More than three years after three young Ohio brothers were killed by their father, newly released interrogation footage is providing investigators’ long-awaited look at what Chad Doerman said was behind his actions.

Doerman told detectives that he believed he was carrying out an order from God and said he had acted “for God,” according to video released by the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office and obtained by FOX19 NOW.

The footage offers new insight into the thoughts Doerman described during the hours immediately after the June 15, 2023, killings.

At the time of the interview, Doerman was wearing blood-stained clothing and was being questioned by detectives inside a small interrogation room.

His statements were often disjointed. He spoke about Hell, the end of the world, Jesus and what he believed was a test from God.

Doerman had already pleaded guilty in 2024 and is now serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.

THREE BROTHERS WERE KILLED IN JUNE 2023
The victims were Doerman’s sons:

Clayton Doerman, 7
Hunter Doerman, 4
Chase Doerman, 3
The boys were at their family’s home in Monroe Township, Clermont County, when the incident occurred.

According to authorities, Doerman returned home from work earlier than expected that afternoon.

Investigators said he then took a Bible and walked around the house, repeatedly saying, “Chad knows what’s right.”

He subsequently retrieved a rifle from a gun safe.

The three boys were later found outside the home.

Doerman’s former wife was also injured during the incident, while his teenage stepdaughter fled the property and alerted others to what was happening.

“FOR GOD,” DOERMAN TOLD DETECTIVES
During the interrogation, detectives tried to understand why Doerman had carried out the attack.

At first, he repeatedly told them that he did not know or could not remember.

As the questioning continued, however, he began talking about religion and a belief that he was being tested.

Doerman told investigators that his father had previously read him a biblical story involving sacrifice.

He said that after attending a church service in Amelia sometime before the incident, the story remained on his mind.

Although Doerman did not identify the biblical passage by name, investigators and FOX19 noted similarities to the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

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

Doerman described the idea in terms of a test that had to be obeyed.

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

HE SAID HE BELIEVED THE WORLD WAS ENDING
The newly released footage also captures Doerman repeatedly talking about Hell and the end of the world.

At one point, he asked detectives whether he was in Hell.

He described the interrogation room as Hell and said he believed the world was approaching its end.

Doerman also told investigators that he had previously been looking for help because of thoughts involving Hell.

He said he believed that everyone was in Hell and spoke about Jesus returning.

Those statements were recorded during the immediate aftermath of the killings, when Doerman was still being questioned by detectives.

The footage provides a record of what he told investigators at that time, but it does not independently establish the truth of the religious beliefs he described.

DOERMAN DESCRIBED A PLAN
During the interrogation, Doerman also discussed what he described as an order in which members of his family were supposed to be killed.

He told detectives that he believed there was a specific sequence he was supposed to follow.

He later said he had made a mistake in the order.

Investigators questioned him about when he had developed the plan.

Doerman said he did not know exactly when it began, but described feeling physically ill while thinking about what he believed he had to do.

He also told detectives that he believed there were signs around him and that his family was in danger.

The statements were part of a lengthy interrogation conducted after deputies arrived at the property.

TOXICOLOGY PROVIDED ANOTHER PIECE OF THE PUZZLE
The newly released investigation materials also included toxicology information.

According to FOX19, Doerman did not have drugs in his system when the killings occurred.

He did, however, test positive for alcohol.

The toxicology finding adds another documented detail to the investigation, but it does not by itself explain the beliefs or reasoning Doerman described to detectives.

His comments about religion and the end of the world came during an interrogation that lasted for hours.

MOTIVE HAD REMAINED UNCLEAR FOR YEARS
When Doerman pleaded guilty in August 2024, the case ended without a full trial.

As a result, many details that might otherwise have emerged through testimony were never presented to a jury.

The newly released interrogation footage now provides additional information about what Doerman himself told detectives about his thinking.

However, his explanation was not simply a straightforward account.

Much of the interview involved fragmented statements about religion, Hell, the end of the world and what he believed was a divine test.

The newly released material therefore adds context to the case while also showing how difficult it was for detectives to obtain coherent answers from him immediately after the incident.

DOERMAN PLEADED GUILTY AND AVOIDED THE DEATH PENALTY
Doerman ultimately pleaded guilty in August 2024 to three counts of murder related to the deaths of his sons.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault involving other family members.

The guilty plea meant the case did not proceed through a full jury trial.

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

Doerman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The three boys’ mother has previously spoken publicly about how she wants her sons to be remembered.

Rather than defining them only by the circumstances of their deaths, she has described them as brothers who loved spending time together and enjoyed ordinary childhood activities.

Their names — Clayton, Hunter and Chase — remain central to the community’s remembrance of the three children.

NEW FOOTAGE REOPENS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING INSIDE DOERMAN’S MIND
The release of the interrogation footage does not change the legal outcome of the case.

Doerman has already admitted responsibility, pleaded guilty and received a life sentence.

What the videos do provide is a closer look at the explanation he gave investigators immediately afterward.

His references to God, biblical sacrifice, Hell and the end of the world offer a window into the beliefs he described at the time.

But the footage cannot independently determine why those beliefs developed or what ultimately caused him to act.

For investigators, the recordings became another piece of evidence in a case that shocked Clermont County in 2023.

For the family, however, the most important part of the story remains the three children whose lives ended that day.

Clayton was 7.

Hunter was 4.

Chase was 3.

And more than three years later, newly released footage has brought fresh attention to the words their father gave investigators in the hours after their deaths.

SOURCES
FOX19 NOW — Newly released interrogation video and investigation update