How We Got Here- Seasons 1 & 2 Recap

Rodent family. Just a nightmare scenario, all of them shot in the head execution style. They were trying to possibly wipe out this entire family. It's absolutely shocking. I hope that the infortune in this area apprehend eaching everyone. These are people, these are monsters. This has been by far the longest, most complex and labor intensive investigation the Ohio

Attorney General's Office has ever undertaken. On your knee havendernderback. Yesterday, a Pike County grand jury and died four individuals for aggravated murder with death pality specifications for legilate committing this heartless, ruthless murder. One family targeted, murdered in their sleep, and the killers vanished. It's personal somebody was trying to send a message. Everyone was talking about who could have done it and why they would have done it. I want

to know exactly what happened that night. Thirty two gunshot wounds, eight people dead, two families destroyed, one grizzly crime. What will happen is anyone's guests. This is the Piked and Massacre Seasons one and two recap How we got here. Courtney Armstrong a television producer at Katie Studios with Stephanie Leidecker and Jeff Shane. Our journey started back in twenty nineteen when we made a documentary about the crime, and we've been covering the story ever since. I think I

speak for all of us. Would I say that from then until now we have not been able to shake it or get it out of our heads. I think for me personally, the part of this case that continues to haunt me is the fact that there were mothers brutally murdered in front of their babies. What kind of

a monster would do that. We've had the benefit of going to Pike County many times and have interviewed to date, probably hundreds of people, whether that's local townspeople or experts or family members to the victims and family members of the accused. And one thing we can say, in a small town like this, there's not a single person that

hasn't been affected by this hideous story. And there's not a single person you can talk to on the street that doesn't know somebody connected to it in a meaningful way. Through all these conversations, we began to piece together and what happened on that fateful night. As you'll learn in the upcoming season three, there is still so much left to unravel in the community. Here's piked In, Native barb.

Piked In's considered a village, and it is just a small little town that has a grocery store and a pizza shop and gas stations, and there's a tire shop. People sit and talk at the gas station. Wherever they go, people know each other and they just sit and talk. You know, at the tire shop you're waiting for an oil and oil change or whatever. You sit there and chat with your neighbor or whoever happens to come in.

You know somebody anywhere you go. But at some point, out in the shadow of its Green Hills, the area has an erie passed everybody thinks all the bad stuff happens in the big cities, but the devil works at it everywhere. County and beautiful. It's a beautiful place, but there's a lot of dirty people here too. From the side of our town. There's been a lot of murders here that have not been solved. On April twenty first, twenty sixteen, evil reared its face in Pike County in

the dead of night under cool, cloudy skies. Eight people were brutally shot and killed in four separate homes. I'll never forget that day. I'll never forget that day. I had gone into the office at the high school to pick Brittany up for an appointment. And when I walked in, they had a TV on and everyone in there was sitting with their mouths hanging open, and I was like, what's going on in here? And the secretaries said, my god,

there's been a shooting. They said six people were killed, and she said, we are very worried because little Chris Roden didn't show up today and we think he might be one of them. Everyone was just in shock. So a little Chris law enforcement because I couldn't find him. There was some speculation early on that he might have been involved. For the residence of piked In There was little more than confusion at this point. People knew there was a shooting and that Chris Roden Jr. A sixteen

year old freshman at Pikedon High was missing. Where was the teen? It was at the home of Chris Roden Senior that the nightmare began. Chris Roden Senior was known to be a strong, hard working family man. He was, you know, a great father. He was a good man, just like the rest of the guys you know in

that family. He would do anything for anybody. Chrissenden and Roden were married for twenty two years, and although they divorced, they remained close, So close that Chris Senior had recently bought Dana a home on the same road he lived on Union Hill Road. He did it so they could stay close to their children. Chris Senior's cousin, Gary Roden, was more like a brother to him and often stayed

at his place. Little Chris's aunt, Bobby Joe, who also lived nearby, was the first to make the gruesome discovery at seven forty nine am when she came to feed the dogs. The patriarch of the family, Chris Rodin was dead. He looked like he'd been beaten to death. Chris's cousin, Gary Roden, who was staying with Chris, was also dead. What's the saying, christ were unting Harry rod and Frank and Garry Roden star times in. It look like the dad right there? Both good? I think the very sad.

The iPhone has been to pop out. Okay, you're anybody open of the house. I don't know us. Okay, the door was awfull. We got here, but on her friends, I'm here and her rating on the floor. Bobby, I need to get out of the house and way done. Okay, I'll started right now. Okay, just watch this. Three year old Christopher Roden was the only one of the eight family members who was shot somewhere other than the head,

and he had multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Torso and Extremities Corner Distinguished Professor and Criminals forensic expert Joseph Morgan tried to make sense of the Roden 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 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 form and it shattered one of the bones. When you've got an individual that has gotten defensive loans, that person has an awareness, so that goes to a level

of callousness that's roses to victim. Gary Rodin, Chris Senior's cousin, was a beloved member of the family. By all accounts, Gary and Chris Senior were very close. Gary just happened to be at Chris's home that night. He was actually from Kentucky, so 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 close to Gary when they fired, because they talked about what is referred to as a press contact events at wanted and if our listeners will essentially take your index finger, okay, and point it toward the palm of your hand and extend the 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 will 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 a bullet, and around you'll have this burning of powder that's coming out. You'll have unburned powder that's coming out. So this is a very intimate event. I spoke with Mike Gallen, criminal defense attorney from Ohio. Are you able

to talk about the scenes themselves? You know, if you look at it and it's all from the autopsy reports, those kind of injuries leaves no doubt that this was an intentional or these all were intentional killings, kind of designed to send a message to someone. The muzzle mark sticks in my mind. You have to be obviously arms reach. I mean, you are locking eyes with the victim. It would seem does that paint any kind of picture or

indicate to officers or attorneys anything. Sure it does, and maybe even closer than arm's length, I mean maybe just inches. It indicates to me at least, especially when you have the number of shots like that here, that somebody was trying to send a message. I don't think there can be any doubt about that. I mean, it was personal, and I think that's what that demonstrates. At this point,

Bobby Josie's two people did by twelve gunshot wounds. While waiting desperately for police to arrive, she makes her way over to her nephew, Frankie's house. She wanted to get some help and to tell him what happened to his father and uncle, whose bodies she had just found. Frankie Rowden was Chris Senior and Dana's oldest son. The twenty year old was a father to two boys. Like his parents,

Frankie was a hard worker. He loved fishing, hunting, and demolition derby, but nothing so much as his family and his fiance, nineteen year old Hannah Gilly. Hannah Gilly was on the homecoming court in high school, and at that time she told friends she planned to go to college get a business degree and open a daycare. Frankie and Hannah wanted a lot of kids. They had a bright future. The young family lived together just up the street from Chris Senior All on Union Hill Road. They were looking

forward to getting married soon. So after Bobby Joe made the call to nine one one, she went to Frankie's house near right nearby, and the person who came to the door was Frankie's three year old son. As the police reports and newspaper reports showed, he was, you know, covered in blood, and he, like any three year old,

sort of didn't fully understand what was going on. And he told his aunt that, you know, his father was playing zombie in the bedroom, and that's because the family were fans of The Walking Dead, so you know, he was in there with his father playing zombie, which is absolutely heartbreaking. Twenty year old Frankie Rodin was shot three Toms in the head miss he lay in bed next to his fiance and they're six months old. We talk about Hannah Gillie Hayes shot five Tom's she catches one

in the eye. It poses this idea, why are you shooting these people in the face, what's the purpose? Of it, because not only shoot him in the face, you're shooting him multiple talked. What threat did she post? She's laying there was her child in the bed meanwhile, and this is all happening. Around eight am on April twenty second, Bobby Joe calls their brother James. She's in hysterics. There's now two murder scenes, four people dead, twenty gunshot wounds,

two children left alive. At the scenes, James immediately goes over to a sister, Dana's house, to check on her and the remaining kids. Dana Rodin was a nurse known for her gregarious nature and loving smile. She'd met Chris Rudd Senior when she was just in high school and it was love at first sight. Even though they divorced twenty two years later, they remained very close together. The pair had three beautiful children, twenty year old Frankie, Hannah May,

and little Chris. She's goodhearted, a lot of fun, you know, always laughing, cracking up. She was a very very good person. She sent me a text she slid my grand babies here and I said, well, congratulations, I said, she's beautiful. What did you What did Hannah May name her? She said, Kylie May, and I said, that's so pretty. And that was the last, you know, the last thing I ever heard from Dana. She again, like Chris Senior, was shot

multiple times. And not only was she shot multiple times, but specifically reports have her having been shot five times, four times. Four Tom's in the head. Now, what in the hell would you shoot somebody four times in the head, because you know one should suffice. But the shooter took the top to take that muzzle of that weapon. Stick it beneath Dana's chin, stick it beneath her chia. This is a common location for suicide, all right, This is

atypical for homicide. This particular April seemed extra special because hannahme had just given birth to her second daughter five days prior. Just weeks before that, Dana threw Hannah May a big baby shower at their new house. The pictures from the showers show what a happy celebration it was. Sadly, James, Dana's brother, was about to enter yet one more unimaginable scene. Dana and her nineteen year old daughter, Hannah May, were both dead. Hannah Rodin She was shot twice in the

head as their newborn laid beside her. Maybe they're curled in a fetal posture along with her baby, just curled in a fetal posture. Mama was slowly stroking the head of the baby and try to, you know, calp suit the baby during the night. Maybe she awakes and breastfeeds the baby during the night while she's sleeping. It's a position and people are slept in for thousands and thousands

of years. It's a position of comfort. You imagine you're laying there, you're there to protect your baby, and you're curled up on your side. There's an awareness. This brings us back to when Dana's son, the high school freshman Chris Junior, was nowhere to be found. It took detectives several hours to locate him, but finally little Chris was found in the home with his mother, Dana, and his

sister Hannah. May sixteen year old Chris Junior was shot four times and looting twice in the top of his head. He was found wedged behind his bed, implying that he was trying to hide from the killer killers. There's now seven people dead, thirty one gunshot wounds, and three children left alive. At the scenes the once small and sleepy town became the epicenter for grizzly crime and the subsequent

complex murder investigation. When it was all said and done, two families would be destroyed and the town would never be the same. For the quiet town, the scene was unreal. Nearly seven hours after the first bodies were found at one twenty six pm on April twenty second, a final fatal discovery. Yeah, I need it. He's been out to closet to seven nine nine lad Force. Uh, it's boldest stuff. It's on the news. I just found just sound my

cousin was again shot wing. Okay it line so okay, I'm understand how by the very way going to the whole thing? Donald So done the whole thing? Sound yeah, I says, what do you mean, Rodyn Rody? Yeah, okay, care honey, out of the house. I'm I'm out of the house right now. I just went in hour day and he checked light and I looked to say he had again shot wind. Okay, We're gonna get that Nick down thirty okay, all right, chick Martin. A few miles

down unionholl Road was Chris Roden Senior's brother. There, Kenneth the forty four year old was shot once through his right eye. Kenneth's cousin, Donald Stone, went to check on Kenneth after hearing about the murders of their six other family members. He'd failed to hear from Kenneth that day. 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. He was found covered with

dollar bills that were strewn about his body. He just God, I mean, you can't, you can't make this up. By the time officials released the names of the eight victims piked In, residents were reeling. You know, they had snuck in in the night and committed this, these murders, and nobody had a clue about you know who or why, And that's really scary. We're going to take a break. We'll be back in a moment. There were rumors about who had done the crime everywhere online, in the coffee shops,

amongst the police. I mean, everyone was talking about who could have done it and why they would have done it. Investigators believe that the murders were clearly premeditated, but the killing spree was so staggering and merseless. There were endless questions. One of the first things investigators studied where confrontations the roads had with locals in recent years. Could these conflicts have triggered a vendetta against the family. There was one

concerning incident that had happened at a demolition derby. Based on what's been reported in the court documents, I think it's fair to say that Frankie and Chris Junior, I mean definitely were hotheads. It definitely got into fights here and there. They had an incident with a fellow named Tommy Gorman, who was a rival in the demolish Derby's. They got into a bit of a sort of heated match and there was a believe a sort of incident on the track. They got him to stay with each

other's bad blood. And then again it's you know, kind of kicked up speed with Facebook posts about sort of consulting each other. And then of course Chris Junior Frankie drove over to Gorman's house and proceeded to really beat on Gorman and his father and they fights and meetings were only really broken up after the grandfather came out and pumped a few shotgun shells into the air. Chris Junior had also gotten into a scuffle with another local

kid named Rusty mongol On. Goldhead posted on Facebook that Chris Janior hit him with a car and in his message, you know, he uses some pretty tough language. I mean, Rusty was nineteen at the time, and you know he's talking about I'm going to break his fucking legs and curb stop his ass and sort of nineteen year old bluster. Really, the Rusty Mungle thing happened just two weeks before the murders. But please scoured both of these leads, even taking DNA

evidence of the suspects, they came up empty. An ominous feeling had spread throughout Pike County. He was investigative reporter Jodi Barr. You got eight members of one family targeted, murdered in their sleep, in their homes, and the killers seemingly vanished. We didn't know the pieces, We didn't know how to put it together. There was no information coming out about these murders, about motives. Even the family members who were in direct communication with law enforcement, even they

weren't being told anything. I mean, it's called it good investigative work, and you hold your cards close to the chest. As an investigator. Maybe that's what it was, but from the outside looking in, it was almost like law enforcement didn't have a clue at that point in time. Led by an ambitious Sheriff Charles Reader, the ensuing investigation soon became the largest in Ohio's history. I've got a message for the killers. We will find you. The family and

the victims will have justice one day. There are so many pieces that have to be put into place with this. You're leap frogging from this blood bath to another blood bath. One of the first major developments in the case came when Mike Dwine, then Ohio's Attorney General, announced that he believed the killings were planned and premeditated. He cited clear efforts taken by the shooter or shooters to remove any

incriminating forensic evidence. The Attorney Channel Dwine at the time said it was a pretty sophisticated operation, and the people that carried it out, we're trying to do everything that they could to make sure that they didn't get caught.

Attorney General Dwine and Sheriff Reader, they both said that the investigation was going to be a long one and a lengthy process, and Boyd sure has played out that way, an investigative task force of massive scope kicked into gear, led by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation the BCI. More than two hundred and fifty one law enforcement officials were mobilized, including sheriffs from twenty five offices across Ohio. The FBI and the DA stepped in to provide technical

expertise to Dwine's office. Solemn funerals were held for all the victims. For two years, not a single arrest was made. You lived in that area, man, it was hush hush. You were just kind of walking around looking over your shoulder at seeing with some of these people, not knowing you know, who could be next. Who did it? There

was one very curious lead that investigators had unhearthed. At three of the crime scenes on Union Hill Road, police found a substantial marijuana grow operation, including a grow house harboring hundreds of cannabis plants. This grow operation on the Rodents property was clearly being cultivated for sale. It was also worth almost half a million dollars. The Rodents had a pretty sizable crop of marijuana plants on their property. You know, there were indications that they were involved in

some drug deals and drug trade with marijuana. That obviously feeled even more speculation that these were outside operators, possibly was as a drug deal gone bad, or was somebody trying to take over their turf. All kinds of rumors started to slow after that disclosure. As the months swore on. No one's been arrested, no one charged, no people named the person's of interest, You really started to wonder, you know, maybe this drug cartail thing there was something too that

they definitely knew how to kill people. You know, you're looking for signs of the drug cartail and then you find Kenneth Roden with what appeared to be a gunshot in the head, but that there were dollar bills or some sort of paper money spread around the body. Was that a sign? What did that mean? Could the Rodent's operation have motivated a cartel hit, a lethal battle over territory? It was a tenable idea. But over the next months, as the investigation dug deeper, an entire new set of

possible culprits came into frame. The Wagner family, Angela Wagner forty eight years old, her husband Billy Wagner, forty seven, their two sons, George and Jake, both in their mid twenties, Angela's mother, Rita Newcombe, and the family matriarch, Frederica Wagner. Here's Jeff. The Wagners were a well known and well to do family in the Piketon area, and Frederico Wagner

was at the helm of this. A self described entrepreneurs she owned properties Oliver Pike County that spanned over seventeen hundred acres and were valued at more than four million dollars. She had also founded two nonprofits, Lucasville Mission, a church that helps underprivileged children, and the Crystal Springs Home, a facility that provides services to developmentally disabled adults. As we've learned throughout the series, Frederica had her detractors as well

as her supporters in the community. We probably need to clarify here. The Wagner seemed like a good, god fearing country family, but police were gathering heart evidence linking the Wagners to the crime, and the Wagners had had some tangles with law enforcement in the past. In two thousand in one, seemingly homespun mother Angela Wagner, along with Billy Wagner, were charged with him properly handling a firearm in twenty and twelve. They are both charged with receiving stolen property,

a felony. Investigators discovered that in the months prior to the killings, the Wagners began making their own gun silencers. Police believe silencers were necessary to pull these killings off because they happened in such close proximity. Investigators also found that the Wagner family had bought ammunition, a magazine clip, a bug detector, and materials to build brass catchers. The brass catcher is a bag that hooks on the side of a firearm. It will catch spent cartridges, so every

time you pull the trigger, a cartridges is ejected. And if you were really interested in not leaving anything behind, as far as holistic evidence, it sounds like a great story. This bag will collect the shell casing, so there's no left behind. The bug detector so purely that helped someone find Listening devices will sometimes create white moist a muffle sounds or discussion. Authority search to seventy one acre farm in Peebles that was once owned by Jake Wagner. Jake

was victim Hanname Roden's former boyfriend. The pair shared a three year old child together, Jake and Hanname Rodin had parted bitterly and were fighting over custody. At the time of her murder. The vice was tightening around the Wagner family, and some speculate that the only way they felt they could escape it was to move four thousand miles away.

They moved to Alaska, which raised even more suspicions. But then the very following month, law enforcement actually finally searches properties where the Wagners lived, so that was really the first public indication that the Wagners were possible suspects, if not people of interest. The Wagners made Keene, Alaska, their new home. It's a tiny town south of Anchorage. All

the while they vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Jake's mother, Angela Wagner, said her husband, Billy Wagner, and victim Chris Roden Senior, were like brothers. She claimed that Billy would never harm Chris. Billy's mother, grandmother, Frederica Wagner, said the Wagners were quote a good Christian family and despite the speculation about the family, many in Pike County couldn't figure the Wagners from murderers. I read that and I had to laugh. I had

to laugh so hard. Okay, So you have to remember that this was a very organized, brilliantly done execution. This is something that you wouldn't learn on a DVD with military background, Navy seals. I mean, whoever did it was was brilliant. They're professional. These people are not professional killers. Now.

I think that is the common theme of this entire story about Pike County and about this road and massacre, is it seems just too far fetched out when you try to connect the dots through the histories of you know, how the Wagoners conducted their business, how they live their lives. I don't know that I have seen any reporting, any fact brought out about the Waggoners that would say, Yep,

there you go, mass murderers. I think that is the draw that continues to keep people interested in this story, is that you would have never seen any of this coming. In the spring of twenty and eighteen, the Wagoners returned to the pikes In area to take care of Billy's aging father. The plan was to set up with care and then returned to Alaska, but things did not go as planned. If you seek about it, the Wagners were

scott free, they went to Alaska. It could have took off and nobody could have ever seen them again ever, But they came back here. They came back now the way that I am, I would never do that. But if I had pulled something off like that and got away into that loan and went to Alaska, you know, I'm packing my ship and I'm hitting the woods, and nobody's ever going to see me again, I'm sure the hell I'm not going to come back. The only way I would come back is if I thought my ass

would covered. With their investigation reaching a fever pitch, then Ohio Attorney General Mike Dwine and Pike County Sheriff Charlie Reader asked the public for information on the Wagner family. I hope that the unfortunate in this area apprehend each and everyone. These are peoples, these are monsters. Dwine said. He was quote laser focused on the Wagners, their business dealings, vehicles, firearms,

and ammunition. Investigators had solid ballistic evidence connecting firearms using the homicide with guns believed to be owned by the Wagners. These included a twenty two caliber long rifle, a forty caliber handgun and a thirty caliber gun. They also recovered a homemade silencer at the bottom of a well on the Wagner's property. Well, good afternoon. We promised that the day would come when a rush would be made in

the Pike County massacres today or is that today? In a series of arrests that sent shockwaves through the insulated community, six members of a local family, the Wagners, were taken into custody hands up all night. Forty seven year old Billy Wagner is the patriarch of the Wagner family and was arrested near Lexington, Kentucky, and a horse trailer that was pulled over. Your name, I'm Wagner. I'm Wagaba. Angela Wagner is Billy's wife and matriarch of the Wagner family.

The forty eight year old was arrested at their home near Piked in Ohio. Go ahead, Angelo Wagner in car one Cope thirteen thirty one. Angela and Billy's two sons, George Wagner and Jake Wagner, were arrested together during a traffic stop. George was twenty seven and Jake was twenty six.

Seventy six year old Fredrica Wagner, Billy Wagner's mother, was arrested at the family's horse farm, The Flying w Angela, Wagner's mother, sixty five year old Rita Joe Newcomb, was arrested at her home, while six members of the Wagner family were arrested and action with the crime. Billy, Angela, George, and Jake Wagner were charged with eight counts of aggravated murder. Details about the arrests of four people and the murders

of eight members of the Rodent family. All the arrests happened within minutes of each other, and that tells me that the BCI, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification, who was in charge of this investigation, they know what they're doing, and they wanted to make sure that they affected these arrests without any kind of problems or tipping anybody off, So they hit that thing down pretty tight. Six months later, four members of the Wagner family were indicted on charges

of aggravated murder with death penalty specification for the murders. Yesterday, a Pike County grand jury and died four individuals for aggravated murder with death penalty, especially vacation for legilate committing this heartless, ruthless, cold blood murder. Did they do it? We want to know now, obviously everybody wants to know right now. And man, if they're cooperating, as this attorney says, they're giving over computers, a laptop, DNA, whatever it takes.

You know, people who aren't experts in criminology, we look at that and go, well, man, that sounds like an innocent person. An innocent person will be doing that. On the other hand, there were the ballistics discoveries. Here's Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent Ryan Scheiderer testifying in court that shell casings found in the Wagner's property match the ones found at the Rodent's crime scenes. We recovered twenty two

caliber shell cascenes. And where we recovered those which at two sixty Peterson Road, which was a property that was owned by George Wager and his brother Jake. And we're those Shall casings submitted to the lab for comparison to the Shall casings that had been recovered from both Frankie's

and Dana's residences. Yes, and what was the opinion of the the weapon that fired the shell casings at two sixty fee ercon Road also fired the shell casings at Anna's and Dana's residence as well as Frankie and Hannah Gillis residence. So the same firearm had been fired on the same properties. Okay. So the exact same gun, not just the same type of gun, the same firearms okay. The indictment also includes a reference to a specific pair of boots that the Wagner family purchased at Walmart and

allegedly war during the murders. The theory was that the Wagners were trying to frame Dana Roden's brother, James Fanley, who was known to add this make of boot. Sheriff Frieder said the Wagner's plan these killings for months, studying the rodents habits. He alleged that they then covered up the killings, including stealing the Rodan security footage and tampering with their phones. It seems a single minded cult like

obsession drew these murders. So we've talked about the Wagoners and how insulated that family was, and you know, the word cult has been thrown around in reference to the family. It's hard to imagine a nuclear family of a mother father and two adult sons who started doing reconnaissance on the Rodent family, which by all accounts were as a family that they were close with, friendly within some ways, and months before the murders, allegedly the Wagners started to

track their comings and goings. And the question is why would they do that? I mean, the only thing I can think of is that Angela Wagner was this obsessed mother who who not only wanted to control her son Jake, but also all the people in his life. By all accounts, it appears that the Rodens were being hunted by the Wagner family, and that's unbelievable when you really put it

into context. The idea of a killer family sitting around the kitchen table holding murder meetings is impossible to imagine. What came into focus is that there was a raging custody dispute between Jake Wagner and his former girlfriend, Hannah may Roden over their three year old daughter that is

speculated as the real motive behind these murders. They would travel back and forth between Hannah's mother's house and Jake's family's house, and they would live as a family for a few weeks at a time in each home and for everyone who knew them, They said that the couple

was very happy. They were talking about marriage and building a life together until seemingly in March of twenty fifteen, they broke up, and that's when Hannah started dating a new guy, a man named Charlie Gilly, and Jake was devastated.

Jake was pressuring Hannah to sign over full custody, something she adamantly did not want to do so in the summer of twenty fifteen, when Hannah wrote in announced that she was pregnant with a new child, Jake Wagner was adamant that he was the dad of this kid, and he was desperate to prove it, so much so that he went to the hospital when the baby was born and checked for a Wagner family trait in the tow.

And we know that just days after Hannah was murdered, the Wagner family filed for custody of not only Jake's three year old daughter, but also the newborn baby. So it's clear that this family had plans to raise both children as their own. As you'll hear in season three, there's a lot more contexts to Jake's relationship with Hannah and what his state of mind was around the murders and before the murders in terms of moving on and

how he felt about her. The Wagners wanted custody over Jake and Hannah's child at all costs, but was that possibly enough to justify a wholescale slaughter of another family. It seemed Jake Wagner was highly distraught over having lost hannahme Roden here is an anonymous Wagner source. He was trying very hard to make sure that they got back together. He still wanted to be with her. He was trying to get get back with her, just everything that he could.

On top of the breakup, Hannah was also allegedly withholding their daughter from Jake. There was a custody battle. Hannah wasn't allowing Jake to see her or any of the family to see her, and so it kind of just got out of hand at that point. It just set him off to the point where Jake, because he had made the comments a couple of times, I mean, and

I had told a couple of people about them. I mean, he had made the comments, you know, that he were going to kill her, and he told her that, you know, He's like, I'm going to I'm gonna have to kill you. Like you're not going You're not gonna let me see the baby, then you know you're not gonna have her. And I'm like, Jake, you can't say these things. Please just chill out. And of course, you know, nobody ever really thinks like, oh my god, he's actually going to

He was just completely out of his mind. It really really upset him. The Wagners had allegedly orchestrated another ruthless custody battle once before. Jake's brother, George Wagner, had a child with a woman named Tabitha, and when they split up, Accusmaer George Wagner and his mother, Angela Wagner blocked Tabitha from seeing her son. Here's Tabitha's sister, Christina Tabby, like whenever she would try to reach out to George, like hey,

can I come visit my son? And Angela would get on there and be like, oh, he's not your son anymore, would tell Tabbie like, oh, you might have gave Bertilin beyond his real mother because I take care of them, and all these just nasty things. At one point accused murderer, Angela Wagner even threatened Tabitha and ran out of town.

Here's court testimony about the incident. Eventually there was a comment by Angela that she was going to kill Tabitha, so she fled to a gas station and ultimately never returned. And actually specifically she first hit on the property until nightfall and then and drove to a gas station and neither escape that way and never went back after that. Correct. And yet the idea that the Wagners would resolve a

custody issue in such a ruthless fashion is confounding. I don't think anybody would believe that a family could have put together such a tactical hit on another family that they had created life with. It's still too difficult to accept, it, too hard to believe. Let's stop here for another break. Before the killings, the Wagners were trying to coerce victim hannahme Roden, into signing forged documents seating custody of her daughter to Angela Wagner in the event of Hannah's death.

The forged custody documents that have been discussed in this case. They were declaration documents, and it was stated in Rita Newcome's case because she was the one accused of charged with forgery or obstruction. It said that it was declarations for the children of Hannah Rodin, George the Fourth and Jake And so basically these documents designated a guardian should

any of them die. And these documents had been signed and notarized nineteen days before the murders, and it designated the children go to Angela should any of them die. That's just one of those puzzle pieces that I felt like showed that Angela she may have been the driving force here since she was the one that had the Facebook message that's been referenced in court that showed that Hannah said they'd have to kill me first before I gave up my child, and she showed that message to Jake.

This paper says if Hannah is to meet her demise, then Sophia should go to Jake. Correct. Okay, But if Jai meets his demise, then his child goes to his mom, correct,

not to Hannah. Correct. Then, on April twenty first, twenty twenty one, on the five year anniversary of the murder, and in a case where nothing made sense, accused murderer Jake Wagner abruptly pled guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder, felony, conspiracy, unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance, and tampering with evidence. The State of Ohio read as part of the guilty plead not to seek the death penalty for him or his father, mother, or older brother. Here's Stephanie speaking with

reporter James Pilcher. Is it possible that Jake could say I was in a very controlling environment. My mother, Angela Wagner, controlled us, My father was a bully and said I had to do these things, and we were coerced into it. Is there any value in that even? I mean, that's entirely possible, and some of the reporting, that's what we've heard, Lee cal The other thing I will say is that maybe they're going after bigger game than Jake, and they

figured we'll cut this deal. Now, he'll give us what we want and then we can go get the mom and the dad. But clearly they were going after the people who plotted it. This was not Jake's idea, right or at least not according to prosecutors. This was the family coming together. That's what the prosecutors are after is that okay? We get Jake to help us. We get Jake to plead out shows that this really did happen. Now we can go after the people who were actually

planned it. Jake, who admitted to shooting five of the eight victims, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against his family members. He knows he will die in prison. Do you think Jake is lying about being personally responsible for five of the eight? I don't know what his incentive to lie about that is. I mean, is he that afraid of the death penalty? The economics of that equation just does not make sense to me. Where he

would openly confess to murdering five people. Probably the worst act you could commit as a human is taking the life of another, and he did that five times over. I think we got a good idea of what happened here. The charges against Frederica Wagner were dismissed. She maintained her faith throughout the ordeal, even as her son accused murder of Billy Wagner and his family were charged with horrible crimes.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct her path. And as my attorney will tell you, it was dismissed because I was innocent. They had no evidence against me. I'd never lied about anything. The investigation had a snag when Sheriff Freeder was arrested

on felony charges not related to the case. There had been criticism about how Sheriff Frieder handled evidence in the road massacre, but these new charges conflict of interest, theft in office, and tampering with evidence stripped him of his badge and office. I stand here before you today to take accountability through my actions, to accept responsibility for my conduct,

I said Sheriff of Ohio. I should excuse me. Everything that I'd worked for professionally, in honorably for twenty five years was stripped to me, with nobody good playing but myself. If I could go back can changed it, I would a million times. This is not who I am. Never ever did I imagine myself on the defense side of this court route that I've spent twenty five years of

my life in this county in law enforcement. I am a good person, made bad decisions and choices I have and I'm out pray that the court will find mercy on me. According to reports, Reader allegedly stole cash sees from drug arress to fund a gambling problem. He even blamed his gambling addiction on the stresses of investigating the Rodan killings. You know, now he's blaming his gambling habits on because what he's seen in the crime scenes have haunted him so much he couldn't sleep, so he would

go gamble. One known Charlie for thirty years and he's been gambling way before this happened. And that's just to me, shows you his character. No, I'm I'm going to use the death of eight people to try to smooth over but I'm still a money off my county in gambling, and that is disgusting to me. You're talking about a guy who led the sheriff's office and who for a time, a moment in time when this first happened, these murders first happened, who was also leading that investigation until the

state came in and took it over. You just sit back and go, man, let's see where this end is. I mean, Pike County has been a crazy ride so ever since the end of April of twenty sixteen, It has been an absolutely crazy half a decade there. But despite Sheriffrid's downfall, the Wagners, Billy, George, Jake, and Angela remain locked up. Jake's mother, Angela, father Billy, and brother George await their fate as Jake prepares to testify against them.

The Wagners are facing three hundred and thirty two thousand files of evidence from the prosecution. Will the Wagners remain behind bars and what will Jake reveal about what happened that harrowing night in April twenty sixteen. He's done. The totality of 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 foreign fact responsible for planning and carrying out

the homicide. Jay admitted it in the league evening hours of April twenty first, twenty sixteen into the early morning hours of Abl twenty seconds, twenty sixteen, is when they admitted these homicides. You think about staring into the eyes of your kin folks across the room 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 to the proverbial gallows virtue, What you're going to say, will we figure out exactly what happened on the night of April twenty first in Piketon? I want to know exactly what happened that night? You know, how did 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 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. And was Angelo the mastermind behind it all? I think it was bil Angelo behind the scene, controlling I relearning one in a little public after. What will happen in the meantime is anyone's guess? Will there be another plea deal?

It'll be interesting to see where this Case goes from here the piked In Massacre. Who knows? You never know where this is going next. This season, we have a much fuller picture of who the Wagner family was prior to this and how they became the monsters we now know them to be. We've really started to learn more about the Wagner family, not only the lives that they led, but also their motivations for the crimes they allegedly committed. Just when we thought it couldn't get any stranger or darker,

it has. All will be revealed on Season three of The piked In Massacre. For more information in case photos, follow us on Instagram at Katie Underscore Studios. This special episode was produced by Stephanie Leidecker, Jeff Shane, Chris Greeves, Alan Wheeter, and me Courtney Armstrong. Editing and sound design by Jeff Ta, music by Jared Aston, Audio mixing by Ken Novak. The Pikedon Massacre is a production of Katie

Studios and iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.