It's taken 30 days of testimony for jurors in George Wagner's murder trial to see images of burned and discarded weapons.The images show guns, shell casings, ammunition and other items that George's brother Jake Wagner said he, George and their dad, Billy Wagner, carried with them when they executed a plan to kill eight members of the Rhoden family on a single night in April 2016.Jake, who has declined to let his testimony be recorded, confessed to his role in the crimes last year. He then led investigators to the weapons used during the homicide spree."We were told that he would lead us to the murder weapons," prosecutor Angela Wagner said during her opening statement in mid-September. "So he did. He told us that after the homicides and after they had buried those items and burned a lot of the items as well - that anything that was left over, they had five gallon buckets of concrete, and they dropped the stuff in four different buckets of concrete."On Tuesday, Jake Wagner said his brother George, who's on trial for murder, initially helped him bury the weapons. It's one of several evasive moves Jake has linked George to.But during cross-examination Wednesday afternoon, defense attorney John Parker tried to put Jake and Billy Wagner at the crime scenes on their own - the result of the two men's desire to protect Jake's daughter from possibly being sexually assaulted.Parker cited statements Jake made about George's view of the murderous plan during his plea agreement.Jake said, "George didn't like the idea whatsoever," and that, "He didn't want me to do it," adding that George said, "It was a bad idea."There will be no court Thursday in Waverly for administrative reasons.George Wagner's trial will resume at 9 a.m. Friday with the defense continuing their cross-examination of Jake Wagner.
It's taken 30 days of testimony for jurors in George Wagner's murder trial to see images of burned and discarded weapons.
The images show guns, shell casings, ammunition and other items that George's brother Jake Wagner said he, George and their dad, Billy Wagner, carried with them when they executed a plan to kill eight members of the Rhoden family on a single night in April 2016.
Jake, who has declined to let his testimony be recorded, confessed to his role in the crimes last year. He then led investigators to the weapons used during the homicide spree.
"We were told that he would lead us to the murder weapons," prosecutor Angela Wagner said during her opening statement in mid-September. "So he did. He told us that after the homicides and after they had buried those items and burned a lot of the items as well - that anything that was left over, they had five gallon buckets of concrete, and they dropped the stuff in four different buckets of concrete."
On Tuesday, Jake Wagner said his brother George, who's on trial for murder, initially helped him bury the weapons. It's one of several evasive moves Jake has linked George to.
But during cross-examination Wednesday afternoon, defense attorney John Parker tried to put Jake and Billy Wagner at the crime scenes on their own - the result of the two men's desire to protect Jake's daughter from possibly being sexually assaulted.
Parker cited statements Jake made about George's view of the murderous plan during his plea agreement.
Jake said, "George didn't like the idea whatsoever," and that, "He didn't want me to do it," adding that George said, "It was a bad idea."
There will be no court Thursday in Waverly for administrative reasons.
George Wagner's trial will resume at 9 a.m. Friday with the defense continuing their cross-examination of Jake Wagner.
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