The Piketon Massacre

On the night of April 21, 2016 eight members of the Rhoden family were murdered in their homes. Episode one explores the crime that decimated an entire family and left residents of the small town of Piketon, OH reeling. We examine what lead up to the crime, look into the details of Ohio’s largest murder investigation, and the potential motives that drove the alleged killers.

In April 2016, after eight members of the Rhoden family were murdered in their homes, Ohio authorities launched the largest homicide investigation in the state’s history. For over two years, residents of the small town of Piketon lived in fear, as rumors circulated about who the killers could be. Then, on November 13th, 2018, six members of a local family were arrested in connection with the brutal massacre. In episode two, we meet the family accused of being responsible for this unthinkable crime and talk to those who knew them the best. We’ll also examine the ties that bound the two families together and the driving motive authorities claim might lie at the heart of the tragedy.

Four members of the Wagner family are in prison, awaiting death penalty trials for allegedly murdering of eight members of the Rhoden family. Two other family members have been arrested for supposedly conspiring to pull off the crime. In episode three, we talk to friends of the Rhodens who shed light on the victims’ lives in the months leading up to the murders. We’ll also explore the relationship between Hanna Rhoden and Jake Wagner, the custody battle that unfolded between the two in the months before the Rhoden family was murdered, and the tragic legacy left in its wake.