“He just snapped”: Family speaks out as Ohio dad Chad Doerman indicted for executing three sons in front of their mother 

A grand jury indicted 32-year-old Chad Doerman on June 22, 2023, in the deaths of his three sons, ages 3, 4 and 7, who were found dead after sustaining gunshot wounds outside their home in Monroe Township, Ohio.

On Thursday, the grand jury charged Chad Doerman with nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. The indictment comes almost a week after Doerman lined up his three sons and shot them execution-style with a hunting rifle on June 15, 2023.

Doerman’s wife and the boy’s mother, Laura, sustained a gunshot wound to the hand when she tried to protect her children from harm. The boy’s older sister, Alexis, reportedly escaped the massacre and was heard by neighbors running down the street yelling her "father was killing everyone."

Authorities said when the 7-year-old boy tried to flee the bloody rampage, his father hunted him down and shot him dead. While the motive for the massacre is unclear, authorities said that Doerman confessed to the killing, even admitting that he had been planning on carrying out the shooting for months.

While authorities are exploring the circumstances that led up to the horrific crime, Doerman’s father appeared just as baffled, stating that he didn’t have any answers for his son’s senseless actions other than to note that “he just snapped.” In a statement to WCPO, Chad Doerman's father Keith Doerman, added:

"I could tell in his eyes he was hollow inside. That wasn't Chad standing at the arraignment, that was not him."

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Chad Doerman's friend reveals that the Ohio father "had a bad temper"

Chad Doerman's neighbour, Richard Kincannon, provided a brief insight into the slain family’s life, saying that the assailant treated his wife and kids poorly in the months leading up to the killing.

Kincannon said that he witnessed Doerman yelling at his kids and wife every day before the shooting adding that the assailant appeared to be angry all the time.

Incidentally, Kincannon's observation was also shared by Doerman’s friend Mark Holland who said:

"He had a bad temper, really bad. I think he was a bomb ready to explode."

Meanwhile, court documents cited by Messenger revealed that Doerman had no prior run-ins with the law except for 2010 when he was charged with domestic violence after he allegedly choked his father.

Image via Chad Doerman /Facebook

However, a Facebook account that appeared to belong to the suspect did not indicate the family’s turmoil. The post instead showed a seemingly doting father, Doerman, posing alongside his three sons just days before the murder. The suspect's mother, identified as Gloria Doerman, was often seen leaving adulating comments below the posts.

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The community remembers three brothers killed by their father

Image via LillyinLondon/Twitter

As authorities continue to investigate the case, the community honored the three young boys with makeshift memorial candles, cards and toys lined up outside their home.

The boys' baseball coach Dwayne Kuhn at Monroe Elementary School, described them as the kindest kids who loved each other. While the coach did not disclose the brothers' names he said that they wore the Numbers 7 and 99. The youngest kid, who was 3 years old, was supposedly often seen cheering his brothers during games.

“They were the sweetest, kindest boys. They loved each other. Their personalities were so much fun to be around. They were jokers, but they were intense on the baseball field, and more than that, they were just great, great kids.”

An arraignment for Chad Doerman is scheduled for Friday, June 23.