A father has been arrested and sentenced after carrying out one of the most disturbing crimes in recent memory — the execution-style killings of his three young sons, aged just 3, 4, and 7.
Chad Doerman, 32, from Monroe Township, Ohio, was taken into custody after authorities responded to a 911 call and discovered a devastating scene: his three sons — Clayton (7), Hunter (4), and Chase (3) — had been shot dead outside the family home.
According to prosecutors, Doerman lined his sons up in the yard and shot them one by one with a rifle. One of the boys reportedly tried to escape, running through a nearby field — but Doerman allegedly chased him down and killed him.
Their mother, injured during the attack as she tried to protect her children, was also hospitalized. A stepdaughter managed to flee the scene and call for help, likely saving her own life.
Doerman was arrested at the scene and later confessed to planning the murders for months. He was charged with multiple counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault.
In 2024, he pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus additional years for the assault on the boys’ mother and stepdaughter. The plea deal spared him the death penalty.
The case sent shockwaves through Ohio and far beyond. Investigators described the crime as “pure evil,” and even seasoned law enforcement officers were visibly shaken by what they encountered.
A growing memorial outside the family home now stands as a heartbreaking tribute: teddy bears, flowers, candles, and messages from a grieving community that can still hardly process what happened.
Online, the story has sparked widespread outrage, sorrow, and disbelief, with many calling it one of the most chilling family tragedies in recent U.S. history.