An Ohio judge decided last week that a video of an interrogation cannot be presented during the trial of a man who supposedly admitted to murdering his three sons last year.
Judge Richard Ferenc stated that Chad Doerman’s rights were breached when Detective Michael Ross did not fully read him his Miranda Rights, as outlined in court documents obtained by The Docket. The judge also found that Doerman’s rights were violated, specifically his right to have a lawyer, when the questioning persisted after he requested legal representation.
During last month’s hearing, Detective Ross confessed to not entirely reading Doerman’s Miranda rights, specifically failing to mention his right to a lawyer before questioning, which Doerman’s attorneys said lasted over three hours.
Ross admitted that he only brought up Doerman’s right to a lawyer after he had started responding to questions. At one point, Doerman apparently expressed a desire to speak with his father and a woman he believed was part of the CIA, though neither were lawyers.
Ross stated, “He [Doerman] made a comment that ‘the Bible says you kill your firstborn, you kill your second born, you kill your third born, but first you’re supposed to kill your wife. I didn’t kill my wife.’”
Following Judge Ferenc’s ruling, any statements obtained during the custodial interrogation and prior to the initial questioning are not admissible in court.
Doerman is scheduled to go on trial in August for the fatal shooting of his three sons, aged 3, 4, and 7, on June 15, 2023. Doerman purportedly carried out the executions in front of his wife and stepdaughter. He was also accused of planning the killings for months.
Doerman allegedly shot his 4-year-old son twice in the head at their home in Monroe Township before shooting the 7-year-old as he attempted to escape. The 7-year-old was shot twice in the head from close range while trying to flee, according to prosecutors.
After reportedly killing his two sons, Doerman then took his 3-year-old son from his mother’s arms and shot him in the head. Doerman allegedly shot the children’s mother in the hand during the triple murder.
The stepdaughter apparently left the house on foot and sought help from a neighbor who called the police. Before the police arrived, the boys’ mother informed a 911 dispatcher that her “babies had been shot.”
The three boys were discovered dead in a yard, while Doerman was found sitting next to the rifle on the porch.
Doerman has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault. Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve noted that he could face the death penalty as a result of aggravating factors in this case. The prosecutors have not disclosed a motive.
[Featured image: Chad Doerman/Clermont County Sheriff’s Office; Facebook]