In a tense Ohio courtroom Friday, Angela and Jake Wagner were sentenced for the 2016 Pike County massacre, as victims' family members condemned them as 'evil' and 'spawn of Satan,' while the mother received 30 years in prison and her son was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
Angela, 57, and Jake, 35, faced emotional outbursts from victims' relatives as they were sentenced for their involvement in the 2016 killings of eight members of the Rhoden and Gilley families in Pike County, Ohio.
The murders happened back in April 22, 2016 and took the lives of 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr., 37-year-old Dana Rhoden, 20-year-old Hannah "Hazel" Gilley, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr., 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 37-year-old Gary Rhoden, 19-year-old Hanna May Rhoden, and 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden.
The majority of them were shot while asleep, according to NBC4. Three young children, including a baby, were found safe. Billy Wagner was alleged to have assisted his sons, Jake Wagner and George Wagner IV, in carrying out the killings at four separate homes on April 22, 2016.
During the hearing, the judge made a surprising decision regarding Jake's fate, according to Local12.
Jake Wagner, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to his role in the murders, had been expecting a sentence of life without the possibility of parole as part of a plea agreement.
However, Judge Jonathan Hein opted to grant him a chance for parole after 32 years, citing his cooperation with authorities and his testimony against his brother George. Jake's guilty plea spared him from facing the death penalty, according to WCPO.
Hein's decision raised eyebrows in the courtroom as the judge questioned the fairness of the plea deal, particularly in light of the fact that Angela Wagner, Jake's mother, had been given a more lenient sentence. Angela, who had also cooperated with the prosecution, received 30 years in prison, in accordance with her own plea deal.
Family members of the victims also had their say during the sentencing. Andrea Shoemaker, the mother of Hannah "Hazel" Gilley, was among the first to speak.
"You are the evilest mother, to help plan, carry out and take the lives of three young mothers," Shoemaker shouted at Angela. "My daughter was only 20 and you want 30 years behind bars? She was 20. She never even got to try alcohol. She got six months with her son."
She called Angela's sons the "spawns of Satan" and said Satan was Billy Wagner.
She briefly turned her attention to Rita Newcomb, Angela's mother, offering a contrast in tone.
"I feel sorry for you to have such an evil, controlling daughter," Shoemaker said to Newcomb, though she acknowledged Newcomb's confession and the guilt she expressed.
She previously confessed to helping create fraudulent custody documents for Angela Wagner's two grandchildren in connection with a misdemeanor charge in the case, according to Cincinnati.com.
Newcomb was sentenced to five years of adult supervision, will pay a $750 fine and could serve 83 days in jail if she breaks any rules that are set forth by the court.
As the sentencing concluded, all eyes turned to the remaining trial of Billy Wagner, whose fate is still to be determined.
