Sick dad’s chilling act just hours before murdering his three children | World | News

A killer dad listened to a song which mentioned the devil and being “happy in hell” just hours before he shot dead his three young sons. Chad Doerman, 33, pleaded guilty last summer to carrying out the sickening triple murder at the family home near Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, on Friday, June 15, 2023. 

Doerman, who will not face the death penalty, murdered Clayton, seven, Hunter, four, and three-year-old Chase at the house in Monroe Township. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault against his former wife, Laura Doerman, who tried to stop her crazed husband from killing the children, and against a teenager, who cannot be named because of her age and status in the case. Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney Mark J Tekulve gave a briefing after Doerman pleaded guilty in 2024 to the murder of the boys. He revealed the killer had listened to a disturbing song on YouTube the morning of the murders. 

The Mail Online reports Mr Tekulve displayed the song’s chorus, which comprised the sinister lyrics: “I’m in a catch twenty-two/ Damned if I don’t damned if I do/ I’m in love with another girl/ And I’ve been dreamin’ in another world/ I’ve been livin’ with the devil/ While I’m creepin’ with an angel/ All’s well that ends well/ I guess I’ll be happy in hell.”

Doerman played the song by Colt Ford, called Happy in Hell, as he drove to work. Revealing more disturbing details of the case, Mr Tekulve said Doerman called his father around midday and told him “Clayton is going to be the hardest one”, a reference which only became clear to Doerman’s father after the killings took place. 

The prosecutor said Doerman bought a Bud Light beer before he returned to his family home. He reportedly made several strange comments before the murderous rampage, including telling his wife “this will be my last good meal” as they ate lunch together.

Prosecutor Mr Tekulve said Doerman played with his family as normal that day and around 3.30pm he read the Bible to his son Hunter. 

“Between around 1pm and 3.30pm the defendant spends the afternoon doing yard work, playing with the kids, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to alert Laura that she needed to do something to protect the family,” he said. 

“At 3.30, 3.45pm, he begins to read the bible to Hunter. He’s walking around the house with the Bible mumbling ‘Chad knows what’s right, Chad knows what’s right’.”

It was shortly before 4pm that Doernman opened the gun safe and left it unlocked. His wife Laura told her husband “you are scaring me” to which he replied “I’m just playing around”. 

In a horrifying retelling of the events that followed, Mr Tekulve said that Doerman told his boys he loved them and “they did nothing wrong”, before the family gathered in the master bedroom. 

Doerman’s wife Laura, Mr Tekulve said, was concerned her husband was going to “kill himself” but when Mr Tekulve added: “Suddenly, after lying down, the defendant jumps up, grabs the 22 rifle from the safe, and terror fills the room.

“Laura gets the phone out to call 911. He grabs the phone, throws it across the room, and tells her, it’s too late. And then what I can only imagine, well I can’t imagine, he points the rifle at Hunter, and shoots him multiple times.”

Doerman then shot the two younger boys. 

Last year, Judge Richard Ferenc jailed Doerman for three life sentences without parole, and a minimum 16 years for the assault charges. He will not face the death penalty.