The 8 Rhoden family massacre victims: A mother, father, their children, a fiancée and a cousin

Courtrooms provide a front-row seat to human tragedy, incredible drama and excruciating emotion and deep pain. It is easy to get caught up in all of that. Don't.

Remember we must strive to minimize harm in all of our work. Trials for the survivors of violence bring back raw emotions.

This is journalism. These are people's lives. This is not entertainment.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma provides excellent tips and resources for interviewing crime victims/survivors. I encourage you to refer to their site often as you begin your reporting career. We will also discuss trauma-informed reporting in coming weeks in class as well.

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The victims in this case:

Christopher “Chris” Rhoden, 40, father and grandfather, who worked as a laborer at Big Bear Lake Family Resort. He was shot nine times in a trailer on Union Hill Road he shared with his cousin. He was awake and appeared to fight with his attacker.

Dana Lynn Manley Rhoden, 37, mother and grandmother, who often worked double shifts as a nursing assistant at the now-closed Hillside Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center in Peebles, Ohio. She was shot four times in the head, including once under the chin, in a trailer at she shared with her two youngest children. The family had moved into the trailer less than a month before the homicides.

Provide image

Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, father of two young boys who worked at a local sawmill and sometimes at Big Bear Lake Family Resort. An avid hunter and fisherman and demolition-derby enthusiast. He was shot twice in the head and found dead in bed with Hannah Hazel Gilley and their infant son, who was unharmed. His 3-year-old son, from a different woman, was in another room of the trailer the night of the killings and was physically unharmed.

Hanna May Rhoden, 19, mother to two young daughters, worked as a certified nursing assistant and was set to graduate high school in May 2016. Hanna, who seized life, lived with her mother and younger brother, and adored her daughters — the oldest of whom was at the center of the custody battle. Hanna was shot twice in the face. Her then-5-day-old daughter was found unharmed in bed alongside Hanna’s body.

Christopher “Chris” Rhoden Jr., 16, a freshman at Piketon High School, had recently gotten his driver’s license and lived with his mother and older sister. He was shot four times, including twice in the top of his head, near his bed in his family’s trailer.

Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20, fiancee to Frankie Rhoden, described as a doting mother to their 6-month-old son. She described Frankie Rhoden as “the love of my life.” She was shot five times in the head, including once in the left eye. She was found in bed with Frankie and their son between them.

Kenneth Rhoden, 44, father and grandfather. A motorcycle enthusiast and bear of a man who awoke daily at 4:30 a.m. and traveled to Columbus where he worked at U.S. Utilities. He was shot once in the right eye in his camper, about 15 minutes from the other Rhoden properties.

Gary Rhoden, 38, lived with his cousin Chris Rhoden Sr., who helped him with alcohol and drug addictions. The two were described as best friends. He was three times in the head in Chris Rhoden’s trailer.

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A quick tip:

• Keep photo/s of the victim/s within eyesight as you write. I do this. It reminds me I am writing about people.

This is my office.

A cabinet in the office of Chris Graves that displays victims photos and a family tree.

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Questions for the class:

• What are two things you learned from the Dart Center's tip, linked above?

• As you begin your reporting, how will you work to minimize harm? Provide one specific action.

• What questions do you have for me?