Four members of a rural Ohio family are facing the death penalty after they killed eight members of a different family.  

The crime dates back to 2016, when four members of the Wagner family killed seven members of the Rhoden family and a fiancée of one of the victims.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said on Tuesday the custody of a young child played a role in the case, whose father was a Wagner and mother a Rhoden.

The Attorney General said there was an extensive plot to carry out the killing in four different crime scenes, and a cover-up that included temporarily moving to Alaska.

Investigators also found evidence of illegal drug activity, possible involvement of a Mexican drug cartel, and cockfighting.

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