True Crime Society - Deadly Dads – Chad Doerman and Christopher Gregor

THE DOERMAN MURDERS

Chad Doerman (33) has just been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole following the murder of his three sons – Clayton (7), Hunter (4) and Chase (3).

The murders happened on June 15, 2023 in Ohio.

The Doerman family consisted of Chad and Laura as the parents. Laura has a daughter from a previous relationship and she was 14 at the time of the murders.

The daughter has been described as an ‘outstanding student’ and a ‘softball star.’

Chad worked as an insulator and Laura was a stay-at-home mom. Laura had plans to home-school all the children.

Clayton, Chase and Hunter were described as ‘active little boys.’ They all loved baseball and fishing.

By all accounts, the family seemed generally loving and normal.

During the legal process, we learned some more about the lead-up to the murders.

Five days before, June 10, seemed like a normal day. Chad and the boys had a ‘boys day’ together and Laura had a ‘girls day’ with her daughter.

Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said that at this point there was ‘no indication of trouble.’

The following day, June 11, Chad took the boys fishing. Again, this seemed like a normal day. There were no reports of any strange behavior but Chad would later give detectives conflicting information regarding his sleep patterns.

Chad went to work on June 12. His colleagues said that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He again would later give conflicting statements to detectives about his sleep.

On June 14, Chad left for work at around 5-6am. On that day, he woke up his stepdaughter which was not usual behavior. He apologized for anything that he had done to hurt her.

His co-workers did not notice anything unusual during the day. He went to coach his son’s baseball game after work. Other parents said he seemed a little distracted but there was nothing strange about his behavior.

Chad would later tell officers that he could not sleep at all that night.

Doerman Bill Of Particulars

The day of the murders was Thursday, June 15, 2023. While on his way to work, Chad searched for the song ‘Happy in Hell’ by Colt Ford.

Investigators have highlighted some of the lyrics in that song.

Between happy and hell, that’s where I’m livin’ now
I really wanna love her, but I just don’t think that I know how
Can’t give her everything she needs, can I give her everything I want

…

Am I her shinin’ light or just her darkest day
I wonder if she’ll leave, hell I wonder if she’ll stay
Oh, God, I’m so confused, is it a lie or truth
I’m in the crossroads, tell me which one to choose
Is there a right or wrong, it’s gettin’ hard to tell
I need to know the price, and sure I’d buy or sale

“Happy In Hell” song lyrics

Chad went to a Kroger at 9.42am that day. He walked to the vitamin section and then to the Little Clinic counter. Chad told his mother that he was having ‘confusing feelings.’ He has not elaborated on what those feelings were. Chad did not tell Laura how he was feeling.

Chad left the Little Clinic after a few minutes. He did not see anyone there.

Chad left work early that day, which was abnormal behavior for him. He got a 16 oz Bud Light and went to the shed to do yard work when he arrived home.

Laura arrived home with the kids – they had been running errands. The boys ran excitedly to greet Chad. Laura went inside and made lunch for the family.

Chad went into the kitchen to eat and he told Laura “This will be my last good meal.” Laura would later say that she thought Chad may have been planning to take his life.

After lunch, Chad called his father. “Clayton is going to be the hardest one,” Chad said to him. Chad’s father has said that he did not understand the context of this statement at the time.

Chad spent the rest of the day doing yard work and playing with the kids.

In the afternoon, Chad got out a Bible and started reading it to Hunter. He was mumbling ‘Chad knows what’s right.’

Soon after, Laura found him opening the gun safe which was in the master bedroom.

“You’re scaring me,” she told him.

“I’m just playing,” he said back.

At 4pm, Chad asked Laura and the boys to nap with him in the master bedroom. After they all lay down, Chad got out of bed and went for the 22 rifle in the gun safe.

Laura thought that Chad was going to use the gun to kill himself. All of the family were pleading for him to put the gun down and they were telling him that they loved him.

Laura tried to call 911. Chad grabbed the phone off her and said ‘It’s too late.”

Chad lifted the rifle and pointed it at Hunter first. He began firing. Laura screamed to the kids to start running as she tried to help Hunter and call 911.

Chad can be heard in the background of the call, screaming at Laura to get up and to stop helping Hunter. The other kids can be heard screaming in the background.

Laura carried Hunter out of the house and into the yard where she was screaming for help.

Clayton and Laura’s daughter ran outside and Chase was still in the house. Chad saw Clayton and shot him. The child fell to the ground. Chad went up to him and ‘calmly’ shot him twice in the head.

Laura’s daughter ran back into the house to get Chase, the 3 y/o. She got him and they attempted to flee. Chad caught up to them. The girl can be heard on the Ring camera saying ‘Please don’t shoot me.”

Chad forced the girl to put Chase down.

The daughter ran towards the Monroe Township Fire Department which was near the home. According to court documents, “[She] was stopped by a passerby and advised that her father was ‘killing everyone.”

Chase ran toward some trash cans to try and hide. Chad attempted to shoot him but the magazine was empty. Laura ran to the rifle and placed her thumb over the barrel to stop Chad from shooting it. Chad fired the gun anyway, through her thumb, and executed Chase right in front of her.

Laura called 911 for a second time, five minutes after the first call disconnected.

“My children are shot, my children are not breathing, and no one is helping me,” she told the dispatcher.

Chad would get all the boys and lay them next to each other. In all, nine total shots were fired: one boy was shot once, the other two were each shot four times.

When Clermont County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on the scene, they demanded that Chad put his hands up and walk slowly towards them. They wrestled him to the ground and handcuffed him without incident.

“He took my life from me,” Laura screamed, and which was captured on the officer’s body cam video.

While on the ground, Chad told the officers that he was not going to hurt them while his three sons lay lifeless in the yard.

Deputies placed Chad in a cruiser, where he is heard on body cam video, “Tell them I did it. Take me to jail.”

When Chad arrived at the jail, he was interviewed about what had taken place. Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said Chad acted like he had no idea that the boys were dead.

“It was like a game [to him,]” the prosecutor said.

The detectives asked who his kids were. He listed them in this order: Hunter, Clayton and Chase – the same order in which he killed them.

He also told police that he should have killed Laura first.

He would later tell police that he had not slept well for three or four days because “the thoughts of having to kill his sons was so heavy on him.”

Court documents from June 2023 state ‘the defendant confessed to planning and carrying out the deaths of victims involved for several months.’

In June 2023, WKRC filed an open records request in relation to Chad’s criminal past. The communications center had dispatched the police to the Doerman home three times since 2020. One of those times was when the three boys were shot to death.

A search of court records showed only traffic violations in Clermont County, with the exception of a criminal damaging complaint when Chad was 18. There was also a domestic violence case two years later that showed he choked his dad. Both of those cases were dismissed.

A records request was filed with the Clermont County CPS to see if there were any records for the Doerman family. The answer was, “There are no records responsive to your request.”

There also did not seem to be any financial issues for the family.

According to the County Auditor’s website, Chad had purchased his converted manufactured home on three acres in 2016 for $75,000. Usually, if there were mortgage issues, you would see a lapse in property tax payments. The Doerman family was up-to-date through 2023.

In March 2024, Chad pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity due to serious mental illness.

These are the illnesses that are covered under that provision:

Schizophrenia

Schizoaffective Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

Delusional Disorder

Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lara Allen requested a psychiatric evaluation for Chad at the Central Clinic Behavioral Health Center.

Chad was not found to have any sort of serious mental illness that completely blocked his judgement between right and wrong, Prosecuting Attorney Allen said. While he may have exhibited some symptoms of mental illness, he knew what he did was wrong overall.

Chad had never been prescribed medication or diagnosed with any mental health issues.

Chad also denied being the shooter. “Why would you deny doing an act unless you knew it was wrong?” Allen asked rhetorically.

Chad’s interviews with officers proved he knew it was wrong.

Chad also called his mother from prison. He said he did not want to meet with a psychiatrist because it would not get him anything. When asked if he felt bad about what he did, he said no.

He also called his brother, two weeks after the murders.

At that time, he compared himself to Adolf Hitler as they had both made news across the world.

Chad’s father, Keith, said that he had no exact explanation for what happened, adding his son “just snapped.”

“I could tell in his eyes he’s hollow inside,” Keith said. “That wasn’t Chad standing at the arraignment, that was not him.”

A neighbor spoke to the media and said that Chad seemed to have anger issues.

“He was angry every day,” said Richard Kincannon. “There wasn’t a day he didn’t yell at his wife and kids out there.”

Kincannon said Chad had a temper, “yelling all the time and treating (his wife) like s***.”

Prosecutors ended up reaching a plea deal in the case. Chad will spend the rest of his life in jail without the possibility of parole, Clermont County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Ferenc said.

Originally, Chad faced nine counts of aggravated murder and other charges of kidnapping and felonious assault in a total 21-count indictment.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault.

The plea deal was agreed upon by the surviving victims.

“The decision was made to prevent further harm to the family,” Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said.

He says Laura and her daughter are “grievously injured.”

In a letter that was read in court, Laura had a message for those who may be struggling with their mental health or know someone who is. She encouraged others to call a crisis hotline, dial 988, or ask for help if someone is considering hurting themselves or others.

“Violence is never the answer,” she wrote.

While Chad admitted to the crimes and has been sentenced, one thing still remains a mystery: Why did he do it?

Prosecutors say they are still unsure.

THE TRAGIC DEATH OF COREY MICCIOLO

The second case we are going to discuss is the murder of 6 y/o Corey Micciolo by his father Christopher Gregor (32) in Monroe Township, New Jersey. Christopher has just been sentenced to 25 years in state prison for the crime.

Corey was born on 1 May, 2014. His mother was Breanna Micciolo. According to media reports, Bre was 17 when she gave birth and Christopher was 22. Bre’s mother Rebecca said that Bre got pregnant after she was sexually assaulted by Christopher. She said the two never had a relationship.

Christopher’s attorney has denied that claim. Mario F. Gallucci, said in a statement to Inside Edition Digital. “Unfortunately, Ms. Micciolo’s mother (Rebecca) has a very vivid imagination.”

Bre raised Corey on her own for the first five years of his life until Christopher petitioned for joint custody.

As some insight into Corey, his family said that he enjoyed playing football and was very excited to recently participate in his first team practice. He liked to play Roblox (a video game), and had an interest in our solar system, planets and space. He enjoyed playing with his friends in the park and the trampoline park. He loved art and drawing.

Corey’s living situation changed in 2019. Overnight visits began with Christopher on August 28, 2019. In September that year, after the third visit, Bre first became concerned about Corey’s safety.

Corey came home with a “busted lip” and “swollen face,” but neither he nor his father would say what happened, said Bre.

Bre said she took pictures of his injuries and submitted them along with the little information she could gather to DCPP.

From that point on, whenever Corey came home injured, Bre said she documented the injuries and reported them to DCPP.

Bre estimated that she made over 100 calls to DCPP in 18 months and filed multiple complaints alleging that Christopher had been beating their son.

“They made it seem to be I was bothering them,” Bre said of the case workers.

As for Christopher, she said that the response from DCPP only emboldened him over time.

“The more he got away with it, the worse the abuse got,” Bre said of Christopher. “And he was aware after the first time I reported it [in September 2019].”

DCCP did not respond to multiple requests for comment from media agencies.

As of October 2019, Corey started living with Christopher and his parents as part of a joint custody order. Christopher assumed residential custody in January 2020.

In December 2020, Breanna relapsed on drugs. She had previously had meth addiction issues. She also relapsed in February 2021. She apparently tried to buy drugs again on April 2, 2021 but did not get them or use again.

The abuse was still ongoing as of 2021. On March 20, 2021, there was CCTV taken of Corey and Christopher from the gym in Christopher’s apartment complex. Corey can be seen running on a treadmill as his father increases the speed. In the video, the boy stumbles and falls multiple times as he attempts to keep up. Christopher can be seen grabbing Corey by the shirt, and at one point, he appeared to bite the child’s head.

On March 28, 2021, Bre called police to ask for a child welfare check. She had noticed extensive bruising on Corey.

Officers Daniel Dugan and Angel Roman went and spoke with Christopher and Corey. They saw Corey’s bruises but did not feel he was in imminent danger and appeared to have a good relationship with his father. The officers reported their findings to DCPP.

On March 31, 2021, Bre filed an emergency order, seeking full custody of Corey. Her application was denied on April 1. A judge ordered a child abuse examination within seven days.

This info about the examination is from Jersey Shore Online:

Breanna took Corey to Dr. Nancy Deacon, who noted 14 bruises and referred them to Jersey Shore Medical Center (JSMC). Due to time constraints, Breanna opted for Community Medical Center.

Christopher texted DCPP caseworker Mark, stating he couldn’t take off work the next day.

Community Medical Center offered to transport Corey, but Breanna decided to drive to JSMC herself to save time.

Breanna informed Christopher that she was heading to JSMC in response to a text message.

Christopher texted three women about Corey not being home on time.

Christopher demanded Breanna leave JSMC. Dr. Ye Kyaw Aung documented numerous bruises and scratches on Corey, including a significant bruise on his sternum.

On April 2 at 3.08pm, Christopher searched the internet for “lost consciousness sleepy and nauseous.” He called Breanna at 3:30 p.m. to ask for insurance cards to take Corey to the hospital. They appeared at Southern Ocean Medical Center at 3:48 p.m.

Christopher said he brought his son to a hospital after the boy woke up from a nap stumbling, slurring his words, and experiencing nausea and shortness of breath. Corey was taken for a CT scan, where he began having seizures. Lifesaving measures were taken.

Corey died at 5:03 p.m. without any family members by his side. Christopher was distraught when he told his parents he’d just lost his son. They drove to meet him at the hospital but he was gone by 5:20 p.m.

Chris’ mother Carolyn would later tell the jury during trial about that day. “Chris is hysterical, hysterical,” she told the jury after she explained that Chris took Corey to the hospital because he was lethargic.

“What did she do to him, what did… he’s screaming on the phone,” about the boy’s mother, Breanna, she said. “And then… he tells me Corey passed,” she added as she wiped away her tears.

“So I called my husband, and I’m flipping out at the house,” she said. “I was so worried. He was so adamant that something happened when he (Corey) was with his mother.”

Dr. Dante Ragusa, an Ocean County medical examiner who performed an April 3 autopsy on Corey’s body, issued a finding on the cause of death: Blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions with acute inflammation and sepsis. However, he did not rule on the manner of death; rather, he deemed it “undetermined.”

It wasn’t until a consulting forensic pathologist reviewed the case in September 2021 that the manner of death was determined to be homicide. Dr. Thomas Andrew believes Corey suffered an acute traumatic injury to the heart 4-12 hours before his death. Dr. Andrew found what he described as evidence of chronic abuse, including blunt impact injuries of the chest and abdomen with laceration of the heart, left pulmonary contusion, laceration and contusion of the liver.

Christopher was initially arrested for endangering the welfare of a child on July 7, 2021 for the treadmill incident.

He ended up being released due to New Jersey Bail Reform.

He was arrested again on March 9, 2022 and was charged with Corey’s murder.

Statement from police –

On March 3, 2022, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office received a report from the State’s expert witness which indicated that C.M. died as a result of blunt force impact of the chest and abdomen, and determined the manner of the child’s death to be homicide. An extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Barnegat Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that C.M. was in the custody of Christopher at the time he sustained his life-ending injuries, and that Christopher is the individual responsible for the child’s death.

The case would goto trial in 2024. The first day was April 30, 2024. Much of the court content was back and forth, and some days had limited info so we have picked out the most relevant information to share. Court TV does have a day-by-day summary if you’d like to read in detail.

Christopher’s attorney Mario Gallucci said on that day that he was a responsible father who was trying his best for his son, despite having a hostile relationship with Bre. He also called in expert witnesses to try to prove that Corey died from natural causes.

The prosecution alleged that Corey was forced by Christopher to run on the treadmill because he was ‘too fat’ and he fell and hit his head.

Sgt. Raymond Coles testified about Christopher’s phone search history. Searches in March and April of 2021 included: “Will red marks turn into bruises,” “Can your phone be tracked in airplane mode” and “Can my car be tracked?”

On day two of the trial, Breanna took the stand. The defense tried to attack her credibility by talking about a GoFundMe that had been established and they talked about ways that she likely wanted to spend the money.

Corey’s first-grade teacher also testified and said that she noticed the child had bruises. She also said that his demeanor at school changed over time.

Paediatrician Dr Nancy Deacon, who saw Corey for an emergency appointment in 2021, spoke about the injuries that she witnessed.

On day three, Sgt Matthew Scutti spoke to the court about going to Christopher’s home. He said the smell of vomit was very strong in Corey’s bedroom.

A triage nurse who worked at the center where Corey was taken, described Christopher as having a ‘clinical’ nature and said that he did not seem upset about his son’s injuries and condition.

On day 7, Sgt Raymond Coles took the stand and spoke about alleged attempts by Christopher to flee. He said that Christopher’s phone was moving away from the hospital for 24 hours with no attempts to return. He also said the phone was put into airplane mode.

We learned some more about Christopher’s internet history. On April 3, one day after Corey died, Christopher conducted separate Google searches about blood sugar, white blood cell levels, internal bleeding and gastrointestinal issues.

On April 4, Christopher searched about the timeframe for filing murder charges after an autopsy.

On day 9, Forensic Pathologist Dr Michael Baden told the jurors that he believed Corey died from natural causes, most likely complications of pneumonia. This went against what the State’s expert witness, Dr Thoams Andrew said in court. He said that Corey’s death was homicide due to physical abuse.

During the trial, Christopher invoked his right to remain silent and did not testify.

On day 11, May 31, 2024, Christopher was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. His sentencing was scheduled for August 2.

In August 2024, Christopher was sentenced to a total of 25 years in state prison. He received 20 years for aggravated manslaughter and five years for endangering the welfare of a child, to be served consecutively.

Corey’s grandmother Rebecca spoke at the sentencing about the effect that his death is having on her. “I’m being treated for several mental health disorders since Corey was murdered: PTSD, nightmare disorder, depression and anxiety. I’m on several medications to get through the day. I can’t work. I’m no longer living, I’m existing,” she said.

Christopher apologised at the sentencing. “I understand this single moment will overshadow all of the others, but it’s not representative of who I am, who Corey was and his relationship with me and him,” Gregor said. “I want to assure you that on April 2, I did nothing to cause Corey’s passing, I didn’t hurt my son, I love him and I still do.”

SOURCE LIST