Tabitha Claytor testifies her marriage to accused killer George Wagner IV ended in fear, chaos
Tabitha Claytor used only a few words Tuesday to describe her ex-husband, George Wagner, his brother Jake and their parents, Billy and Angela.
"Very strange and controlling," Claytor said.
Investigators charged all four Wagners with executing a plan to kill 8 members of the Rhoden family more than six years ago.
About a year-and-a-half before what's become known as the Pike County Massacre, Claytor said the Wagners imposed rules on her after she acknowledged having an affair.
"I wasn't allowed to answer the house phone or check the mail or go outside by myself," Claytor said.
The rocky path Claytor shared with George Wagner, 30, came to a head during an argument that erupted at a home the Wagners lived in deep in a wooded area off Bethel Hill Road.
"George didn't like that I was yelling at his mother," Claytor said. "He came in and started smacking me with a belt."
Claytor said when she tried to leave the Wagner's house, her then-husband blocked her way.
"And what did you do at that point?" Special Prosecutor Angela Canepa asked Claytor.
"I bit him and tried to rip his (EXPLETIVE) off," Claytor said.
After making her way out of the house, Claytor hid under a truck while worrying she might get shot.
"I told them I was not going to go back inside, that I was going to leave," she said. "Angela threw a board at me and then told George that she was going to go back inside and get a gun."
After she finally got away from the Wagners and her marriage ended, Claytor testified that George prevented her from seeing the son they had together for about a year.
Prosecutors also keyed on the Wagner family's efforts to control the son Claytor and George had together.
Testimony later in the day centered on messages Claytor shared with murder victim Hanna Rhoden, who had a daughter with Jake Wagner. Custody of that child has been cited as the reason for the 2016 murders.
(WATCH: Hometown Tragedy: The Pike County Massacre)