Nearly three years after three young brothers were killed at their Ohio home, newly released interrogation footage is providing investigators and the public with a clearer look at what Chad Doerman told detectives immediately afterward.

The newly released video, obtained by FOX19 from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, shows Doerman being questioned following the June 2023 incident involving his three sons.

During the lengthy interview, Doerman repeatedly spoke about religion, the end of the world and what he described as a command or test from God.

At one point, when detectives asked him why he carried out the killings, Doerman responded that he did it “for God.”

The footage does not provide a medical diagnosis of Doerman’s mental state. Instead, it documents what he told investigators during the interrogation, including his own descriptions of what he believed was happening at the time.

THE CASE THAT SHOCKED CLERMONT COUNTY
The incident occurred on June 15, 2023, at the family’s home in Monroe Township, Clermont County.

Doerman’s three sons — Clayton, 7, Hunter, 4, and Chase, 3 — were outside the home when their father opened fire, according to authorities and court records.

Doerman also faced charges related to two other family members who survived the incident.

When deputies arrived, body-camera footage showed the three boys in the yard and Doerman outside the home with a rifle.

He was taken into custody without a prolonged confrontation and later questioned by detectives.

At the time, authorities had established what happened but had not publicly identified a clear motive.

That changed significantly with the release of the interrogation recordings.

A BIBLE AND A DISTURBING CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR
According to the newly released material, Doerman returned home earlier than expected on the day of the incident.

Investigators said he picked up a Bible and walked around the house while repeatedly saying words to the effect of “Chad knows what’s right.”

He then went to a gun safe, retrieved a rifle and loaded it.

The newly released interview indicates that detectives were trying to understand what had led to the sudden and devastating series of events.

Doerman initially provided little useful information.

He repeatedly responded that he did not know or could not remember when investigators asked about his actions.

But as the interview continued, he began talking extensively about religious ideas and what he believed was happening around him.

“THIS IS HELL”
During the interrogation, Doerman repeatedly questioned whether he was already in Hell.

At one point, he asked detectives whether he was there.

When an investigator told him he was not, Doerman insisted that the interrogation room itself was Hell.

He also talked about the end of the world and said he believed Jesus was coming.

His statements suggested that he believed a major religious or apocalyptic event was taking place.

He told detectives that he had previously sought help because of disturbing thoughts related to Hell.

According to the released footage, he described believing that people around him were somehow caught up in an approaching catastrophe.

Those statements are part of the recorded interrogation and represent Doerman’s own account of his thinking, rather than an independent determination by investigators about his mental condition.

THE BIBLICAL STORY HE SAID STAYED WITH HIM
One of the most significant portions of the interview involved a story from the Bible.

Doerman told detectives that his father had once read him a biblical story involving a sacrifice to God.

He said he later remembered that story after attending a church service with his family in Amelia.

Doerman told investigators he had continued thinking about it.

Although he did not identify the biblical passage by name, investigators and reporters noted similarities between his description and the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

In that biblical account, Abraham is instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith, but an angel intervenes before the sacrifice is completed.

Doerman appeared to connect the concept of a divine test with his own actions.

During the interrogation, he told detectives that the test had to be completed and that a person could not simply refuse.

When a detective asked him whether he had followed through, Doerman responded that he had done it “for God.”

HE SPOKE ABOUT AN “ORDER”
Doerman also told detectives that he believed there was a particular order in which his family members were supposed to be harmed.

He described a sequence involving numbers and said he believed the plan was connected to his understanding of what would happen afterward.

He also told investigators that he would not harm himself because he believed doing so would send him to Hell.

The statements became increasingly focused on his belief that the world was approaching some kind of catastrophic event.

At another point, he talked about seeing signs around him and described his family as appearing almost like “zombies.”

He told detectives he believed something terrible was coming and that he did not want his family to be nearby when it happened.

THE QUESTION OF WHEN THE PLAN BEGAN
Investigators also attempted to establish when Doerman first developed the idea of harming his family.

His answers were not always consistent or precise.

He said he did not know exactly when the plan began, but earlier court records from the original investigation indicated that he had been experiencing disturbing thoughts for some time before the June 2023 incident.

Previous investigative documents reported that Doerman told authorities he had been thinking about the killings for months.

The newly released interview adds another layer to that history by showing the religious framework he later described to detectives.

NO DRUGS FOUND IN TOXICOLOGY TEST
A toxicology report included in the investigation also provides information about substances in Doerman’s system.

According to FOX19, the testing did not detect illegal drugs in his system on the day of the incident.

Alcohol was detected.

The finding does not, by itself, establish why Doerman acted as he did or determine his mental state at the time.

It is one piece of the broader investigative record.

THE THREE BROTHERS
The victims were Clayton, Hunter and Chase Doerman.

Clayton was 7.

Hunter was 4.

Chase was 3.

Their deaths devastated their family and the surrounding Clermont County community.

The boys were remembered by family members as close brothers who enjoyed spending time outdoors and together.

The case quickly became one of the most closely watched criminal investigations in the region.

Authorities released body-camera footage and other evidence during the prosecution, but many questions surrounding Doerman’s motive remained unanswered.

The newly released interrogation provides some of the clearest insight yet into what he told investigators about his beliefs.

THE CASE ENDED WITH A GUILTY PLEA
Doerman did not go through a full jury trial.

In August 2024, he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder involving his sons and two counts of felonious assault involving other family members.

As part of the agreement, prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty.

Doerman was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, along with additional prison time connected to the other charges.

The guilty plea brought the criminal proceedings to an end, but it did not immediately answer the question of why he carried out the attack.

That is one reason the newly released interview is attracting so much attention.

A MOTIVE THAT REMAINS COMPLICATED
Doerman’s statements about God and the end of the world offer investigators a window into what he claimed to believe at the time.

But his statements should not automatically be treated as a definitive explanation for his actions.

The interrogation was conducted shortly after the traumatic events, while Doerman was still in custody and wearing clothing stained with blood.

He appeared confused at various points and gave investigators answers that were sometimes difficult to follow.

The recordings therefore provide evidence of what Doerman said and how he described his thinking, but they do not by themselves establish a complete explanation for his behavior.

THE RELEASED VIDEO ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS MENTAL STATE
The newly released footage has renewed public discussion about Doerman’s psychological state.

However, determining whether someone was experiencing a particular psychiatric condition at the time of an offense requires professional evaluation and evidence beyond an interrogation recording.

The video shows Doerman making statements about Hell, God, religious tests and the end of the world.

It does not, on its own, provide a clinical diagnosis.

That distinction is important because statements made during a police interrogation can be interpreted differently depending on the broader medical and investigative evidence.

WHY THE FOOTAGE MATTERS NOW
The newly released recordings are significant because the original criminal case ended before many of the details could be explored through a lengthy trial.

Doerman’s guilty plea meant prosecutors did not have to present every piece of evidence to a jury in a contested trial.

As a result, some details of the investigation remained less familiar to the public.

The release of the sheriff’s office interviews now provides additional information about what Doerman told detectives during the first hours after the incident.

It also shows how investigators attempted to understand his explanation while questioning him.

THE CASE IS NO LONGER ABOUT A FUTURE TRIAL
Unlike many newly released interrogation videos, this footage is not expected to change Doerman’s criminal sentence.

He has already pleaded guilty and is serving life in prison without parole.

There is no pending murder trial in which prosecutors must prove the allegations to a jury.

Instead, the newly released material provides additional documentation of a case that has already resulted in a final criminal sentence.

For the families involved, however, the recordings may bring difficult memories back into public view.

WHAT THE VIDEO REVEALS — AND WHAT IT DOESN’T
The interrogation establishes several important points about Doerman’s own account.

He told detectives that religion was central to his thinking.

He described a biblical story involving sacrifice.

He said he believed God was testing him.

He said he believed the world was approaching a catastrophic event.

And when detectives asked why he carried out the killings, he said he did it “for God.”

But the video does not answer every question.

It does not independently establish the precise origin of his beliefs.

It does not provide a complete medical explanation for his behavior.

And it does not undo the devastating consequences for the three children and their family.

What it does provide is a previously unreleased look into the statements Doerman gave investigators immediately after the June 2023 incident.

A CASE THAT CONTINUES TO HAUNT THE COMMUNITY
More than three years after the deaths of Clayton, Hunter and Chase, the case remains deeply disturbing for the Clermont County community.

The new footage has brought renewed attention to the events of June 15, 2023, while also revealing details that had not previously been available to the public.

Doerman is now serving the sentence imposed after his guilty plea.

The newly released interrogation does not change that legal outcome.

Instead, it adds another piece to the historical record of the case — documenting the religious explanations, apocalyptic beliefs and statements that Doerman gave detectives while they attempted to understand what had happened.

The video may answer some questions about what Doerman told investigators that day, but it also leaves difficult questions about his thinking and the events leading up to the tragedy for experts and investigators to continue examining.

Sources
FOX19 — Newly released Clermont County Sheriff’s Office interview