Their father has been charged in their deaths. Chad Doerman was arrested last June after investigators said he shot and killed his three sons, 3-year-old Chase, 4-year-old Hunter and 7-year-old Clayton.
As the one-year mark passes, the case is still being played out in court. Here's everything we know about the investigation and where the case stands one year later.
What happened
It all started June 15 around 4 p.m. in the 1900 block of Laurel Lindale Road when police responded to a report of a shooting.
Deputies on scene found four people shot outside a home on Laurel Lindale Road. The first crews on scene attempted lifesaving measures on the three young boys but were unsuccessful. The sheriff's office said all three boys died from their injuries while on scene. According to the Bill of Particulars court document:
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.
At some point, Doerman got up and retrieved a Marlin Model HC .22 rifle from a gun safe next to the bed. He then shot one of his sons twice. Doerman's wife tried to help her son, who'd been shot, and yelled at her other two sons to run.
The boys' older sister, who had been watching TV in the Doerman's family room, went to the bedroom and "witnessed the shooting." She then ran after one of her fleeing brothers and screamed at "him to keep running."
The girl watched her stepfather, Chad Doerman, chase the boy and shoot him in the head at close range. She then ran back toward her family's home and picked up her brother, Chase. They ran toward the road, but were quickly confronted by Chad Doerman, who pointed a gun at his step-daughter and demanded she put his youngest son down.
Chad Doerman then tried but failed to shoot his son, Chase, in the head. It appeared he was out of ammunition. Chase Doerman ran to his mother, who was still rendering aid. He, too, ended up being shot and killed.
After their daughter ran to get help, Chad Doerman and his wife fought, with her trying to protect her sons. Doerman bit his wife and then, when she put her hand over the gun's barrel, shot her "through the thumb." Chad Doerman then "sat on the side stoop of the residence and calmly watched REDACTED undertake futile life-saving measures on her three children."
Amendments made to the document that were filed in April revealed that prior to laying down in the bedroom, Doerman obtained a bible and was walking around the house with it, mumbling, "Chad knows what's right."
Court proceedings
One week after the shootings, Doerman appeared in Clermont County court for his arraignment, pleading not guilty. Doerman was indicted on 21 counts: nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault.
Last September, an initial trial date was set for July 8-Aug. 2, 2024. That date has since been pushed back until 2025. In February, Doerman's attorneys filed a motion to get their client's statements thrown out at trial and filed an 18-page motion to suppress some of Doerman's statements to deputies and health care professionals.
A judge listened to testimony from several Clermont County Sheriff's deputies, some of whom were the first to interact with Doerman on that day. The deputies were questioned about what they said to and asked Doerman and how he responded.
Several weeks later, Judge Richard Ferenc in Clermont County released his ruling, saying Doerman's Miranda Rights were violated in two instances. In their motion to suppress, defense attorneys claimed Doerman "invoked his right to counsel at least twice" during his interrogation, which lasted more than three hours. They wrote, "Detectives ignored Mr. Doerman's request and continued to question him as if he didn't ask for an attorney."
Ferenc ruled that Doerman's rights were violated during the Custodial Interrogation, saying all statements obtained during this time will be suppressed at trial. Ferenc also ruled that detectives failed to fully and properly advise Doerman of his Miranda Rights prior to beginning his initial Interrogation, and all statements obtained from Doerman during that time will be suppressed.
The judge also sided with the prosecution in four key areas, ruling that several of the defense's claims were meritless. In late March, Doerman entered a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. In response to Doerman's plea, the state requested a second evaluation of Doerman's mental condition on the day of the shooting. In May, Doerman's attorneys filed a motion requesting the court exclude the death penalty "due to serious mental illness." Judge Ferenc set an Aug. 5 date for a death penalty eligibility hearing.
Remembering the Doerman boys
Several GoFundMe accounts were set to up to help the family, while the New Richmond Youth Sports Association was also among the organizations collecting donations.
Hunter's former baseball coach, Brandon Allen, started the hashtag #PlayCatch for the Doerman Boys, encouraging parents to play ball with their kids. Last month, family members of the three young boys officially opened the newly designated C.H.C. Memorial Field at New Richmond Youth Sports Association in their honor. Clayton, Hunter and Chase's former baseball jerseys are displayed on the centerfield fence below the American flag and will watch over generations of young athletes for years to come.
What happens next?
Doerman's next court hearing will happen Aug. 5 for the death penalty eligibility hearing.
Ferenc also appointed a psychologist, Dr. Carla Dryer, to complete an evaluation for the state by July 3.
The original trial set for July 8 has been continued, and the defense has given the court until Jan. 31, 2025, to address a new trial date.
Source: wlwt.com, Staff, June 14, 2024
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
