PIKETON — Attorneys for a woman facing charges in connection with an Ohio family massacre have filed a motion to have obstruction of justice and perjury charges against her dismissed.
Fredericka Wagner’s son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons are jailed in southern Ohio awaiting trial in the slayings of eight people in Pike County in April 2016. They have pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder charges and other counts that could lead to the death penalty if they are convicted.
The victims included seven adults and a teenager of the Rhoden family. One of Wagner’s grandsons shared a daughter with one of the victims, and authorities say a custody dispute was a possible motive. That child was not with the Rhodens the night of the slayings.
The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported that Wagner’s attorneys filed a motion Friday in Pike County Pleas Court to dismiss the charges against her. Authorities have accused Wagner of covering up the homicides by lying about two bulletproof vests she bought online. Court documents and interviews show authorities suspected Wagner’s family members wore the vests during the slayings, the newspaper reported.
Angela Canepa, an attorney for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, said Friday she couldn’t comment on the attorneys’ filing, but would file a response in the coming days. A message seeking comment was left this week at the Pike County Prosecutor’s Office.
Wagner’s attorneys say she was charged with obstruction and lying to the grand jury because of the vests they say she bought from eBay through her PayPal account.
“I made a mistake; I’m nearly 77 years old,” she said of citing Amazon.
Authorities have said Wagner’s son, George “Billy” Wagner III; her daughter-in-law, Angela Wagner; and grandsons George Wagner and Edward “Jake” Wagner planned the attacks for months.
Fredericka Wagner stressed to the newspaper her belief in her family’s innocence.
“I believe with all my heart and soul that they didn’t do it,” she said.