NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Were eight members of the Rhoden family murdered in an extreme case of 'hillbilly justice'?

By Marnie O'Neill
news.com.au·
7 May, 2016 01:53 AM9 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Police in southern Ohio said there may be one or more suspects that are still on the run who were responsible for the death of eight relatives.

Cockfighting, pot growing, demolition derby, pitbull breeding. You name it, the Rhoden family of Pike County, Ohio, were into it.

Rivalries go hand-in-hand with such interests and it's no surprise many of the theories regarding who executed eight members of this ragtag clan last month centre around feuds and turf wars.

But the truth is, the Rhoden family didn't roll much differently to anyone else in their neck of the woods. They lived in mobile homes on sprawling, rural properties littered with rusty trucks and animal cages, supplementing their incomes selling dope and betting on roosters.

So what happened that was so bad that eight people had to die?

Initial fears that the shootings were the work of Mexican drug gangs, including El Chapo's notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, which has been active in the area since 2010, have been replaced with whisperings of "hillbilly justice".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Lisa Wallace, former sister-in-law of Gary Rhoden, speaks to the media outside of his wake. Photo / AP
Lisa Wallace, former sister-in-law of Gary Rhoden, speaks to the media outside of his wake. Photo / AP

Hannah Gilley, 20; Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Dana Rhoden, 37; Gary Rhoden, 38; Hanna Rhoden, 19; Kenneth Rhoden, 44, were found shot to death in four mobile homes on April 22.

The killer pumped between one and nine bullets into each victim as they slept but spared three children under the age of three and two pitbulls guarding one of the properties.

Hanna May Rhoden was killed in the Piketon shooting that has rocked the small community. Photo: Hanna May Rhoden/Facebook
Hanna May Rhoden was killed in the Piketon shooting that has rocked the small community. Photo: Hanna May Rhoden/Facebook

The last person to be killed, Kenneth Rhoden (the brother of Gary Rhoden Snr), lived at Left Fork Rd in Rardon (population 159), about 5km from where the seven other murders took place in a cluster of trailers on Union Hill Rd in Piketon village.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His cousin Donald "Donny" Stone stunningly revealed to reporters that he'd found Kenneth dead in his bunk with around $1000 cash strewn around his feet. Kenneth had been shot just once (compared to the nine and seven bullets found in two of the other victims) and his pitbulls left alive.

Stone claimed that a CCTV system his cousin had recently installed inside the trailer had been removed by the killer and that the dogs, not bred to being friendly to strangers, didn't raise a paw during the incident.

The Mexican drug cartels theory was introduced almost immediately after the killings, when police revealed that large marijuana growing operations were found at three of the four crime scenes.

As brutal as the Rhoden murders were, the perpetrator drew the line at killing babies and animals, a line that simply doesn't exist for Mexican drug lords and their hired assassins.

Discover more

World

Eight people shot 'execution-style'

23 Apr 04:33 AM
New Zealand|politics

Trade Minister disappointed at Labour's TPP vote

08 May 04:34 AM

While the rest of the country dropped its collective jaw at the El Chapo link to the Ohio drug trade (who knew?), it wasn't news to locals, whose suspicions that the executions were hillbilly justice staged to look like a cartel's calling card, continue to grow.

A RED HERRING?

A truck with 'Fly High Rhodens' painted on the window sits in the parking lot before start of the Pike County Vigil. Photo / AP
A truck with 'Fly High Rhodens' painted on the window sits in the parking lot before start of the Pike County Vigil. Photo / AP

"Whoever done it knows the family."

Those words were declared by Leonard Manley, who lost his daughter Dana and two grandchildren, Hanna, 19 and Christopher, 16, in the massacre, when confronted by reporters on an old dirt road in Piketon earlier this week.

"There were two dogs there (at Kenneth's house) that would eat you up," he continued. "But I ain't gunna say no more."

In addition to the mercy shown to the babies and the dogs, there other aspects of the murders that scream: "It's personal".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Two of the victims, police have not revealed which, were shot nine and seven times respectively, compared to others who were shot between one and three times. Since all were asleep at the time of their execution, that suggests varying degrees of hate rather than a matter of subduing those most likely to fight back.

Grandmother-to-be Dana Lynn Rhoden, 37, was also murdered. Photo: Dana Lynn Rhoden/Facebook
Grandmother-to-be Dana Lynn Rhoden, 37, was also murdered. Photo: Dana Lynn Rhoden/Facebook

Post-mortem examinations revealed several Rhodens had also been badly beaten, another sign this was not the work of professionals but someone closer to home.

Mr Manley also said he didn't believe the murders had anything to do with marijuana.

He's not alone.

Residents in Ohio's economically distressed southeast, where the Rhoden murders took place, have relied on marijuana to survive for many years. Despite its illegal status, or perhaps because of it, marijuana is a big cash crop here.

Drugs are so prevalent that highway signs provide drivers with a number to report impaired, rather than drunk, drivers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The day after the massacre, vendors lined East Main Street in Piketon for the annual Dogwood Festival, selling printed T-shirts and gifts out of moving boxes, including pairs of socks with marijuana leaf prints.

So the discovery of commercial-quality marijuana growing operations at three of the Rhoden properties where bodies were found was not out of the ordinary.

Mourners arrive at Dry Run Church of Christ as authorities provide security before funeral services for six of the eight murder victims from Pike County. Photo / AP
Mourners arrive at Dry Run Church of Christ as authorities provide security before funeral services for six of the eight murder victims from Pike County. Photo / AP

Tens of thousands of plants are seized each year, many of them linked to Mexican drug gangs.

One of these is El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel, which started spreading its tentacles in the area six years ago and now has a major presence in the state.

State Attorney-General Mike De Wine has repeatedly declined to draw a link between drugs and the killings, saying he didn't want to dissuade anyone who might think the investigation was headed in a different direction from coming forward with information.

Michael Throne, the editor of local newspaper the Chillicothe Gazette, told website Reforma: "Since 2010, I remember stories of growing marijuana operations in Ohio that are linked to a Mexican drug cartel, but I cannot remember any act of violence that could be attributed to drug cartels".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
16-year-old Chris Rhoden, the son of Dana Lynn Rhoden was also murdered. Photo: Chris Rhoden/Facebook
16-year-old Chris Rhoden, the son of Dana Lynn Rhoden was also murdered. Photo: Chris Rhoden/Facebook

A Pike County resident who claimed to know the Rhoden family told WHIO that locals didn't buy the El Chapo angle because pretty much everyone was growing pot in their backyards.

"There's little jobs down there," she said. "Everybody has to survive some way. This is how they survive."

The woman, who asked not to be identified because she feared for her life, said she believed the killings were the result of "hillbilly justice" an apparently "common practice in the area involving people taking the law into their own hands instead of calling police.

"There's a lot of drugs that are relevant in the hills right now, and with meth and heroin being two of the main ones, I don't think this is over pot," she said.

'HILLBILLY JUSTICE'

Ohio is famous as the birthplace of seven presidents and 24 astronauts. It's home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as two Major League Baseball teams, the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It also has one of the largest Appalachian communities in the country. The massacre has shined an unwelcome light on the poverty and social problems of the area, with out-of-state-reporters writing breathlessly of hillbillies, rednecks and moonshiners, of confederate flags and tin roofs, of trashy locals willing to spill the beans about the Rhodens in exchange for a pack of cigarettes.

Leonard Manley, third from right, father and grandfather of several murder victims, stands outside Dry Run Church of Christ before funeral services for six of the eight killed. Photo / AP
Leonard Manley, third from right, father and grandfather of several murder victims, stands outside Dry Run Church of Christ before funeral services for six of the eight killed. Photo / AP

Demolition derby, hunting, cockfighting and being stoned every day is a way of life. Most people own at least one dangerous breed of dog and several rusting, undriveable vehicles in their backyards.

The Rhodens may not have been the pillars of society in their community or their state, but none of them had prior convictions for anything drug-related, according to court records. And only one of the victims, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden had any form beyond traffic citations and misdemeanours.

"I have never been involved with that family in a criminal nature and I've been in law enforcement locally for 20 years," Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said.

That doesn't mean the Rhodens didn't have some serious feud action going on - both inside and outside the clan - that they dealt with using "hillbilly justice".

Last year, Frankie Rhoden was charged with assault after reportedly punching a man so hard he knocked several teeth out of his dentures. The charges were later dismissed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A local youth called Rusty Mongold was hauled in for questioning after it was discovered he'd posted a Facebook threat against Chris Rhoden Jr. prior to the murders.

Mongold was released without charge and has repeatedly apologised for behaviour and protested his innocence.

Some news outlets have quoted members of the community, including surviving Rhoden family members, who believe the murders stemmed from jealousy over Frankie's demolition derby car.

More recently, locals have been talking about love triangles and property disputes. One of the victims is rumoured to have fathered a baby with a man she was having an affair with.

Donald Stone, the cousin who found Kenneth Rhoden's body has come under scrutiny for his calm demeanour during the 911 call he made, compared to the hysterical Bobby Jo Manley, who raised the alarm after finding the bodies of her sister Dana and her children Christopher and Hanna when she went to the property to feed the chickens.

Mourners arrive at Dry Run Church of Christ. Photo / AP
Mourners arrive at Dry Run Church of Christ. Photo / AP

Someone posting in online forum Topix under the name Jake Rhoden claimed police had told the family "Donny Stone" was "the prime suspect" but its unlikely the comment was genuine or that investigators were careless enough to say such a thing to relatives.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In recent days, the forum has been inundated with comments from people claiming to be relatives accusing each other of treachery and even murder.

Sheriff Reader this week confirmed investigators had still not established a motive for the killings but were keeping an open mind. They were prepared to tread slowly and carefully in order to build a case that would stand up in court and win a conviction, no meant feat in a region where people risk death by ratting on their neighbours.

"This is something that's going to take a while," Sheriff Reader said. "It's absolutely shocking, some of these scenes. It's not one that you can simply go in process, collect the evidence and call it a day."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Germany's $177b military build-up sparks coalition tensions

27 Jun 01:53 AM
World

Bus carrying 19 students crashes into river, several hospitalised

27 Jun 12:59 AM
World

Nestle and Conagra join companies dropping synthetic food dyes

27 Jun 12:49 AM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Germany's $177b military build-up sparks coalition tensions

Germany's $177b military build-up sparks coalition tensions

27 Jun 01:53 AM

President Trump endorsed Germany's military spending increase during Merz's visit.

Bus carrying 19 students crashes into river, several hospitalised

Bus carrying 19 students crashes into river, several hospitalised

27 Jun 12:59 AM
Nestle and Conagra join companies dropping synthetic food dyes

Nestle and Conagra join companies dropping synthetic food dyes

27 Jun 12:49 AM
Premium
Fireball appears to explode over southeastern US

Fireball appears to explode over southeastern US

27 Jun 12:38 AM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP