A jury of nine women and three men will decide the fate of George W. Wagner IV, who faces eight counts of aggravated murder in Ohio's largest and most complex murder case.
Jurors, including six alternates, were chosen Tuesday after two days of questioning by both the defense lawyers and the prosecution. After taking an oath to serve, they will be taken by bus to visit nine locations, including the crime scenes and other areas prosecutors say evidence was collected that will be key in the trial.
Pike County Common Pleas Judge Randy Deering will hear from a media lawyer Wednesday at 8 a.m. (EST) who is expected to argue that the media should be allowed to observe those visits.
Deering, who has previously ordered the media to not show nor identify jurors, initially indicated media would not be allowed to witness those visits, which are called jury view. Such visits do not occur in every trial. In this case, the process will occur Wednesday and Thursday.
Opening statements, when lawyers will lay out their case to the jury, will begin Tuesday, Sept. 6. The trial is expected to take six to eight weeks. Prosecutors said there are more than 250 potential witnesses. Not all will testify, however.
Wagner, 30, faces 22 counts in the April 2016 slayings of eight members of the Rhoden family, who were gunned down in four locations, many as they slept. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also include conspiracy. His father, mother and younger brother, were charged in the case. His mother and brother are expected to testify against him. His father, who has pleaded not guilty, is expected to face trial in early 2023.
The motive, prosecutors say: Custody of a shared daughter between the two families. The girl was 2 1/2 years old at the time of the killings.
Killed were: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.
Two infants and a toddler were found at the scenes, alive and physically unharmed.
Questions for students:
We talked at length in class about using active voice in all your writing. This story uses passive voice in several places. Pick out three passive voice sentences AND either discuss why I wrote them in passive OR rewrite them into active voice.
There is no dateline on this story. Why is that?
Why would the media argue, though a lawyer, that they should observe jury view?
Can you find any AP style errors? If so, note them AND correct them in your answer.
They visit the scene first so they have reference during the trial?