Ohio woman pleads guilty to plotting 8 killings

A 50-year old Ohio woman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and other charges after she admitted to helping plan the killings of eight members of another family, NBC News reported.

Angela Wagner is the second member in her own family to plead guilty in connection to the slayings in Pike County, Ohio. 

Prosecutors said conflict between Angela Wagner and the family began over custody of her granddaughter. The woman also pleaded guilty to burglary, evidence tampering and other charges, according to NBC.

Her guilty plea was part of an exchange with prosecutors, who dropped the aggravated murder charge and recommended a sentence of 30 years in prison. She has agreed to testify against others involved in the killings. 

Her husband, George “Billy” Wagner III, and their two adult sons, George Wagner IV and Edward “Jake” Wagner, were also charged for the 2016 killings. The family allegedly killed eight members of the Rhoden family on a marijuana farm in April of 2016 after planning for months, according to the news outlet. 

The three children at the scene were reportedly unharmed. However, NBC noted that most of the victims were shot while they were sleeping with the use of homemade silencers, and many of them were shot several times in the head. 

Jake Wagner pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges five months ago. Like his mother, he has agreed to testify against others in connection with the killings. Jake Wagner had been fighting with a member of the Rhoden family, Hanna, over the custody of their daughter before the Rhodens’ deaths. 

Angela Wagner admitted she was fully aware of the alleged plot to kill members of the Rhoden family. She allegedly bought items to interfere with their phones, prohibiting the family from calling for help, special prosecutor Angela Canepa said, according to NBC.