In a world where true crime stories are often adapted or recreated to viewers as content, there will always be a valid criticism that the surplus of material could lead to people becoming desensitized.
With streaming platforms quickly understanding that a vast audience watches true crime, it does not take a lot of research to see that the rise in true crime has been constant.
However, it is not a new phenomenon, and you only need to look at television from the seventies and beyond to see that audiences worldwide have always had a morbid interest in the horrors that happen in real life.
I would venture that every significant television broadcaster, from BBC to NBC, has hosted weekly insights into the world of true crime.
However, now and then, a story so chilling and heartbreaking is reported that it leaves you numb and distraught, left with a disillusionment of humanity that you can never recover from.
One such case involves Chad Doerman and the unimaginable horror that he committed that would stun the world.
READ: What happened to Chad Doerman’s daughter?
This article explores the story: What happened to Chad Doerman, and why did he kill his kids?
Reader discretion is advised.
Who is Chad Doerman, and what happened to him?
Cincinnati, Ohio, was rocked with the horrific news that thirty-two-year-old Chad Doerman allegedly and ritualistically lined up his three young children, all boys, and executed them outside his home.
Doerman would allegedly use a rifle to end the lives of the children aged three, four, and seven.
His wife would be injured in the event, and his stepdaughter would also held at gunpoint but would later escape.
Police were called and arrived to find Doerman, who was charged with murder, felonious assault, and kidnapping.
Why did Chad Doerman kill his kids?
On June 15, 2023, Doerman would return home from work, and it would seem that nothing was out of the ordinary. He would ask his wife and three children to join him in the family home’s bedroom where they could nap together. Then, he would retrieve his rifle, a Martin Model HC .22. It is alleged that Doerman would shoot four-year-old Hunter first, and his wife would try to intervene while his other two sons tried to run.
The couple’s stepdaughter would hear the shots and run to the room. Witnessing the horror, she would tell the others to escape. Seven-year-old Clayton made it to the woods before his father found him, shot him twice, and returned his body to the house.
The stepdaughter would find the third son, three-year-old Chase, and would run out to the road where Doerman would discover them and aim the rifle at them, but it was out of ammunition at that time.
The stepdaughter would run to the nearby fire department; young Chase would return to the home where his mother would try to protect the young boy.
Doerman would struggle with his wife, biting her to release her grip on her son. With more ammunition, a gunshot would strike his wife’s thumb, she would release Chase, and Doerman would shoot the child at point-blank range, killing him.
He would carry the body outside and lay it down next to his brothers, then sit waiting while his wife tried resuscitating her dead children. Doerman would announce that he “did it” when police arrived.
He faces 21 counts: nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. In a taped interview, he would admit that he had been planning the killings since October.
It is still unclear what the motivation was behind the murders; some sources have suggested that it was done to hurt his wife, who he believed was unfaithful, but this is mere speculation and not confirmed in any way.
How did Chad Doerman plea, and will he get the death sentence?
Despite initially admitting the crime, he entered a not-guilty plea at his court hearing. The prosecution is pushing as much as possible for the death sentence.
One of the most terrible evil crimes I’ve ever read about .It’s one of those crimes that you can’t stop thinking about. Those poor sweet little boys and the mum and stepdaughter who will be traumatized for life, Rest in peace . Clayton, Hunter, and Chase xxxxx
I live in Northern Kentucky. About an hr away from where this happened and I was absolutely shocked when this popped up on the news. I used to deliver Amazon packages out there. I have 5 boys and could never in my life no matter the circumstances imagine doing something this vile! My heart wrenches for their mother. There is one solution and that is the death penalty. Considering a week before they were at the Florence speedway is mind boggling. Had a friend of ours actually see his kids and him there! Insane! I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this. Even though there is a gag order in place I keep looking for bits of news that may come about.
Don’t make judgements. We don’t have all the facts of why this happened and what made this man snap. We don’t know if there is mental health, drugs, alcohol, but it will come out during trial. I feel for Chad and the traumatic realisation he is facing. I feel for his wife, his parents and the community who like everyone else, are struggling to comprehend what went wrong. I have empathy for them all.
This man should never see the light of day again. What he did to those poor little boys is absolutely unforgivable, boys who trusted him as their father. It is absolutely unbelievable that some people could feel any ounce of sympathy for someone whose committed the gravest of crimes.
He already had previous convictions. How on earth did he have a gun?
Death penalty means he never goes into gen-pop. Which would actually save his life for quite some time.
Honestly it doesn’t matter how much time he receives. As long as he goes to gen-pop it’s a much harsher death sentence. They don’t like kid killers.
He killed his “property”, he did not kill the step daughter, he left the wife to suffer with the loss when he easily could have killed her. And he did not kill himself so he could enjoy her suffering. He didn’t do it after a fight,it was revenge served cold. The fact that his family did not feel he should be in jail and offered to bail him out…seems like he may be used to getting his way. It’s not like they can Insist he’s innocent.
I may not live in the USA, But this…This is just awful in every way, Those boys would’ve had a really long life if it wasn’t for that monster. What is that mother gonna do with the memory of their 3 kids?, Or the step-daughter who tried to rescue one of them…People like him do not deserve redemption, He should get the same fate as the poor kids that he cut their lives short.
The American government is half to blame they allowed him to have guns
I feel physically sick, I have 2 teenage boys, my entire world revolves around them, I have bi polar, so suffer with mental health issues, and clinical depression, but I’ve never even smacked my boys bottoms, there’s no need, people hurt people out of anger, this man was angry. To the person above who said don’t judge, you need to do more research. This man had 0 mental health issues, he had 1 prior conviction for domestic violence……if there is anyone who deserves judgement from the world more, I’ve never met them. Mental health is not an excuse for this behavior and as someone who has suffered greatly with it in my life, I have the right to say that, there is no excuse for what this animal did to his sons. I’m from the uk, I wish we still had the death penalty here. There are certain people who there is no other option for, and doerman is one of those cases.
There is nothing that could just this waste of carbon to commit this act, may his life not be much longer and may the days he have left be filled with absolute suffering and his nights filled with nightmares and cold sweats
They don’t need to give him the death penalty that’s too easy bc he will sit in his own cell. They need to sentence him to life and put him in general pop, those boys will handle him and he will still die, he will just suffer much more this way!
I agreed with All of these peoples comments he deserves to die like he killhie boys but made to suffer slowly that’s it !
I want to know more!!! Whyyyyyyy did he do this? There’s so much more to know! I’d love to hear from the mother and hear her story. I just don’t understand!! But I have a feeling she was dealing with monster behind the scenes and before she could get away from him, that monster was going to destroy her!! I honestly got the feeling from him like he accomplished something great after he killed his boy’s. He’s one of the most deranged people I’ve seen in awhile! The devil was his best friend that day! And the devil will be there to greet him when he dies!??????
Everyone keeps asking why. He probably doesn’t know the answer. No one knows why. No one knows what their life was like. You can’t pass judgement on others. All we know is three little boys lost their lives under horrific circumstances. Why doesn’t matter. It can’t be changed. How many times has he asked himself this question? It’s so sad and unacceptable and no one can help those babies now but God. Stop gossiping because no one will ever know why. Not even the father. Just pray for the family. That’s all that can be done.
For the person who said we don’t know what made him “snap”, and that we should have empathy for him, you have to be kidding. Multiple articles (including this one) have reported that in his confession to cops when he was arrested he clearly stated that he’d been planning the murders for months, all the way back to last October! That means this was premeditated and well thought out. He absolutely didn’t “Snap” and do this in the heat of the moment!
Unbelievable! This SOB has no heart!! I agree he be put in population and he will get his. We tax payers won’t have to pay to feed him for the next 15 or more years before they actually kill him! When they do get a death penalty it should be done ASAP! PERIOD!!
I can’t believe he done this I feel so sad for the mother and there sister and they will have to live with this the rest of there life he needs to die the same way that he did his very own children did at his hands my the Rest In Peace and I know they are with god now and may god be with the mother and sister and the rest of the family that’s going through this