Wagner, 31, declined to make a statement in court, and his lawyer said he maintains his innocence.
Wagner denied any knowledge of his family’s involvement in the 2016 shootings of seven adults and a teenager from the Rhoden family. Prosecutors said most of the victims were killed as they slept, in some cases next to their very young children, who weren’t injured.
Authorities alleged Wagner, his brother and their parents plotted the killings amid a dispute over custody of Wagner’s niece, whose mother was among those slain.
A jury found Wagner guilty of all 22 counts he faced, including eight counts of aggravated murder. He initially faced the death penalty, but the prosecution agreed to take that off the table in exchange for his mother and brother’s testimony against him.
The jury deliberated just over seven hours before finding him guilty for his role in the homicides.
He faced eight charges of aggravated murder, along with 14 other charges associated with tampering with evidence, conspiracy and forgery.
Wagner — along with his mother Angela and brother Edward “Jake” Wagner — is guilty of charges associated with shooting and killing the Rhoden family members “execution-style.” The family’s bodies were found on April 22, 2016. His father, George “Billy” Wagner III, has maintained a plea of “not guilty” and is scheduled to face trial in 2023.
Found dead that day were 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 trial was the first time a person faced a jury for the deaths of the Rhoden family six years ago.
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