Newly revealed video captures Chad Doerman confessing to law enforcement that he executed his three young sons, Chase, 3, Hunter, 4, and Clayton, 7, in June 2023, telling detectives he did so "for God."
Doerman, who was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault in August 2024, appeared disoriented during the interrogation, which took place moments after the killings while he was still in blood-stained clothing. He spoke of divine tests and obedience.
"[God] tests you and you have to do it. You can’t deny it. You have to do it. You can’t stop," Doerman told investigators, according to the video obtained by Fox 19. When asked if he followed through with this perceived divine command, he responded, "For God. And now I’m in Hell. And he’s gonna come down and it’s gonna be a mess."
Doerman claimed he believed he was living in hell and that attending a church service the day of the murders led him to believe he "knew what he had to do." He also made bizarre statements about seeing "signs all over the f—king place" and that his children were "walking like zombies."
"I was going to go to hell, let them go to heaven," he stated at another point in the interview, expressing regret about the order in which he killed his sons.
According to prosecutors, Doerman returned home from work earlier than usual on the day of the murders, retrieved a Bible, and paced his house muttering, "Chad knows what’s right." He then obtained a rifle, lined up his sons outside their Monroe Township home, and proceeded to shoot them. One son attempted to flee into a nearby field but was pursued, brought back to the home, and killed, authorities said.
Doerman also shot his ex-wife, Laura, in the hand, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter, Alexis, fled the scene screaming that her father was killing everyone. Deputies discovered the boys outside the home after receiving two 911 calls: one from the mother reporting her babies had been shot, and another from a passing motorist who saw the stepdaughter running down the street. Upon police arrival, Doerman was found sitting calmly on his stoop, barefoot.
At his sentencing, the boys' mother remembered them as "the three little boys who loved fishing, go-carting and swimming" and were "inseparable from one another."