Chad Doerman gets life in prison without parole in killings of his 3 sons

By Emily Sanderson

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    CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WLWT) — Chad Doerman been sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated murder in the killings of his three young sons.

Doerman pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder for killing his three young sons last year. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault, felonies of the second-degree, for injuries to his former wife and stepdaughter. In exchange, all of the aggravating circumstances that would have made him eligible for the death penalty are being dismissed.

Judge Richard Ferenc sentenced Doerman to three life sentences without parole, running consecutively with 16 years minimum sentencing for the assault charges.

Doerman was arrested last June after investigators said he shot and killed his three sons, 3-year-old Chase Doerman, 4-year-old Hunter Doerman and 7-year-old Clayton Doerman.

Laura Doerman, the former wife of Chad Doerman, gave an emotional statement through a victim advocate, saying no punishment will bring her boys back.

“Having a guarantee that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars is what is best for my family,” the statement reads.

She requested in her statement that everyone remember and talk about her sons, Clayton, Hunter and Chase for who they were before the events of June 15, 2023.

“Remember them as the three little boys who loved fishing, go-carting, and swimming. Remember them as the little boys who were always at the baseball fields or running around outside. 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,” the statement read.

Doerman was initially indicted on 21 charges, including nine counts of aggravated murder.

Last July, WLWT obtained a court document called a bill of particulars. It contained information about exactly what investigators say happened when Clayton, Hunter and Chase Doerman were killed.

Warning: The information in this story is graphic and disturbing in nature.

That document initially stated that Chad Doerman came home “early from work” on Thursday, June 15, and had his wife and their three boys join him in the master bedroom of their home on Laurel Lindale Road for a nap.

Amendments made to the document that were filed on Tuesday revealed that prior to laying down in the bedroom, Chad Doerman obtained a Bible and was walking around the house with it, mumbling, “Chad knows what’s right.”

According to court documents, Chad Doerman later said he was “just kidding” and “playing around” before deciding to lie down in the master bedroom.

Chad Doerman is then accused of getting up shortly after, grabbing a rifle from a gun safe and shooting his three children.

Chad Doerman was arrested on his porch by deputies with the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.

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