Judge ignores Pike County Massacre plea deal for ‘spawn of Satan’ killer as victims’ families storm out of courtroom in the middle of sentencing hearing

Andrea Shoemaker Carver angrily addresses Jake Wagner during his sentencing hearing.

Andrea Shoemaker Carver angrily addresses Jake Wagner during his sentencing hearing on Jan. 3, 2025 (Law&Crime).

Drama was high, surprising, and consistent in an Ohio courtroom on Friday, where a convicted killer was sentenced for his role in an eight-person massacre of another family over a child custody dispute.

In April 2021, Edward “Jake” Wagner, 32, pleaded guilty to murdering members of the Rhoden and Gilley families — five years to the day of the gruesome finds at three houses and one camper in Pike County.

Two other members of the Wagner clan were also admittedly culpable — to various degrees — in the violence. Angela Wagner, 54, and her mother, Rita Newcomb, 72, were sentenced earlier in the same courtroom on Friday. They remained at the defense table throughout the proceedings.

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