse. "I had a fear for my own daughter." 2/8

"At first I blowed up and said that was my daughter's mother,'' said Wagner, who is the younger brother of #GeorgeWagnerIV who is on trial in the eight shooting deaths of member of the Rhoden family. 3/8

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Chris Graves

@chrisgraves

#GeorgeWagnerIV trial concludes it seventh week (6th week of testimony) with stunning testimony from Jake's Wagner's former wife, Elizabeth Armer, 29, who appeared calm and collected during cross examination. 1/5

Armer said her father was in the military and that is why her family moved often when she was a child. She testified she lived in an Amish-Mennonite community for seven years before she moved to Alaska, where she ultimately met Jake at church. 2/5

She recounted Wagner family meetings of which she overhead conversations of which she was not a part. She said Jake was "not very interested in learning in general," he didn't read books, was not a good writer and didn't have a good understanding of Christianity. 3/5

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