An Ohio father will spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting and killing his three young sons last year.
Chad Dorman removed his firearms from his gun safe on June 15, 2023, and turned his attention to his three sons, Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3.
After telling his sons he loved them, calling them “the best boys ever,” he shot them dead, one by one.
Dorman, 33, was arrested at the scene and charged with three counts of murder and numerous misdemeanors. He pleaded guilty to the murders on Friday and was sentenced to three life sentences, plus an additional 16 years for assault charges that resulted in bodily injury to his wife and stepdaughter.
The shocking murder took place in a home in Monroe Township, 20 miles east of Cincinnati.
On Monday, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark J. Tekulve reported on the final hours of the boys’ lives and provided horrifying details about Dorman’s actions leading up to the murders.
According to Mr Tekulve, Mr Dorman called his father around midday and cryptically told him, “Clayton would be the toughest man to deal with.” Mr Dorman wouldn’t give details, but Mr Tekulve said: “It was a reference to the murders and it only became clear to his father in retrospect.”
“This will probably be my last good meal,” Dorman said while eating lunch with his wife, Laura, after coming home from work.
But at the time, things seemed quite normal.
“From approximately 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the defendant spent the afternoon doing yard work and playing with the children, and nothing out of the ordinary happened,” Tekulbe said during the briefing. “Nothing that would have caused Laura to realize she had to do anything to protect her family.”
“Around 3:30 or 3:45 in the afternoon, Chad began reading the Bible to Hunter,” Tekalb said. “Chad was walking around the house with the Bible and muttering, ‘Chad knows what’s right. Chad knows what’s right.'”
When Dorman opened the gun safe at 4 p.m., a startled Laura said, “I’m scared,” to which Chad replied, “I’m just playing,” according to Tekulbe.
But then Dorman told the boys he loved them and began his reign of terror.
“At approximately 4pm on the day of the murders, the defendant, Laura and the three boys went into the master bedroom,” Tekulve said. “In the back of her mind, Laura was worried that the defendant was going to do something to hurt her. They went to lie down.”
“Suddenly, the defendant, who had been lying on his side, jumped up and grabbed a .22 calibre rifle from the safe and terror spread throughout the room. Laura screamed and the boys screamed. They all tried to dissuade him, telling him they loved him and begging him not to kill himself.”
“Laura pulled out her cell phone to call 911,” Tekulb continues. “The man grabbed the phone and threw it across the room, telling Laura it was too late. The man pointed the rifle at Hunter and shot him multiple times, then shot the other two boys.”
Laura’s eldest daughter, Alexis, ran out of the house to alert a neighbor, who then called police. She was unharmed in the shooting.
Laura Dorman, who was shot in the hand during the shooting, released a heartfelt statement saying her ex-husband’s sentence would help her find closure.
“I fully support the way this criminal case is resolved. The decision to end this criminal case with a plea agreement and multiple life sentences provides some closure for my daughter and me,” Laura said. “No punishment will bring my sons back, and it is best for our family to be assured that they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.”
“Remembering three boys who loved fishing, go-karting and swimming,” the statement continued. “Remembering fun-loving boys who were inseparable from one another. Their lives are not just what happened to them. They are so much more than that. We love you, Clayton, Hunter and Chase.”
