A father who lined up his three children and shot them dead will spend the rest of his life in prison after accepting a plea deal.
Chad Doerman, 33, admitted to killing his sons Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3, when he was arrested June 15, 2023, in Monroe Township, 20 miles east of Cincinnati.
He broke down in tears after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated murder in Clermont County Court on Friday.
Doerman also pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault against his then-wife, who tried to stop the killings, and his stepdaughter.
Chad Doerman pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder in Clermont County Court on Friday.
He admitted to killing his sons Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3, when he was arrested June 15, 2023, in Monroe Township, 20 miles east of Cincinnati.
Judge Richard Ferenc sentenced Doerman to three life terms without parole and a minimum of 16 years in prison on the assault charges.
Doerman initially faced 21 charges, including nine counts of murder, and the plea deal took the death penalty off the table.
His then-wife, Laura Doerman, told the court she approved of the plea deal, which eliminated the need to relive the murders during the trial.
“I completely agree with how the criminal case was resolved, and the decision to end this criminal case with a guilty plea and multiple life sentences brings some finality to the court case for my daughter and me,” he told the court through a victim advocate.
“No punishment can bring my children back to me. Having the guarantee that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars is the best thing for my family.
‘Remember them as the three little boys who loved fishing, go-karting and swimming. Remember them as the little boys who were always at the baseball fields or running around outside.
Doerman updated his Facebook page to include this image just six days before the murders.
Doerman will serve three life sentences without parole, but will not face the death penalty
Remember them as the boys who loved to have fun and were inseparable from each other.
“Their lives are not just about what happened to them, they are so much more than that. I love you Clayton, Hunter and Chase.”
Prosecutors had previously alleged that Doerman planned the executions for months.
Doerman allegedly lined up the children before fatally shooting them with a rifle, also wounding their mother when she tried to protect them.
Chief Prosecutor David Gast said during Doerman’s arraignment that one of the boys tried to flee into a nearby field, but Doerman “hunted” him down and took him back to his home before killing him.
Officers responded to the Monroe Township home shortly before 4:30 p.m. after receiving two 911 calls, one apparently from the mother screaming that “her babies had been shot.”
A child’s bicycle, along with evidence markers, in the front yard of the home in Monroe Township
Police body camera footage shows the arrest of Chad Doerman, who was sitting on the front steps of his home when police arrived after he allegedly shot his three children, ages 7, 4 and 3.
Another call came from a passing motorist who said a little girl was running down the street saying her father was killing people.
Officers found three children outside the home with gunshot wounds and attempted life-saving measures, but the children died at the scene.
Disturbing police body camera footage shows the moment officers arrived to find Doerman sitting calmly next to his rifle, moments after allegedly executing his young sons.
Doerman was arrested without incident after being found on the steps of his Ohio property.
“I’m not going to hurt anybody,” Doerman told arresting officers while telling them his dog wouldn’t bite them.
“Shut up, man. You have the right to remain silent. Use it, dammit!” an officer tells him.
A tearful Doerman appeared in court for his arraignment on Friday.
The sheriff’s office said the 34-year-old mother, who was not identified, was outside the home and had been shot in the hand while trying to protect her children from their father.
Doerman’s father, Keith Doerman, said he and his wife are “still trying to understand” how their son could have allegedly killed his own children, but added that they “have no answers.”
“He just went ballistic,” Keith said. “Something happened in his life that he couldn’t handle anymore. I can’t talk to him, they won’t let me talk to him, so I don’t have any answers. He probably kept a lot of things from me.”
Detective Michael Ross said Doerman said during an interview that: ‘The Bible says you kill your firstborn, you kill your secondborn, you kill your thirdborn.
“But first you must kill your wife. I did not kill my wife.”