Chilling new details are emerging in the case of 32-year-old Chad Doerman, who has confessed to killing his three sons at their Monroe Township, Ohio, home on June 15. The father of three admitted to shooting his young boys with a rifle on the family’s lawn and shooting their mother, who got away and called for help.
Although no one expected him to kill his family, some say Doerman was an angry man who mistreated his wife and children. Newly released bodycam footage from his arrest shows a calm and cooperative man who claims, “I ain’t gonna hurt nobody,” minutes after he allegedly killed his sons and injured his wife as she tried to protect them.
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Police were dispatched to the home about 4:15 p.m.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home near the intersection of Laurel Lindale Road and Clermontville Laurel Road after two separate reports of a shooter at the house. The boys’ mother called 911 and said her “babies had been shot.” A second call came from a witness after seeing a young girl, who was later identified as Doerman’s stepdaughter, running through the street yelling that her father “was killing everyone.”
Responding deputies immediately began lifesaving measures on the boys, who were pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency personnel took the mother to a hospital for treatment.
Doerman confessed to planning the horrific killings.
During Doerman’s arraignment Friday, Clermont County’s Chief Prosecutor David Gast said Doerman confessed that he had planned the killings for months, CBS News reported. He lined his sons up execution-style in the front yard of their home. One of the boys managed to run away, but Doerman “hunted” him down and brought him back to the other children.
The children’s mother reportedly tried to stop him, but he allegedly shot her in the hand during their struggle, WKRC-TV reported.
“This is the man that, every day, they woke up looking to for protection, love, guidance, a man they trust more than any other person on earth, a person they rely upon to keep them safe from harm. He was their world, he was their guardian, and he executed them in cold blood,” Gast said. “We know that from his admission.”
Bodycam footage shows a frighteningly calm man in handcuffs.
In the video, Doerman sits on the steps outside of the home when deputies arrive. He is quickly taken to the ground and asks police if he can roll over, promising, “I ain’t gonna hurt ya. I ain’t gonna hurt nobody.”
He is brought to his feet and appears to have blood on his clothes as deputies take him to their vehicle. He does not attempt to run or resist. During the interaction, a woman in the background wails about the deceased children. “He shot them all,” she cries in the deputy’s body cam footage.
Doerman allegedly had a temper.
Neighbor Richard Kincannon told WRTV that Doerman was an angry man with a bad temper. “He was angry every day,” Kincannon said. “There wasn’t a day he didn’t yell at his wife and kids out there.”
The killer’s father, Keith Doerman, 59, told the New York Post that he doesn’t know what led to the killings but said his son must have “snapped.”
“There was something going on in his life that he couldn’t handle no more. I can’t talk to him, they aren’t letting me talk to him so I don’t have any answers. He probably hid a lot of stuff from me,” he said.
Keith Doerman claims that his son had no mental health issues or history of violent behavior, adding that during a recent visit, everything seemed fine. “He was a jokester and a fun-loving guy,” he told the news outlet.
Chad Doerman was charged with domestic violence in 2010, after choking his father, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, per the Post. Still, the case was dismissed when the elder Doerman did not appear as a witness for the prosecution.
“That was not true,” Keith Doerman explained to the Post. “The story was wrong and the judge dismissed the case.” According to the news outlet, he then began to cry and ended the interview.
The slain boys' family is raising funds for their final expenses.
Rachel Brown, the boys’ aunt, put together a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $230,000 so far.
“My sister lost her three amazing babies yesterday. Nothing will make this better, it will never be okay. But please if you can find it in your heart to help relieve the financial burden of this tragedy, please donate. No one should have to go through this,” the page reads.
Donors have shared their love and support for the devastated family.
“My heart breaks for you and your family. My you feel the love of your Savior Jesus Christ to bring you comfort, healing and peace,” one donor wrote.
“My heart breaks for your sister your niece and family. I and my family send our thoughts and prayers in this most difficult time, may God wrap you all in his loving merciful arms now and forever, God has those 3 precious boys, no Mother should have to endure the loss of a child, let alone 3,” another comment reads. “Please know y’all have a lot of people praying and sending love and light now and always.”
“I catch myself crying over this randomly throughout the day. This really shook me to my core. I can’t imagine how the mother felt and how the babies felt.. that their dad can do this to them. Their protector.. their best friend.. their role model,” another person wrote. “I’m such a mess over this. I know money won’t bring them back but I wanted to help this family in anyway possible. You’re all in my prayers and thoughts.”
Doerman is being held at the Clermont County Jail on three counts of aggravated murder. His $20 million bond is reportedly the highest bail in the county’s history, WKRC reported.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter (domesticshelters.org).
