Trial in killings of 8 Ohio family members will be moved to another county

The trial for a man accused in the killings of eight people from another Ohio family will be moved to a different county, a judge ruled Monday.

George “Billy” Wagner III, who has pleaded not guilty in the killings, is the last of four family members facing charges in the 2016 fatal shootings of seven adults and a teenager from the Rhoden family in southern Ohio.

Judge Jonathan Hein agreed to Wagner’s request to move the trial. “The small population of Pike County and the intense media coverage leads the court to conclude that no jury could truthfully answer that they have no prior knowledge of the horrendous facts of this case,” he wrote.

Prosecutors have said the killings, which initially spurred speculation about drug cartel involvement, stemmed from a custody dispute. The killings at four different homes led to one of the most extensive criminal investigations in state history.

Wagner is charged with aggravated murder and other charges. His wife, Angela, already has pleaded guilty to helping to plan the killings and will be sentenced Dec. 17.

Their youngest son, Edward “Jake” Wagner, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and agreed to testify against his brother and their parents in a deal to help the family avoid potential death sentences. He will also be sentenced Dec. 17.

The couple’s other son, George Wagner IV, was found guilty in 2002 and sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences.