The first week of testimony in the murder trial of George Wagner IV offered spectators a full mix of what happens in a criminal case: opening statements, emotional witness testimony, police and expert testimony and introduction of evidence.
Expect much of the same as the trial resumes this week.
In all, prosecutors called 17 witnesses last week and worked to lay the foundation of the criminal case, which is a necessary but can be seen as painstaking and methodical. Prosecutor Angela Canepa questioned the four family members who found the bodies of Rhoden family members on April 22, 2016, which was the most gripping testimony.
Donald Stone, 50, a Rhoden cousin, discovered the last victim, Kenneth Rhoden in his camper at 799 Left Fork Road after family members could not reach him by telephone. Kenneth Rhoden was shot once in the eye.
"That’s where I found him in the bed,” Stone testified as he wept. “He had blood all over his eyes. He was dead.”
Wagner IV faces eight counts of aggravated murder as well as conspiracy charges in Ohio's most complex and costly criminal investigation that is shaping up to be perhaps one of its longest court cases. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers contend he did not shoot anyone and was not with his brother, Jake Wagner, and their father, George "Billy" Wagner, on the night of the killings.
Wagner IV is charged in the deaths of Christopher “Chris” Rhoden Sr., 40; Chris Rhoden’s former wife, Dana Manley Rhoden, 37; their children, Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, Hanna May Rhoden, 19, and Christopher “Chris” Rhoden Jr., 16; Frankie’s fiancee, Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20; Christopher Sr.’s brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and their cousin Gary Rhoden, 38.
Stone wept as prosecutors walked him through crime scene photos that showed Kenneth Rhoden's body, cameras and an outbuilding that housed a marijuana grow operation.
The display of crime scene photos are emotional, but is an integral part of criminal trials. In this case, Judge Randy Deering has instructed the media to not broadcast images that are graphic, bloody or those that show juveniles.
Wagner IV's lawyer, John Parker, objected several times to showing graphic images on three large screens in the Pike County courtroom.
“It’s important for witnesses to testify if photos reflect what they saw at the scene at the time,” Canepa responded.
Deering overruled Parker’s objections.
On Friday, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Shane Hanshaw, who was one of the crime scene investigators called the killings, showed jurors through physical evidence he found at the trailer of Christopher Rhoden Sr., where Gary Rhoden was staying in 2016.
Key among his testimony was bullet and blood evidence. He showed jurors a shoe print impression left in blood that prosecutors believe they can show put the Wagners inside the home during the slayings.
More images of physical evidence:
This week's testimony is expected to be from crime scene experts and analysts who will show images from each of the remaining three scenes when the trial resumes on Monday. [Note: I will start writing daily stories from Ohio beginning Tuesday.]
The trial is expected to last up to eight weeks.
Related stories:
Questions for students:
You are the reporter assigned to cover this trial and you arrive during last week's testimony. Based on the blog post above, how many details would you give your readers? Explain your answer.
Read the three linked stories of each media outlet's coverage. Compare and contrast. What is the same? What is different? Which story did you prefer and why?
Many in the media and media lawyers are dismayed that Judge Randy Deering is providing each witness with a sheet outlining their option to opt-out of visual and audio broadcasting of their testimony. Discuss why the media / public would want to broadcast the trial? Discuss how you feel about the judge's order, using your knowledge of public records and public access to information.
What questions do you have for me?
1. Well this is the major point of our jobs is that we have to tell the story but how far do we go if we do too much, it makes us the writer seem senseless but if we don't go far enough it seems that the story is incomplete. I would provide enough details like what evidence was shown but not go fully in-depth, in which I would have pictures complete the picture.
2. Why is certain forms of media allowed in the court during this case? Also, how does this change your approach toward getting information?
If I was a reporter and had to write about this testimony I would pick a middle ground on how many details I share with the reader. I would want to make sure it is enough detail to draw emotion from the reader but not too much that it scares or grosses them out. Maybe I would add links at the end if the reader does want to know more so it is up to their choosing.
The article by Fox19 covers a lot more of the broad facts that we already know about while local 12 assumes the reader knows everything that has already been established and goes straight to the news. I believe they did that because the…
Yes! It was difficult for sure. But I was able to watch some of it online and I'll get transcripts for a couple key witnesses I missed.
I would give enough detail so the readers can make a mental picture and feel something through my words but not too much that readers don't want to read it or it becomes too gruesome. There's a happy medium that I would want to obtain.
I was only able to access the Fox article and Local 12 one, the fox article was broad and provided a lot more detail. I imagine this is because it's for a large spread out audience, not everyone is familiar with the case so the extra information is needed. The Local 12 article was more specific and had a lot more detail about both families and what happened. I think this is because the audienc…
1. If I was the reporter for this story, I would make sure my story had just enough detail to provoke emotions from the readers but not so much that it comes off as distasteful to the victims and their families. I also don't want to go into so much detail that I'd have to put a trigger warning at the top of the story, I'd want to say just enough to effectively inform the readers and provoke their empathy and emotions. I think you did a great job of showing just how much is enough.
2. Local 12 News did a great job at encompassing just how much gruesome information is enough in a news story. Their reporter did…