2023 Doerman killings
| 2023 Doerman killings | |
|---|---|
  Monroe Township Monroe Township (Ohio) | |
| Location | Monroe Township, Clermont County, Ohio, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°56′50″N 84°11′25″W / 38.94722°N 84.19028°W |
| Date | June 15, 2023 |
Attack type | Mass shooting, familicide, pedicide, triple-murder |
| Weapons | .22-caliber Marlin Model 70HC semi-automatic rifle |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 1 |
| Victims |
|
| Accused | Chad Doerman (32) |
| Charges |
|
On June 15, 2023, in Monroe Township, Ohio,[1] Clayton, Hunter, and Chase Doerman (ages seven, four and three respectively)[2] were shot and killed at their home. The 34-year-old wife[3] of the suspect was injured in the attack, and her daughter (the suspect's stepdaughter) was held at gunpoint but escaped unharmed.
Police arrived and arrested 32-year-old Chad Doerman,[2] the father of the three victims, and charged him with murder, felonious assault, and kidnapping. Doerman pleaded not guilty on June 23. Prosecution is seeking the death penalty.
Events[edit]
According to the bill of particulars, on June 15, 2023, Chad Doerman returned home early from work and requested that his three sons and wife join him in the primary bedroom for a nap. Sometime after they laid down on the bed, Doerman opened his gun safe and retrieved a Marlin Model 70HC .22 rifle.[4]
Doerman then shot Hunter twice, killing him.[5] The wife began trying to help Hunter while telling the other two sons to run. At this point, the stepdaughter, who was watching television, was entering the bedroom and witnessed the first shots. She ran after Clayton,[5] telling him to keep running. Doerman chased him into a nearby field, shot him from behind, and then point-blank in the head. The suspect carried Clayton's body back to the house's yard.[4]
The stepdaughter then reentered the house, picked up Chase, and escaped to the road. Doerman followed her and aimed the rifle at her, telling her to put Chase down. He tried to fire but was out of ammunition. Chase ran to his mother who was now outside in the yard trying to render aid to Clayton. The stepdaughter got away and informed a passerby what her stepfather was doing before continuing to run towards the nearby Monroe Township Fire Department.[4]
Doerman then went inside and carried Hunter's body outside, laying him in the yard. He then tried to wrestle Chase from his wife, reportedly biting her in the process. When she managed to grab the rifle, Doerman fired, shooting his wife in the thumb. She dropped Chase, who Doerman then shot in the head.[4]
Doerman then laid Chase's body down next to his brothers and sat on the side stoop of the house, watching his wife try to resuscitate the boys, until police arrived at 4:25 p.m.[4]
Upon their arrival, they instructed him to show his hands and walk towards them, but Doerman disobeyed and remained sitting. Subsequently, officers approached him and took him into custody at 4:27 p.m.
Victims[edit]
Three children were killed in the incident, Clayton, Hunter and Chase. It was determined that Chase was shot once while the other two were shot four times.[4] The children's mother was wounded with a gunshot wound to the hand, and transported to the hospital for treatment.[6]
Aftermath[edit]
Shortly after the shooting a crisis team were stationed at the elementary school that the step-daughter and one of the sons, who had been home schooled at the time of the shooting, had also attended. There had been another student who was killed along with his parents in a murder suicide in February 2023.[7] A GoFundMe was created to help cover the children's funeral costs.[6]
Investigation[edit]
Police arrived on scene at around 4:25pm[8] and arrested Doerman. In the body camera footage, he is heard saying, "I did it. Take me to jail." Doerman reportedly admitted in an interview he had been planning since October 2022 to shoot his sons.[2][9]
The bill of particulars filed for the case claims that the stepdaughter suffered psychological harm due to the incident.[4]
Ultimately, Doerman was charged with nine counts of aggravated murder, one for each gunshot that hit the deceased. In addition, he received eight kidnapping charges and four felonious assault charges.[9]
Accused[edit]
Chad Doerman was arrested at the scene of the murders. Doerman had various other criminal offenses prior to the shootings with court records showing some traffic citations and a domestic violence charge. The case was ultimately dropped after the alleged victim, Doerman's father, failed to appear as a prosecution witness in the case.[10] A neighbor who saw the aftermath of the shooting, indicated they had witnessed Doerman treating his family poorly and that he was angry every day.[6]
Trial[edit]
Doerman's first court appearance was on June 16.[9] He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on June 23.[11] Prosecutor Mark Tekulve is seeking the death penalty.[5][12] Doerman's trial is set to begin in July 2024.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ "Prosecutor says father lined his sons up and executed them with a rifle in Ohio". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Documents detail final moments before Chad Doerman allegedly executed his 3 sons". Court TV. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Father who 'executed' three young sons 'just snapped'". The Independent. June 20, 2023. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Allen, Lara Baron (June 22, 2023). "Doerman bill of particulars" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c Leduc; Lyons (June 23, 2023). "'My goal is to have this man executed': Chad Doerman pleads not guilty after confessing to killing his 3 sons". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c O'Rourke, Tanya; Weiter, Taylor (June 20, 2023). "Neighbor: Man who confessed to shooting, killing 3 sons 'was angry every day'". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ DeLancey, Sean; Lyons, Valerie (June 17, 2023). "'You see such joy ... and such promise': Community remembers 3 boys shot, killed in Clermont County". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Bodycam: Ohio Dad Allegedly Lined Up, Executed Three Kids Before Wounded Mom Called 911, archived from the original on July 24, 2023, retrieved August 4, 2023
- ^ a b c "Father accused of killing his three sons 'had plotted murders for months'". The Independent. July 20, 2023. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Knight, Cameron (June 21, 2023). "'I ain't gonna hurt nobody,' father tells deputies after executing three young sons". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Ohio man accused of killing his 3 sons indicted, could face death penalty - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. June 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Chad Doerman: Father accused of executing sons could face death penalty". The Enquirer. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Simpson, Michael Lee (September 26, 2023). "Ohio Dad Accused of Killing 3 Young Sons While Daughter Fled Home Will Go on Trial Next Year". People. Retrieved November 10, 2023.