The father of the 32-year-old man who confessed to killing his three young sons Thursday afternoon says his son "just snapped."
Keith Doerman, 59, said he has no exact explanation for what happened outside his son's home in Monroe Township, Ohio, when Chad Doerman shot and killed his young children. The boys were ages 3, 4 and 7.
The grandfather calls the triple-murder "just terrible."
Courtesy of Annastacia Martin Warren
"(He) just snapped. I could tell in his eyes he's hollow inside," Keith Doerman said. "That wasn't Chad standing at the arraignment. That was not him."
In court Friday morning, Chad Doerman confessed to what the Clermont County prosecution called "the most heinous, monstrous crime."
Court documents said Chad Doerman "confessed to planning and carrying out the deaths of victims involved for several months."
Prosecutors said all three of the children were shot execution-style with a rifle. All three boys were discovered by first responders, lying in the yard of a home. They were all pronounced dead at the scene; the Clermont County Sheriff's Office said all life-saving measures were "unsuccessful."
In court, prosecutors said Chad Doerman lined his three sons up, ready to shoot them. One of the boys was able to run into a nearby field, but he chased him and dragged the boy back to the property before shooting him, according to prosecutors.
Chad Doerman was found sitting on the front porch of his home next to the rifle. Police said when they arrested him, Doerman had a calm demeanor and didn't resist when officers grabbed him and forced him to the ground to handcuff him.
He is currently being held in the Clermont County Jail on a $20 million cash bond.
Keith Doerman said he wants to be able to speak to his son, but he's currently not allowed to.
"I don't know if it was financial, I don't know if it was mental, I don't know if it was work-related. I don't know," Keith Doerman said. "I can't talk to him."
Chad Doerman was charged with domestic violence in 2010 for allegedly choking his father, but that case was dismissed by a judge.
Keith Doerman said that charge was a misunderstanding, it's been resolved and there was "no story to that one."
"He wasn't that type of person," Keith Doerman said. "He was a fun-loving guy."
Though Keith Doerman said he's angry with Chad, he went on to call him a "super father," remembering him laughing and joking with his sons.
"He was a good kid," Keith Doerman said while crying. "It's awful. I can't handle this no more."
Chad Doerman is set to reappear in court June 26 for a preliminary hearing.
This story was originally published by Bret Buganski and Molly Schramm at Scripps News Cincinnati.
