DailyKenn.com — A judge ruled that the confession of an Ohio father who is accused of killing his three sons is inadmissible after finding that he was not properly advised of his Miranda rights.
Chad Doerman was arrested in June 2023, with authorities accusing him of fatally shooting the boys execution-style at their Monroe Township home, the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said at the time. He has since been indicted on 21 charges, including nine counts of aggravated murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities said that during his interrogation, Doerman confessed to the killings. However, in January, his attorneys filed a motion to suppress the confession, alleging that police had failed to properly advise Doerman of his Miranda rights and continued to question him after he had asked for a lawyer, according to a copy of the judge’s ruling shared by FOX 19.
On Friday, Judge Richard Ferenc ruled that prosecutors will not be able to use statements obtained by police during Doerman’s interrogation, saying that police had violated his rights by not properly informing him of his Miranda rights and by continuing to question him after he asked for an attorney.
“The Defendant's Miranda rights were violated when the custodial interrogation continued after the defendant had unequivocally and unambiguously invoked his right to counsel when he told [the detective], ‘I'll wait for a lawyer, I don’t know, give me a couple of days, I can talk to a lawyer and get nice good answers,’” Ferenc wrote in his ruling.
Police were alerted to the June killings when a woman called 911 and screamed that her “babies had been shot,” the sheriff’s office said at the time.
The three children, later identified as Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3, were allegedly lined up by their father and shot, police claimed. One of the boys tried to flee, but police alleged that Doerman “hunted him down” and shot him.
Police body cam footage obtained by FOX 19 reportedly showed officers forcing Doerman to the ground and handcuffing him after finding him sitting on the steps with a rifle next to him. When asked what was going on, Doerman calmly told the sheriff’s deputy, “Nothing.”
The boys’ mother was injured when trying to protect her sons from gunshots, authorities said.
Court records indicate that Doerman is set to go on trial in July.
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