Massacre of 8 family members in Ohio well thought out, attorney general says

One of the crime scenes in Piketon, Ohio.
(Image credit: Twitte.com/NYMag)

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the execution-style murders of eight family members near Piketon last week were "pre-planned."

"They thought this thing through, whoever did it," he said. "This is not the case where somebody got mad at someone else and shot them and there's a witness, two witnesses." DeWine said police found marijuana growing operations at three of the four crime scenes, 70 miles east of Cincinnati, and so far, they are unsure if there is more than one suspect. The victims have been identified as Hannah Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40; Christopher Rhoden Jr, 16; Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Dana Rhoden, 37; Gary Rhoden, 38; Hanna Rhoden, 19; and Kenneth Rhoden, 44. All of them were shot in the head, some still in their beds. Three children, including a four-day-old infant, survived. Dozens of interviews have taken place, but no arrests have been made.

Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader told USA Today on Sunday he knew the family because "we have a small county" and "we are familiar with most people," but he was never "involved with that family in a criminal nature." Ohio Gov. John Kasich told CBS News "justice will be delivered," and an Ohio business owner is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the case. "It's devastating that something like this could happen," family friend Robin Waddell said. "And we don't know what happened."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.