Body camera video shows Chad Doerman being booked after police say he executed his three young children. (Law&Crime)
A court threw out the confession of an Ohio father who allegedly executed his three young sons in front of his wife and daughter. Though Clermont County sheriff’s investigators did not coerce the defendant, Chad Christopher Doerman, 32, into confessing during an interrogation, Detective Michael Ross did fail to properly advise him of his Miranda rights, and should have stopped asking questions once Doerman wanted a lawyer.
“I’ll wait for a lawyer,” the defendant said, according to documents. “I don’t know, give me a couple of days. I can talk to a lawyer and get nice good answers.”
Judge Richard P. Ferenc tossed everything from the in-office interrogation.
Doerman allegedly shot his sons Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3, at their home on June 15, 2023.
The facts, as the prosecution initially explained them, are that Doerman lined up his sons, ages 3, 4, and 7, and executed them with a rifle — even hunting one of the boys down at the Laurel Lindale Road property.
The defendant appeared cordial to law enforcement who arrived at the scene, even advising them how to to approach the barking dog safely. A woman yelled out. Authorities said Doerman had shot her in the hand.
“You took my life from me! My life!” she said.
The boys’ sister had reportedly fled during their father’s rampage.
“Can I stand up?” Doerman asked an officer from the grass. “It’s kind of uncomfortable.”
Body cam footage later showed him banging his head against the wall during his jail booking.
He was indicted for nine counts of aggravated murder, each with three capital aggravating circumstances, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Ultimately, the defense got what they wanted by cutting out the confession, though Ferenc looked dimly on their other arguments. For example, he determined that Doerman’s statements to investigators were voluntary and not coerced.
Also, he voiced doubt that Doerman, while detained in a cruiser, overheard an investigator identified in documents as Detective Schubert say to another official, “Is that the motherf—–?”
“Yeah,” said the other official.
“Shut the door so I don’t f—— kill him,” Schubert said.
Doerman was in a cruiser with the air conditioner on while Schubert was six to seven feet from the vehicle, said the comment to another official, and did not address it to the defendant, the judge wrote. The statement was caught on body cam, and Doerman showed no sign of recognizing Schubert later during the interrogation, the court determined.
Matt Naham contributed to this report.
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