Ohio man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his three young sons at their home

BATAVIA, Ohio — An individual has been given a life sentence with no chance of release in the shooting fatalities of his three young sons at their Ohio residence last year.

A Clermont County judge handed down a verdict to Chad Doerman, 33, on Friday, sentencing him to three successive life sentences after he confessed to charges of aggravated murder. He was also given an additional 16 years for two charges of felonious assault for harming his former spouse and stepdaughter.

Prosecutor Mark Tekulve had initially declared his intention to pursue the death penalty in the June 15, 2023, homicides of Clayton Doerman, 7, Hunter Doerman, 4, and Chase Doerman, 3, in Monroe Township, approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Columbus.

However, on Friday, he referenced the distress that the surviving family members “endured that day and still endure daily.”

“My responsibility, as I viewed it this week, was to alleviate them of that additional suffering,” he informed journalists on Friday.

Prosecutors previously stated that Doerman, who was apprehended after being discovered seated on a step at the residence, confessed to premeditating the killings and pursuing one of the boys in a field after the child attempted to escape. Defense lawyers claimed that he was grappling with severe mental illness.

Laura Doerman, the mother of the children and the former wife of the accused, cried as a prosecutor recited a statement in court from her expressing how her life had been “torn away from me and ruined.”

“I would give anything to push them on the swing, tuck them in one more time, and hear their endearing ways of saying, ‘I love you,’” she remarked. “… I am filled with anger, frustration, and profound sorrow. Grief will never dissipate because it embodies all the love that remains with nowhere to go.”

In a subsequent statement issued through prosecutors after the sentencing, she affirmed that she was in “complete agreement” with the outcome of the case.

“No penalty can ever resurrect my boys,” she penned. “Knowing that he will spend the rest of his life incarcerated is what is most beneficial for my family.”

The prosecutor announced intentions to disclose more specifics about the case at a press conference on Monday. Laura Doerman expressed gratitude to prosecutors and first responders and requested privacy, noting that she and her family “mourn every day” for the boys. She also urged people to remember the children as they were prior to the events of that day.

“Recall them as the three young boys who adored fishing, go-carting, and swimming,” she urged. “Recall them as the young boys who were always at the baseball fields or playing outside. Remember them as the boys who loved having fun and were inseparable from each other.”