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An Ohio father read from the Bible, told his children he loved them, and called his own father – cryptically telling him that his eldest boy would be “the hardest one” – before he murdered his three young sons in a horror attack at the family home.
Chad Doerman, 33, shot and killed his sons Clayton Doerman, 7, Hunter Doerman, 4, and Chase Doerman, 3, in Monroe Township, about 75 miles west of Columbus, back on June 15 2023.
On Friday, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison.
Now, disturbing new details have emerged about Doerman’s actions in the lead-up to the murders – and of the final hours of the three young boys’ lives.
In a press briefing on Monday, Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Tekulve revealed that on the day of the shooting spree, Doerman had lunch with his wife Laura and told her: “This will be my last good meal.”
Despite this mysterious statement, Laura did not think there was a need to “do something to protect the family” and her husband then spent the afternoon doing yard work and playing with the children.
At around 3.30 to 3.45pm, Doerman began reading the Bible to Hunter, Tekulve said.
“He was walking around the house with the Bible, mumbling ‘Chad knows what’s right. Chad knows what’s right,’” he said.
Just before 4pm, Doerman asked his family to join him for a nap in the master bedroom. His wife and three sons entered the room with him while his 12-year-old stepdaughter watched television in another room.
When Doerman opened the gun safe, his wife grew alarmed, telling him: “You’re scaring me.”
What happened next was a series of events that brought experienced officers to tears, Tekulve told reporters in a separate press briefing on Friday.
Doerman told his family he loved them and called his sons the “best boys ever.”
Then he jumped up from the bed and grabbed the .22 rifle from the safe, with the prosecutor revealing that his family were initially worried for his safety rather than their own, fearing he would kill himself.
“Laura is screaming, the boys are screaming, Laura is frightened that he’s about to kill himself,” said Tekulve. “They’re all trying to discourage him, telling him that they love him and begging him not to kill himself.”
Laura took out her phone to call 911 but Doerman threw it across the room and turned the gun on Hunter, shooting the four-year-old boy multiple times.
He then chased his wife and stepdaughter out of the house and wrestled his other two sons away from them, before also shooting and killing Clayton and Chase.
The 12-year-old girl was uninjured, but her mother suffered a gunshot wound to her hand while trying to shield one of her sons from Doerman’s attack.
The father-of-three was arrested that day and indicted on charges of aggravated murder, kidnapping and felonious assault.
Prosecutors initially sought the death pentalty before reaching a plea deal with Doerman handing him three life sentences, saying it was best for the survivors: “Doing anything further would be an act of cruelty.”
Laura has also released a heartbreaking statement, saying that while no punishment will ever bring her sons back, having a “guarantee that the will spend the rest of his life behind bars is what is best” for her family.
“I am in full agreement with how the criminal case was resolved, and the decision to end this criminal case with a plea and multiple life sentences brings some finality to the court case for my daughter and me,” Laura said.
“Remember them as the three little boys who loved fishing, go-carting, and swimming,” the statement continued.
“Remember them as the boys who love to have fun and were inseparable from one another. Their lives are not only about what happened to them — they are so much more that that. I love you Clayton, Hunter, and Chase.”
