Man pleads guilty in fatal shootings of 8 from Ohio family
By MARK GILLISPIE and KANTELE FRANKO
Associated Press
A man has pleaded guilty in the murders of his child’s mother and seven other members of her family in southern Ohio. Edward “Jake” Wagner pleaded guilty to 23 counts in Pike County court on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of when the shootings were discovered. The deal spares him from a potential death penalty. He agreed to cooperate in the cases against his parents and brother, who also are charged in the Rhoden family slayings. Wagner wasn’t immediately sentenced, but his lawyers acknowledged in court that the plea means he will die in prison. They said he understands that.
