Father of Three Executed Clermont County Children Pleads Not Guilty in Court

The indictment suggests how Chad Doerman might be sentenced if convicted.

BY MADELINE FENING

Chad Doerman, the father who confessed to investigators that he executed his three young sons, has reportedly pleaded not guilty in court.

The murders

Doerman, 32, was arrested on June 15 after police responded to a home on Laurel Lindale Road in Monroe Township, about 30 minutes east of downtown Cincinnati. The sheriff's office said two calls were placed to 911, one by a woman who called screaming that "her babies had been shot,” and another by a passerby saying that a juvenile girl was running down the road saying that "her father was killing everyone."

Sheriff’s deputies said they arrived on scene to find 32-year-old Doerman sitting outside the home. The three boys who had been shot, ages 3, 4 and 7, were in the yard. First responders practiced “life-saving measures” but were unsuccessful. All three children died at the scene.

The boys’ mother, 34, was also outside the home with a gunshot wound to the hand. She was transported to UC Medical Center for treatment where Sheriff Robert Leahy said he informed her that her three sons had died from their gunshot wounds.

In court, prosecutors reportedly said Doerman confessed to planning the murders, lining up his three children and executing them with a rifle. Prosecutors said one of the boys tried to run away into an open field before Doerman chased him down, dragged him back to the house and killed him.

Doerman was indicted on June 22 on 21 counts: nine counts of aggravated murder, 8 counts of kidnapping and four counts of felonious assault. Doerman's indictment reportedly included multiple death penalty specifications, meaning Doerman could face the death penalty if convicted.

A community in mourning

Tracey Miller, the superintendent for New Richmond Schools, addressed the community during a June 16 press conference. He said the 7-year-old child who was killed had attended the district's elementary school “for a time,” but said the juvenile girl who escaped and is referenced in the second 911 call is currently a student in the district going to high school.

“[She’s] been deeply impacted for the rest of her life,” Miller said. “We’re going to embrace her.”

The district has assembled a crisis response team to provide grief counselors to students, parents, faculty and staff, which Miller said will continue into the school year. He said the district is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of the murder death of another district student in February.

“We still haven’t recovered yet from what happened in the late winter,” Miller said. “I’ve never had a child be murdered, and this is the second one within the past four months. It’s brutal.”

The motivation behind Doerman’s crimes is not clear at this time, but Miller reminded community members during Friday’s press conference that there are resources for people who sense red flags in others.

“We’ve also got an anonymous line, Stay Safe Speak Up, it’s on our website," Miller said. "You can submit a concern anonymously, say, ‘Hey, I’m concerned about Joe Smith, they’re not in a good place, can someone check on them?’ Right away, as soon as that message gets sent, it goes to one of our team members here. It goes to our school resource officer, and we jump on it right away. If you’re in a time of trouble, a time of despair, you are not a voice crying into the wilderness. There are people here.”

Remembering the boys

Rachel Brown, the aunt of the Doerman boys and their mother's sister, told CityBeat she wants the "world to see these happy guys."

"We want the world to know how amazing these babies were. They are not only this tragedy. They were happy and funny, so very funny, goofy, kind loving boys. They’re beautiful and deserve to be proudly displayed," Brown said on Facebook. "They fished and played ball, they loved fiercely and with their entire hearts. They played together just as hard. Nothing will ever be right without them, but they need to be seen for the blessings they were, the happy lives they lived, the mom who loves them more than herself. They’re perfect baby boys."

To help cover funeral costs and other expenses, a Go Fund Me and Venmo account have been set up to help raise money for the mother and sister of the three Doerman boys. Brown also told CityBeat a fund named "The Doerman Boys Memorial Fund" will be set up in their honor at Park National Bank where anyone can donate.