Billy Wagner murder trial expected to begin January 11 in Seneca County
The final defendant in the Pike County killings has pleaded not guilty. Reports citing court records list January 11, 2027, while a victims’ representative has challenged the move to Seneca County.
- Development
- 22 October 2026
- Coverage
- Upcoming murder trial
- Current status
- Prosecution pending
- Source record
- 5 verified sources
Trial timing
Expected start: 11 January 2027Reported trial start date; the reporting does not separately specify when jury selection ends or testimony begins. A victims’ representative appealed the venue in October; later court orders may change the timetable.Schedule source ↗ · Checked 13 Nov 2026The expected trial date
George “Billy” Wagner III is expected to stand trial on January 11, 2027, in the remaining prosecution arising from the killings of eight members of the Rhoden and Gilley families in southern Ohio. He has pleaded not guilty.
FOX19 reported the January date in its October 23 coverage of a challenge to the trial’s relocation. WCPO separately reported that Seneca County had been selected as the venue. Those reports describe a court timetable rather than a trial already underway. This preview labels the start date expected because the scheduling entry itself has not been independently inspected for this report. [2] [3] [5]
The charges and the original investigation
Wagner faces eight counts of aggravated murder and related charges in the April 2016 shootings. The victims were found at four homes in Pike County. His prosecution is separate from the cases against his wife, Angela Wagner, and their sons, Edward “Jake” Wagner and George Wagner IV.
The Fourth District Court of Appeals’ January 2026 opinion records that a grand jury returned Wagner’s indictment in 2018. It also recounts earlier trial dates and continuances as the case moved through pretrial litigation. The allegations against Wagner have not been decided by a trial jury. [1] [3] [4]
Why the case is moving to Seneca County
Judge Jonathan Hein approved a change of venue after the defense argued that extensive publicity made it difficult to obtain an impartial jury in Pike County. The proceedings against George Wagner IV, including his lengthy 2022 trial, were part of the publicity surrounding the remaining case.
According to WCPO’s account of the venue order, Seneca County was selected for its rural characteristics, distance from the media markets that had covered the killings, and available courtroom and security facilities. Its county seat is Tiffin, in northwestern Ohio. [3]
The victims’ representative challenges the move
A lawyer for a victims’ representative identified in court filings as T.R. filed notices of appeal in Pike and Seneca counties on October 22, according to FOX19. The appeal challenged the decision to move the case nearly three hours away.
FOX19 also reported that the case file had been transferred to Seneca County and that future proceedings and filings were directed there. The judge left the timing of Wagner’s transfer from the Pickaway County Jail to the relevant sheriffs. The October reporting continued to list January 11 as the anticipated trial start. [2]
Defense representation and the capital charge
Wagner sought to replace attorneys Mark Collins and Thomas Hayes, raising concerns about communication and the handling of his defense. The Scioto Valley Guardian reported that Hein rejected that request in an October 5 entry, finding insufficient grounds to remove the appointed lawyers.
A separate appeal concerned the death-penalty specifications. In its January 22, 2026 decision, the Fourth District reversed the trial court’s dismissal of those specifications and directed that they be reinstated. That ruling addressed the potential punishment and pretrial procedure; it did not determine Wagner’s guilt. [1] [4]
The other prosecutions
George Wagner IV was convicted in 2022 and received multiple life sentences. Angela and Jake Wagner entered guilty pleas and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. WCPO reported that their sentencing proceedings were revisited following an appellate ruling concerning their cooperation obligations.
Billy Wagner remains the defendant awaiting trial in the final family prosecution. His not-guilty plea remains in place, and the venue litigation and defense motions form part of the preparation for his own case. [3] [4] [5]
Sources & further reading
- State v. Wagner, 2026-Ohio-362: decision on death-penalty specifications ↗Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals · 2026-01-22 · Primary source
- Pike County massacre: Victims families appealing final trial being moved upstate ↗FOX19 NOW · 2026-10-23
- Pike County Massacre: New trial location finally set for George Billy Wagner III ↗WCPO 9 · Date not stated
- Billy Wagner trial moved to Seneca County; judge refuses to fire his lawyers ↗Scioto Valley Guardian · 2026-10-13
- Man accused of murdering eight people in Ohio home complains no one explains anything to me ↗Court TV · 2026-08-18
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