Chad Doerman: Father accused of executing sons requests dismissal of statements alleging rights violation

CLERMONT COUNTY, OHIO During his court appearance this week, an Ohio father who is suspected of killing his three young sons in front of his wife and daughter requested that the judge disregard his statements, alleging that the detectives had violated his rights.

According to the prosecution, 32-year-old Chad Doerman said things like "I did it" in June of last year. "I shouldn't have done that," and "Take me to jail," he yelled as he was being held for the shooting deaths of Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3.

Chad Doerman admitted to considering killing his sons

Doerman allegedly admitted to detectives that, eight months before the shooting, he had considered killing his sons. If found guilty of the aggravated murders, he could receive the death penalty.

Doerman was discovered by Clermont County sheriff's deputies sitting on his front porch with a.22 caliber rifle next to him. In his yard, his sons lay dead.

As Deputy Jeffrey Rudd led Doerman in handcuffs to a police cruiser, he said, "You have the right to remain silent." "F*****g use it," Doerman asked, “Can you get the wallet out of my pocket?”

Doerman's attorneys contend that from the beginning, the deputies handled their communications with him improperly. When asked about what he said to Doerman during the hearing, Rudd remained firm.

Doerman was questioned by Detective Michael Ross as soon as he got to the sheriff's office. Ross claimed that by offering Doerman a bottle of water and adjusting his handcuffs, he made an effort to get to know him better.

Ross admitted under cross-examination that he had not read the full Miranda card, which included a section addressing Doerman's right to have an attorney present while being questioned, despite having stated that he thought Doerman wanted to speak with him.

“I’m not a robot. I probably should have read the entire card, but I’m not a robot,” Ross remarked, according to Law&Crime.

W Stephen Haynes, Doerman's lawyer, pressed Ross further on whether he left information on the card out of concern that Doerman might not want to talk to him.

When Doerman first began reading Ross his rights, Ross said, "That's fine," and he felt that Doerman wanted to talk to him.

Ross refuted this. Ross added that Doerman mentioned his father, Keith Doerman, and a woman named Ruby Franklin, as well as bringing up the subject of "a lawyer" a few times during the interview.

He asserted that although Franklin was affiliated with the CIA, neither she nor Keith Doerman were attorneys.

Attorney general emphasized that officers have constitutional rights

Former Ohio deputy attorney general Mark Weaver told Crime Fix that for law enforcement to stop questioning a defendant, the defendant must expressly request a lawyer.

“Defense counsel here doesn’t have much to work with,” Weaver stated. The deputy attorney general continued, “All of us have rights under the Constitution. But we also have obligations to make known whether or not we’re waiving those rights or whether we’re standing on those rights. Officers do not have to be mind readers.”

Some of Doerman's remarks regarding attorneys, according to Weaver, could be interpreted as ambiguous. However, the judge will ultimately decide on that.

When Doerman brought up having "family lawyers," Ross said he thought he was "playing games" and that he would eventually receive "nice, good answers" to his inquiries after speaking with an attorney.

Ross claimed that during the interview, Doerman denied killing his sons. However, Ross claimed that when he was left alone in the room, he whispered things that suggested he had killed his sons.

Through some of its questioning, Doerman's attorneys hinted at what the defense might bring to the table.

Haynes questioned Detective Ross about his knowledge of "psychosis" and whether or not he had previously dealt with mentally ill defendants. Detective Ross shot back, "Now you're getting outside of my knowledge of mentally ill people."

Following the hearing, Judge Richard Ferenc stated that he would consider Doerman's move for suppression after reviewing the state's and defense's briefs. The decision might be made within the next month.

The trial for Doerman is expected to start in July. The Clermont County Jail is still holding him without posting bail.