TIFFIN — George “Billy” Wagner III, the last defendant still awaiting trial in the 2016 Pike County massacre, will stand trial in Seneca County, under a court entry filed on October 13.
Visiting Judge Jonathan Hein chose Seneca County in part because its demographics, heritage and remoteness resemble Pike County’s. The county seat, Tiffin, is about an hour south of Toledo and roughly three hours from Pike County.
Wagner’s trial is set to begin on January 11. He faces eight counts of aggravated murder and 14 related charges in the shooting deaths of seven members of the Rhoden family and one woman who was about to join the family.
Wagner sought a change of venue and won one in November 2024, arguing that a fair trial in Pike County was not possible. His attorney, Mark Collins, welcomed the ruling and said the move is the way to protect his client’s right to a fair trial. Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa did not immediately comment on the decision.
Wagner has been in jail since his arrest in November 2018. He was held in Butler County until September 2024 and has been held in Pickaway County since then, as the long-running case moved toward its final trial.