A woman in Ohio pleaded guilty on Friday in connection with the killing of eight members of a family. She is the
second family member so far to have admitted to the crime in this shocking
case. Prosecutors claim this to have preceded after a dispute over her granddaughter’s
custody.
Angela Wagner, aged 50, pleaded guilty in Ohio’s
Pike County, conspiring to commit the aggravated murders, coupled with robbery,
evidence tampering and several other charges.
In return,
prosecutors released her of aggravated murder charges recommending her to serve
a 30 year custodial punishment. Testifying against other defendants was also a part
of the agreement, they said.
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Wagner did not make
any statement during or after the hearing.
Her husband and their 2 adult sons were charged in the 2016 case of murdering of seven adults along
with a teenage boy belonging to the Rhoden family. The plea comes after nearly five
months since her son Edward “Jake” Wagner had pleaded guilty of committing the
crime, agreeing to testify against three others, a deal which would aid all
four avoid probable death sentences.
George “Billy”
Wagner III & George Wagner IV have so far pleaded not guilty.
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The shootings at 3
trailers and a camper, in April 2016, petrified residents of rural Ohio.
After which the criminal investigation was launched, leading to the Wagners’ detention
after a gap of more than two years.
Wagners spent several
months planning the killings, targeting victims, but “some were sadly killed as
they just happened to be on the spot,” said Angela Canepa, special prosecutor.
Victims were
repeatedly shot at in the head, some showing bruising signs. Three young children present
at the crime scene were unharmed.
Wagner family premeditated
the assassinations for months, driven by a dispute over guardianship of the
daughter Jake Wagner, say prosecutors.
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Wagners used guns
with specially designed homemade silencers, allowing them to murder their
victims as they were asleep, prosecutors allege.
Angela Wagner was
aware of the plans and bought items to carry out the murders, which included
“phone jammers”, Canepa said.
Before the killings,
she forged custody documents too, and observed some of the slain members’
social media accounts, Canepa said.