(NewsNation) — An Ohio man accused of shooting and killing his three young sons pleaded not guilty Friday to multiple charges stemming from the boys’ deaths.
Chad C. Doerman, 32, is accused of shooting each of his 7, 4 and 3-year-old sons in the head June 15. He was formally charged Thursday in a 21-count indictment that listed charges including aggravated murder, kidnapping and felonious assault.
He faces the possibility of the death penalty, Clermont County, Ohio, prosecutors said in a news release issued Friday.
A judge has ordered Doerman be detained without bond.
Prosecutors have said Doerman admitted to planning the killings and lined the boys up before executing them with a rifle.
One of the boys fled about 300 feet before Doerman shot him from behind and then “executed him at close range,” prosecutors said.
The boys 7-year-old Clayton “Clayton Man” Doerman, 4-year-old Hunter “Hunter Dog” Doerman, and 3-year-old Chase “Chasers” Doerman “loved unconditionally, sharing their big hearts with anyone who they could make laugh and give them love,” according to their obituary.
The boys are remembered as having loved fishing, “playing outside way past bedtime, laughing loudly” and giggling “non-stop.”
Their unique personalities will also be remembered fondly, family wrote in their obituary: Clayton, who loved his dog Gaitlin and giving gifts; Hunter. who enjoyed baseball and catching frogs; Chase, otherwise known as “Mama’s Baby,” the “best cuddler,” who loved swinging and pretending to be a superhero.
Neighbors in Monroe Township, which is about 75 miles west of Columbus, reported hearing several shots fired the night the boys were killed.
Several people called 911 to report an active shooter, whom they described as a white male wearing a green shirt and blue jeans, according to a redacted police narrative.
When officers arrived, Chad Doerman was sitting on the porch with a long, brown rifle next to his hand and the boys’ bodies were laying on the front lawn, one officer wrote.
The same officer attempted to perform CPR until the ambulances arrived.
Chad Doerman’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 5.
