Doerman, 32, has admitted to lining up and executing his three young sons, ages 3, 4 and 7, as their desperate mother battled to save their lives.
Police responded to the home in Monroe Township, Ohio, on Thursday (US time) last week after receiving a pair of 911 calls, one apparently from the mother who was screaming that “her babies had been shot” and another from a passing motorist who said a girl was running down the street saying her father was killing people, a news release from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said.
“The evil horror of what we know is impossible to process,” Clermont County’s chief prosecutor David Gast told a court last week as Doerman was charged over the killings.
Despite Doerman’s father saying his son was a “fun-loving guy”, those who know the accused have told a different story about his behaviour.
“He had a bad temper, really bad. I think he was a bomb ready to explode, Doerman’s friend Mark Holland told The Messenger, who reported that those who knew the couple said Doerman would regularly argue with his wife Laura.
Neighbour Richard Kincannon backed up the account, telling WCPO News: “He was angry every day. There wasn’t a day he didn’t yell at his wife and kids out there.”
Chad Doerman, who is accused of fatally shooting his three young sons. Photo / Clermont County Sheriff's Office
‘He hid a lot from me’
Doerman’s father spoke out earlier this week, saying he is “still trying to comprehend” how his son could have committed the crime.
Keith Doerman, 59, told the Daily Mailthat he believed, despite his son’s admission the killings were planned, that his son “just snapped”.
Doerman Sr said that he had not been able to speak with his son and was seeking answers as to why his son slaughtered his grandchildren.
“There was something going on in his life that he couldn’t handle no more. I can’t talk to him, they aren’t letting me talk to him so I don’t have any answers. He probably hid a lot of stuff from me,” he said.
He also claimed his son was a “fun-loving guy” and insisted that he did not have a criminal record.
However, records show that Chad Doerman was charged in a 2010 domestic violence incident - for choking his father.
Chad Doerman is placed under arrest.
Chilling video
Police bodycam video from the aftermath of Doerman’s admitted murder of his three young sons shows his chilling response to officers who descended on his rural Ohio property after reports emerged of his horror acts.
The footage shows armed officers cautiously approaching the property, only to find Doerman waiting calmly for them.
They order him to stand and he complies before officers force him to the ground and handcuff him.
Doerman reportedly confessed to authorities that the unspeakable act had been planned for months.
WCPO news reported that court documents stated the 32-year-old “confessed to planning and carrying out the deaths of victims involved for several months”.
He admitted to lining them up before executing them with a rifle, prosecutors said on Friday.
Doerman is also accused of wounding the boys’ mother at the family’s home, shooting her through the hand when she tried to stop his bloody rampage.
Chad Doerman with the three sons he executed in cold blood.
Clermont County’s chief prosecutor of Municipal Court, David Gast, said during Doerman’s arraignment on Friday that one of the boys tried to flee into a nearby field but Doerman “hunted” his son down and brought him back to their home before killing him.
Doerman’s bail has been set at US$20 million. Court records did not indicate whether he was represented by a lawyer at his arraignment. He is currently being held in Clermont County Jail.
Gast called the killings the worst crime he’d ever seen.
“The trauma that this man has inflicted on his family, community, law enforcement, first responders, and all the rest of us is unspeakable. There has been a full admission in this case, the case is still new we’re still discovering facts. But the evil horror of what we know is impossible to process,” Gast told the court.
“In an act of incomprehensible cruelty the father that stands before you lined up his three young boys and executed them in his own home with a rifle. In an act of desperation the mother at some point grabbed the gun the father was wielding to attempt to protect them.”
The deputies found three boys, ages 3, 4 and 7, outside the home with gunshot wounds and tried to save their lives, but the children died at the scene.
“They held these children knowing there was nothing they could do,” Gast said. “How do you unsee that sort of abomination?”
“This was the man that every day they woke up looking to for protection, love and guidance in all things, ...” Gast said. “He was their world, he was their guardian and he executed them in cold blood.”
FAMILY VIOLENCE
How to get help:If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)
• Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450
• Shakti: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.
• Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)
• Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence
• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.
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