
Andrea Shoemaker Carver angrily addresses Jake Wagner during his sentencing hearing on Jan. 3, 2025 (Law&Crime).
In an Ohio courtroom on Friday, drama unfolded as a convicted killer received his sentencing for participating in an eight-person massacre stemming from a child custody dispute.
Edward “Jake” Wagner, aged 32, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to the murder of members from the Rhoden and Gilley families. This incident happened exactly five years after the tragic discoveries across three houses and a camper in Pike County.
Other members of the Wagner family were also involved to varying degrees in the violence. Angela Wagner, aged 54, and her mother, Rita Newcomb, aged 72, were both sentenced in the same courtroom on Friday, maintaining their position at the defense table during the entire proceedings.