Ohio father avoids death penalty for execution-style killings of sons

It is one of the most shocking crimes in recent years in the USA. A father shot his three sons in an execution-style manner. A verdict was reached, and 33-year-old Chad Doerman avoided the death penalty.

The case against Chad Doerman, a 33-year-old from Ohio, lasted over a year in court. In June 2023, he killed his three sons in front of his wife. He did it with a shotgun, which he kept in a gun safe. After the massacre, he sat in front of the house, waiting for the police to arrive, and watched as the children's mother tried to save them.

Doerman faced 21 charges, including nine counts of premeditated murder, eight related to kidnapping, and four concerning armed assault. Initially, he did not plead guilty, claiming he was insane. The prosecution wanted him to be sentenced to death.

Doerman avoided the death penalty. On Friday, August 2, he pleaded guilty to three charges of murder with particular cruelty—one for each of his sons, 4-year-old Hunter, 7-year-old Clayton, and 3-year-old Chase. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to two charges of assault with particular cruelty. The judge sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

During the Friday court session, statements from the murderer's ex-wife and stepdaughter were read.

In her statement, the stepdaughter expressed her longing for the three boys who died in the massacre. Doerman's now ex-wife wrote in a letter that she cannot stop imagining what her life could have been like if her sons had had a chance to grow up.