5 Most Disturbing Family Massacre Cases You’ve Ever Heard 

5 Most Disturbing Family Massacre Cases You’ve Ever Heard 

Steven Supple was born in 1965. He grew up as the sixth of eight siblings in Iowa City, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1983 with a business degree. In his youth, Supple worked various jobs including bartending and lifeguarding, and he was also known for his love of sports, especially football and golf. He was well-liked by everyone who knew him, and friends described him as the “funny guy” in their group. By all accounts, he seemed like your average, well-adjusted young man.

In 1985, Supple’s life changed for the better when he met Cheryl at a bar in Iowa. They danced together for a while, but it was clear that there was something more. This encounter blossomed into a relationship that friends described as inseparable. Cheryl had graduated with an education degree, and she was passionate about teaching and working with children. She started her career as an elementary school teacher and was an active member of her close-knit Iowan community. She participated in various book clubs, study groups, women’s groups, and bible study sessions. The couple’s shared faith was strong, and they attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church regularly every weekend.

Supple and Cheryl married on June 13th, 1990. This was a union that would last over 18 years, including their dating period. The couple’s friends and family often described them as soulmates, two people destined for each other. As the years went on, Supple advanced in his career and became the vice president and controller at Hills Bank and Trust. Despite their professional success and strong relationship, the couple faced challenges in starting a family. They were unable to have children of their own, so after they had established themselves, the couple finally came to a decision: they were going to adopt.

They flew all the way to South Korea and welcomed four children to their family, one by one. The exact dates of each adoption are unclear, but by 2008, their family had grown to include four children. Friends remember the couple’s excitement as they prepared for each adoption, often sharing photos of their soon-to-be children with loved ones. The Supples lived in a neighborhood ideal for raising children, complete with a beautiful house that complemented their growing family. A happy new life seemed to be right on the horizon.

Ethan, the eldest of the Supple children, was born in 1997 and was the first to be adopted into the family. He was 10 years old, and he was loved for his intelligence, social skills, and maturity beyond his years. Ethan’s interests were diverse, including playing the cello, fishing with his father, and playing soccer.

Seth was born in 1999, the second child adopted by the couple. He was described as an animal lover who was quite shy yet adventurous. He was known to be a sensitive and sweet child who loved nature, especially gardens and flowers.

Meera, born in 2002, was the third child to join the family. She was quite the little entertainer, full of energy and always eager to show her talents. Family friends fondly remembered her enthusiasm for learning magic tricks, which she would proudly show during Christmas gatherings.

Eleanor, born in 2004, was the youngest of the Supple children. At just three and a half years old, she was notably attached to her adoptive father. Their close bond was obvious to family friends, who often saw them together. The Supple family, with all four children, was described by those who knew them as “such a good family.” The children appeared to be deeply loved and well cared for.

Cheryl’s dedication to being a good mother was so strong that she made a difficult decision to leave her full-time teaching position after the second adoption. But she didn’t let go of her passion for educating and nurturing. She remained actively involved in the community, particularly at the Iowa Children’s Museum. As a lifelong reader, she decided to organize and participate in a local book club, something that was greatly appreciated by everyone involved.

The Supple family welcomed four children adopted from South Korea to this home over the years. One friend says, “Cheryl Supple gave up a full-time teaching job to stay at home after the second adoption, and it showed in her love of kids. She was, um, she she was very creative and very thoughtful. She loved to read. Um, we were members of the same book club. In fact, she organized it, and, and um, she was very involved at the Iowa Children’s Museum.”

The children also enjoyed close relationships with their grandparents, who lived close to their home. Their family-oriented values, along with their involvement in the church and various hobbies, made the Supples respected in their neighborhood. The reason they adopted the four children from South Korea specifically isn’t known, but it’s clear that the couple were committed to providing these children with opportunities for a better life. The chance to learn English, live in a comfortable environment, and participate in various activities was a major change for these children, who had started their lives without their parents back home. Neighbors constantly praised the Supples for their good routines and stable home life. Cheryl often spoke highly of Supple, describing him as a good man, husband, and father. But unfortunately, good times don’t last forever, and things slowly came to a breaking point.

In October 2007, Supple’s perfect life was beginning to crumble. His 7-year career at Hills Bank and Trust suddenly ended when he was fired for embezzlement. The company accused Supple of stealing over half a million dollars during his tenure. Apparently, he was slowly siphoning company funds into his personal accounts. After firing him, the bank pressed charges against Supple. During the investigation, which lasted only a few months, he confessed to the theft, but his explanation for the crime was one that investigators were not buying. He claimed he needed the money to support his drug and gambling addictions, but there was no evidence to show that he had such vices in the first place.

This weird discrepancy led many to wonder why he would steal and then explain it away with such an obvious lie. He later recanted that story and told investigators he made it up because he could think of no other way to explain the missing money. Despite this, Supple pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and money laundering. He was released on bond and was awaiting trial scheduled for April 2008. The investigation into his finances and lifestyle showed no signs of extravagant spending or even any luxury purchases.

The Supple family’s lifestyle was described as comfortable but not luxurious. He had taken out a mortgage of $244,000 on their house and had some debt, but nothing that seemed to explain what he was spending the money on. This gap between the huge sum that was stolen and the family’s modest, simple lifestyle led to rumors about where the money had actually gone. Some thought it was simply saved up, since the economy was terrible in 2008. Others wondered if the pressure of supporting a large family had led him to make desperate choices like gambling the money away, or perhaps he had simply lost his mind and taken on more responsibilities than he could handle.

Steve Supple has been in the news recently for his alleged involvement in a bank embezzlement case. Prosecutors say that Supple embezzled more than $550,000 during the 7-year period that he worked at Hills Bank and Trust. He pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and money laundering charges just last month and was out on bond awaiting trial in April. Hills Bank and Trust also released a statement today saying, “Our hearts and our prayers are with the family as they grieve the loss of their family members.”

There was a lot of speculation about potential regrets regarding the adoptions or hidden marital problems between Supple and his wife Cheryl, but again, these are all speculations and there’s no proof for any of this. Despite the financial and legal difficulties, Cheryl handled the situation head-on. Anyone else in her situation would have sunk into a deep depression, but not Cheryl. Friends reported that she had adopted a positive attitude, waking up at 5:00 a.m. to go to the gym, focusing on her mental and physical health, and returning home by 7:00 a.m. to prepare the children for school. She even took on additional responsibilities and went back to work to support her family. While Cheryl was looking forward to slowly turning things around, her husband had an entirely different plan in mind, one that would lead to the unthinkable.

In February 2008, Supple was indicted for his financial crimes. He posted a massive bail of $250,000 with his trial set to begin on April 21st. The consequences he faced were serious, and the gravity of his situation could not have been clearer to him. If found guilty, Supple could have been sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison, though some sources suggested a minimum sentence of 3 to 5 years was more likely. The financial burden on him was immense; between the embezzled funds and the bail, he was potentially liable for nearly a million dollars. Supple was on the edge. His reputation was tarnished forever, and he lost the ability to provide a comfortable life for his family. All of this had become overwhelming since he thought he had built the perfect American family.

But despite how quickly things were falling apart, Supple was still adamant about maintaining a facade of stability. On the morning of March 23rd, a Sunday, the Supples attended Easter Mass at their Catholic Church. They met with friends and family, including their parents, and no one reported noticing anything unusual about their behavior or demeanor. Even a family friend who stopped by the Supple house later that day and saw one of the children didn’t observe anything out of the ordinary.

In a joint statement released later, members of their extended families expressed their shock at what Supple had done. They were with the family on that faithful Easter weekend and saw nothing unusual; everyone seemed happy and content. They knew all about the insane problems the Supples faced, so they were on the lookout for signs of stress in the family, but the day went by smoothly. It was night when Supple’s hidden stress came to the surface, and he did something nobody could imagine he’d ever do.

On March 23rd, 2008, at 11:30 p.m., Supple left a disturbing message on the answering machine at his former law firm. In this message, he claimed that his family was in heaven. The tragedy began with the discovery that Cheryl had been murdered by blunt force trauma. She was found in her bed in the master bedroom and was only 42 years old at the time of her death.

Between 11:30 p.m. on Sunday and 3:45 a.m. on Monday, Supple attempted to end his and his children’s lives through carbon monoxide poisoning. According to a confession letter later found on the kitchen table, he had gathered the children in the family van parked in their garage for this purpose. However, for reasons unknown, this attempt failed, and he brought the children back into the house, and it was here that he did something utterly savage and heartless.

Supple bludgeoned his four adopted children to death, one by one, with a baseball bat. The three older children were found in their bedroom, while the youngest was discovered in the downstairs toy room. Neither the children nor Cheryl was bound, police said, but there was also no sign of an extended struggle. After this horrific crime, Supple left voice messages at various locations.

At 3:45 a.m., he left a message at his old office, the content of which remains unknown. At 3:50 a.m., he left a message to his own house expressing regret. At 4:01 a.m., he left another message at his house describing a failed attempt to drown himself in a river. In his words, he tried to drown but just kept floating. Even when he was no longer present in the home, he continued to document events by calling back to the home and basically self-reporting.

At 6:31 a.m., he finally called 911. It is unclear what Supple did between that time and when he used his cell phone to call the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department to ask police to go to his home immediately. The tone of the calls to the answering machines is similar to that of the 911 call, almost devoid of any emotion. Steve Supple made voice message calls to family members, his former employer, Hills Bank, and the voice message recorder within his own home. A voice comparison of the messages left on the answering machines by Steven Supple and the original 911 caller indicate that Steven Supple was the original caller.

“Location of your emergency?”

“Hello, am I talking to Iowa City?”

“No, where, what is the location of your emergency?”

“Iowa City, Iowa.”

“What’s the address, ma’am?”

“629 Barrington Road, please go there immediately.”

“What’s going on there?”

Shortly after, at 6:36 a.m., he deliberately crashed his family minivan into a concrete pillar on Interstate 80 at high speed. The vehicle exploded into flames and Supple burnt to death. Authority received another 911 call regarding a single vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near West Branch. The vehicle was found on fire, and police have confirmed the lone occupant died in the wreck and that it was the tan Toyota Sienna police were looking for.

Now, authorities cannot confirm that the occupant was Steve Supple, due to the extensive fire damage the vehicle received. Throughout the morning and day of the 24th, officers had strong, reasonable suspicion that the crash east of Iowa City was Steven Supple in the missing Toyota van. The fire hindered investigators’ efforts to positively identify the car. At no time during the day did we feel that citizens were in harm’s way; however, since we could not confirm the driver’s identity, we could not lower the level of alertness in the community. As we speak, autopsies are being conducted by the State Medical Examiner’s office. Our investigators are present in Des Moines, and this afternoon we received confirmation that the driver involved in the fiery crash has been positively identified through dental records. The deceased individual is Steve Supple.

Investigators said there was no outward sign of illegal or prescription drug use. People close to the Supples still struggle to explain how he could do such a thing. A nun who had known the family for years said the community is struggling to comprehend the deaths. She said, “We know that if we didn’t believe in eternal life in a merciful, forgiving, unconditional, loving God, we don’t know how we’d get through it.” The adoption center in South Korea, which had facilitated the adoptions, stated that they had no prior indication of any issues within the Supple family.

Before he died in a fiery crash, Supple left a handwritten four-page note in which he detailed how he killed his family and tried to kill himself. The note was left in the kitchen and apparently was written for surviving family members. Those who have read it say that he believed he did the best thing he could for his family. The note includes details that match evidence found at the scene and the medical examiner’s findings. Supple discusses his life from the criminal charges, noting that his expected absence from home would leave his wife alone to raise and support four children. It had an apologetic tone; apparently, Supple saw himself as inseparable from his family and was unable to conceive of a future where they existed without him.

A University of Iowa sociologist and police investigators said that Supple may have felt pressure to maintain his family’s standard of living after his wife stopped working and the couple adopted four children. The US Attorney’s office requested that the case against Supple be dismissed after receiving a copy of his death certificate. The funeral for the entire family was held shortly after the tragedy. Cheryl’s father shared his thoughts for the dozens who came to a makeshift vigil and expressed his love for his son-in-law of nearly 18 years. “He was like our own son,” he told everyone. “We loved him like one of our own.”

March 24th, the day after, would have been Meera’s sixth birthday. In accordance with the extended family’s wishes, all six family members—the four children, Cheryl, and Supple—were buried next to each other. The decision was explained by relatives as what they would have wanted. The death of an entire family can truly scar a town. When Steven Supple killed his wife and four children, he left people with extreme emotions and a need for understanding.

A forensic psychiatrist coined the term “family annihilator” in the 1980s, and it’s been used to describe murderers like Supple. In 68% of cases, the annihilator committed suicide after the murders, and 15% of cases involve carbon monoxide poisoning from a car exhaust. Although familicide cases are relatively rare, they are the most common form of mass killings. Professor Jack Levin, professor of sociology and criminology, has said that the profile of a man who kills his family is a middle-aged man, a good provider who would appear to neighbors to be a dedicated husband and a devoted father.

It cannot be ignored that in an estimated 95% of cases, the perpetrator is male and the head of the household. This traditional idea of the man providing for and looking after his family may be one factor when he no longer feels he is meeting this role adequately. Often, if finances or employment breaks down, they feel that their own financial failings ruined the point of having a family, and because they wish to save their family from a perceived threat. When Cheryl returned to work, it must have felt like insult to injury to Supple, who had previously prided himself on his ability to care for his family. Murdering all family members was therefore a way of saving himself from the hardship and shame of financial troubles and bankruptcy. Such murderers almost always commit suicide afterward.

Professor David Wilson has stated that family annihilators have received little attention as a separate category of killer, and they are often treated like spree or serial murderers, a view which presupposes traits such as the idea that the murderer snaps or that after killing their partner or children, the killer may force a standoff with the police, which is not an entirely accurate representation of these killers, as we’ve seen. By all accounts, Supple was a normal person with a normal upbringing until the last minute. There was no indication that he was strained enough to carry out a murder. This lack of any red flags makes the case all the more chilling. Do you think Supple premeditated these horrific murders, or did he act on impulse? Do you have any theories about where he could have been spending the money he stole? It’s sad that we won’t know what actually happened, but this case still haunts many Iowans to this day.

Instead of seeing his children as tiny humans who needed his protection, Mick Philpott saw them as his personal “cash cows” that brought in benefits from the government. His greed blinded him from their humanity in the worst way possible. He was fame-hungry, narcissistic, and diagnosed as a psychopath who made everyone’s life around him a living hell. In this video, we’ll look at how Philpott and his accomplices took the lives of six young children and what drove them to do this heinous act. Let’s get started.

Mick Philpott was born in 1956 in Derby, England. He was notorious for fathering 17 children with multiple women, and if you thought he had so many children because he loves them, you would sadly be mistaken. You see, he had practically no nurturing qualities; in fact, he was an extremely violent and unpredictable man. His toxic pattern of behavior with women and children started with his first relationship when he was 19. He charmed a 15-year-old named Kim Hill, and they began dating shortly after.

In the beginning, Kim saw Philpott as an ideal partner, but it didn’t take long before he suddenly became abusive in every way you can think of. His violence was so uncontrollable that he even started beating her in public. In one incident at a pub, Philpott struck Kim across the mouth with a pool cue. Needless to say, she started bleeding severely, but no one dared to intervene or tried to help her. He would use any excuse he could find to harm her. For example, once Philpott broke her arm and fractured her kneecap with a hammer when she paid too much attention to a baby she had been minding. As a British Army member, he would baselessly accuse her of infidelity when he returned from postings and physically assault her. He also shot Kim in the groin with a crossbow one time because he felt her dress had been too short. Kim, still in school, often lied about the cause of her injuries to protect Philpott.

After 2 years of abuse, in July 1978, Kim plucked up the courage to send Philpott a breakup letter. In response, Philpott went AWOL from the Army and broke into Kim’s home. He attacked her in bed, stabbing her 27 times with a 9-inch knife. According to Kim, he told her menacingly, “If I can’t have you, no one else will.” When Kim’s mother intervened, Philpott stabbed her 11 times. Both Kim and her mother barely survived the attack. Despite being badly injured, her mother, who was a nurse, crawled to a phone and raised the alarm. Paramedics arrived to find Philpott on the stairs, still holding the bloody knife. He told them, “I wouldn’t bother, she’s a goner. I’ve done a good job on her.”

Kim actually died twice in the ambulance and on the operating table as surgeons battled to save her life. Philpott had slit her stomach open and stabbed her on the back, arms, and legs. She suffered collapsed lungs and a punctured bladder, kidney, and liver. During the trial, he lied and implied he stabbed her in self-defense, but all the evidence showed otherwise. Philpott was found guilty of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison but was released after serving just 3 years and 2 months. According to records, this early release was due to his good behavior. Needless to say, he received nothing more than a slap on the wrist and had absolutely no incentive to change his twisted ways, as we’ll soon see. While in prison, he sent Kim letters expressing remorse and even proposing to marry her upon his release. This horrific attack left Kim traumatized, and she is still receiving counseling four decades later. Recalling her hellish life with Philpott, Kim added, “Do not say no to Mick Philpott. You don’t say no to him. He doesn’t understand the word.”

After his release from prison in 1986, Philpott married Pamela Lomax. They had three children together, and he continued his abusive behavior. Pamela was too afraid to report him, knowing what had happened to his previous partner, Kim. She prayed that he would move on to someone else, which is what he did.

In 1993, Philpott, then 37, began a relationship with a 14-year-old girl named Heather Kehoe. Pamela left him after discovering the affair. The teenage Heather ran away from her parents to be with him on her 16th birthday, and they had two sons. Philpott was abusive towards her, even beating her for not having a girl. He even told her sons to be violent against Heather. Philpott wanted Heather to produce more children, but she did not conceive again. She was often punished by being locked outside the house in the garden and told police Philpott once held a knife to her throat when she tried to leave him. Eventually, she climbed over the fence and escaped him. Heather was forced to temporarily abandon her children before regaining custody after a long court battle. She said that Philpott was a “Jekyll and Hyde” character, charming when they first met but later violent.

In 2000, Philpott met 19-year-old Mairead Duffy. She was a single teenage mother who had recently left an abusive relationship. Philpott, she said, became her guardian angel. They moved in together shortly after, and he took on responsibility for her son and proposed to her in hospital after the birth of their first child, Jade, the following year. He also began a relationship with Lisa Willis, a 16-year-old orphan who also happened to be a single mother. She became his mistress and moved in with him and Mairead. Perhaps because of Philpott’s domineering presence, Lisa and Mairead became very close. They regularly confided in each other, and Lisa said she had treated Mairead’s children as her own. There is clearly a pattern here: all three women in Philpott’s life had been teenagers when they met him. They had effectively been groomed while they were vulnerable.

Philpott married Mairead in May 2003 with Lisa as the bridesmaid. From that year onwards, Philpott lived with both women and had 11 children in a three-bedroom council house. Both women worked while he remained unemployed, collecting their earnings and government benefits. Philpott actively tried to have more children to stack up his benefit payments. He requested a larger council house to accommodate his growing family but was denied due to lack of availability.

Mairead married Mick in 2003. “Will you take my Caroline to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her?” Seven months pregnant with Mick’s child on his wedding day. Philpott publicly defended his lifestyle, expressing pride in his large family and dismissing critics. He blamed the council for not providing adequate housing and argued that as an unemployed person, he deserved more assistance from the government.

Philpott tried to bring media attention to his housing situation. He appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show in 2007, a program similar to The Jerry Springer Show. On the show, Philpott defended his lifestyle and unemployment, claiming he couldn’t get a job due to media coverage and his criminal record. He became agitated when questioned about his parenting and job prospects, which led to an argument with the host, Jeremy, over his irresponsible lifestyle. On the show, he insisted he had undergone a vasectomy. He defended himself in typically heated fashion, making an offensive gesture and telling the host, “Talk to that, pal. Talk to that.”

Philpott introduced his wife Mairead and his second wife Lisa Willis on the show, openly acknowledging his unconventional living arrangement. He claimed he didn’t care what the public opinion was about his lifestyle and large family. Philpott also said he was prepared to divorce his wife to marry Lisa, and then divorce her simply so that she would not feel left out because she did not share the Philpott family name. He went on to have two more kids after it and was dubbed “Britain’s biggest scrounger” after it was revealed he was raking in £25,000 a year in benefits. So Philpott’s plan to gain public support for a larger house was unsuccessful. The reporter said, “I want to discover the man behind the headlines and uncover the truth about the guy who has been branded Britain’s biggest scrounger.” Philpott retorted, “You’re going to criticize my family, pal, and my kids? I’ll criticize you as much I want. This is a fre…”

In 2007, Philpott appeared in an episode of a documentary series in which the then Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe spent a week with him and tried to persuade him to change his lifestyle. She found Philpott three jobs, one of which was with a barrel-making firm, but he did not turn up for work on the first day and the job fell through. In the documentary, Philpott was shown to be living in a caravan in his garden, in which his wife and mistress would alternate in spending nights with him. The MP said that Philpott did not care about anyone and that he used the word “[ __ ]” to refer to both his wife and his mistress. She also noticed that none of his children sought affection from him, although many people could not understand why the women in his life accepted their lot or even desired it. The general opinion was that his partners got on well with one another, but behind closed doors, the tensions between the thruple had reached a boiling point.

“And I’ve got my kids and I’ve got my family, that’s all I care about, nothing else.”

“Don’t say so then, don’t say so then.”

“Can I just get the, if I could get the, the distribution of children right? Right, got three with my first marriage?”

“Yeah.”

“Two with another young lady, five with Mairead?”

“Yeah.”

“Four with Lisa and one with young lady, two on the way, so that’s 15 now. Two on the way, plus one when I was in the army services, which I’ve never, never met.”

He asked Mairead to divorce him three times so he could marry Lisa. In 2010, Philpott was given a police caution for slapping Mairead and dragging her outside by her hair. But he wasn’t nice to Lisa either; Philpott hit her with a piece of wood, threw a hot cup of coffee at her, and prevented her from leaving the house or speaking with anyone.

Then in February 2012, Lisa had finally had enough of the toxic situation she was in. She decided to leave Philpott. She told Mairead she was taking her five children swimming, but instead moved in with her sister. This was the only way she could leave without any confrontation. Three months after Lisa left, Philpott was still seething with anger and entangled in a rough custody battle over their five children. So he, along with his wife Mairead and a friend named Paul Mosley, did the vilest thing you can think of: they planned to burn down their home with their own children inside and frame Lisa for it.

The arson was scheduled for the day before a custody hearing between Lisa and Philpott. He wanted his children back, motivated by his greed for more benefit payments and the potential to get an even bigger council house. The plan involved Philpott and Mosley putting gasoline into the mail slot and setting fire to the house. Then Philpott would swoop in and rescue his six children from the fire, making himself look like a heroic father and win the custody battle. To say that this idea was misguided would be an understatement.

On May 11th, 2012, at 4:00 a.m., Philpott’s plan to set fire to his house went tragically wrong. The fire spread much faster than anyone expected. It resulted in the deaths of six children: Jade, John, Jack, Jesse, and Jaden died at the scene, while their half-brother Duwayne died in the hospital 2 days later. All deaths were caused by excessive smoke inhalation. Fire investigators reported that temperatures in the upstairs bedrooms exceeded 500°C, leaving no chance of survival for anyone in those rooms. Police confirmed that the fire was deliberately started with petrol under the letterbox, classifying it as arson and officially stating that six children had been murdered.

“I can’t get terraced house, yeah, we got, we got the place on the way.”

“Have you any idea what’s caused the fire?”

All of these children belonged to Mairead and Philpott, except Duwayne, who was her teenage son from a previous relationship. Jade was only 10 years old; she was described as very intelligent and well-regarded at school. 9-year-old John was cheerful, smiley, and polite. Jaden, a 5-year-old, loved lots of cuddles from family and friends, shy and bashful. Jack, 7, was the quietest sibling and a delight to be around. Jesse, 6 years old, was described as a loud character in the family. Duwayne, the eldest victim at just 13, was described as a charming and caring young boy who was a protector for his younger brothers and sister.

Nobody in the community had the slightest clue that a father could do such a thing. Many people who knew and socialized with Philpott and his family defended his lifestyle, saying negative representations of the area and the man did not live up to the reality. One local, Bobby Sutherland, was inspired to set up a charity to help pay for the funerals of the six children whom he claimed Philpott loved desperately. Fighting back tears as he stood in the street outside the fire-ravaged family home, he said at the time, “Yeah, they can slag him off, but he loved his kids. Yeah, you make mistakes, but you don’t deserve that, nobody deserves that.” This shows just how good Philpott was at manipulating the people around him and maintaining his image as a good husband and father.

At first, Lisa Willis and her brother-in-law were questioned, but they were quickly cleared of any suspicion. Meanwhile, witnesses reported that Philpott behaved strangely for someone who had recently lost several of his children and appeared to like the media attention. A mortuary manager said Philpott engaged in horseplay when he went to view his children’s bodies, even putting a family liaison officer in a headlock during one visit. As part of their investigation, the police organized a press conference where Philpott and Mairead spoke. During this conference, Philpott thanked various people for their support and announced their decision to donate Duwayne’s organs to save the life of another child. He expressed gratitude for the community’s response and requested privacy for his family, asking that all questions be directed to the police. This press conference actually increased police suspicions. Philpott’s behavior was notably inappropriate, including flirting with a female police officer; she claimed that he called her “gorgeous” and inferred he would like her to come back to his hotel.

“And we can’t express our gratitude to everybody that’s been concerned with the case, with what’s been going on. I’ve actually been down to my, our, our home and what we saw, we just, we just cannot believe it. We grew up in a community that’s been, had a lot of problems with violence and God knows what else, and to see this community to, to come together like they are, is just, it’s just too overwhelming.”

The police found forensic evidence linking the Philpotts to the crime. A discarded petrol container and glove had been found near the house, and in November, forensic investigators discovered that the clothes of the Philpotts and Mosley had petrol on them. For further information, they placed a recording device in the police vehicle and their hotel room. The recorded conversations revealed incriminating statements from Philpott, including him saying it was his fault they lost their children and family. He can be heard saying, “You definitely sticking with the story? I didn’t mean to do it, on my life.” Plus, the recording captured Philpott watching Mairead perform a sexual act on Paul Mosley, their accomplice. Philpott was heard telling his wife, “I’m proud of you because you didn’t want to do it.”

“Tell me what you said to, what you say about how many times went to ladders?”

“I almost count how many times went up the ladders.”

“What did you say about me trying to go in?”

“He tried everything you could to get in. Like I said to him, I wanted to run through the flames upstairs.”

“What, you crying when you saying it?”

“How bad? Not really, really bad, but did cry.”

“See, it’s my fault family’s gone, it’s my fault we lost our children, it’s my fault we lost living children, it’s my fault we lost… I should have seen it all coming up.”

“It is one, the fingerprint on the window, that’s it. A few discrepancies, that’s all it is, when we shake it about.”

“I said we’re going to go out for a drive at night, I can’t remember saying that.”

“Vicki said you were stoned, that’s it. We didn’t smoke.”

In police interviews, Mosley said he had sex with Mairead over a snooker table hours before the fire broke out. It’s believed this act was encouraged by Philpott to keep Mosley loyal to their cause. Philpott even admitted having three or four sexual encounters with his wife and co-defendant Paul Mosley not long after his children’s deaths. These recordings, along with other evidence such as an unused ladder found at the back of the house intended for the planned rescue, also implicated Philpott, Mairead, and Paul Mosley in the arson plot.

On May 28th, 2012, Philpott and Mairead were arrested on suspicion of murder. They were formally charged with murder 2 days later. On November 5th, 2012, Paul Mosley was also arrested on suspicion of murder after forensic examination revealed petrol on his clothing. The trial heard that Mosley had been bragging to a number of people about being a suspect, including on internet dating sites. Whatever Mosley’s role, it seems that Philpott was keen to keep him on side, and police believe coercion may have been involved. In December, Mosley’s charge was reduced to manslaughter.

The murder charges against Philpott and Mairead were also eventually downgraded to manslaughter. Evidence showed that while they didn’t intend to kill their children, they planned to frame Lisa for endangering the family in order to gain custody of her children. Their motivation was not solely revenge; more children meant more benefit money and potentially a larger house. On April 2nd, 2013, the couple, along with Paul Mosley, were found guilty of manslaughter for the deaths of the six children. Philpott received a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years in prison. Mairead and Paul Mosley each received 17-year sentences with a minimum of 8 and a half years to be served. Mairead later appealed against her sentence, but judges ruled the original term reflected the immeasurable harm she had caused.

Court of Appeal judges said petrol found on her clothes showed she had participated in setting the fire, which had not been a spur-of-the-moment plan. She had also lied after her arrest, the judges said, and continued to hide the truth during her trial. In her sentencing remarks, Mrs. Justice Thirlwall said it was clear the fire was Philpott’s idea, but she said Mairead’s children died because she put her husband first.

“We therefore have come to the view that this sentence cannot be criticized. The judge was careful in reaching the conclusion she did. She gave very cogent and clear reasons for it. She assessed against her primary findings of fact the blameworthiness of Mairead Philpott and arrived at a sentence that reflected that very severe degree of blameworthiness, together with the immeasurable harm she had caused by the killing of her six children for whom, like any other mother, she had an absolute responsibility. We have, after an examination of the circumstances and a careful consideration of the judge’s, come to the conclusion without any hesitation that this appeal must be dismissed.”

In November 2020, Mairead was released after serving half her term. She was eligible to be released on license and taken by convoy to a halfway house. According to a source for The Sun, her convoy was “like one given to a celebrity rather than a mum who killed her six children.” Mairead was also given a new identity for her protection. The Center for Crime Prevention described the release as “appalling” and called for killers to serve their full sentences for such crimes. Paul Mosley too was released from prison in May 2021 after serving half his sentence, but returned to prison in 2022 after breaching terms of parole. In November 2023, he was released again. The parole panel stated the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.

So while Mairead and Mosley are free, Philpott is still in prison completing his minimum sentence of 15 years. Philpott was characterized as a monster, abusive to women and exploitative of the welfare system, who viewed children primarily as a source of income. Psychologist Glenn Wilson described Philpott as clinically a psychopath and exhibitionist with antisocial personality disorder. What did you think of this horrific case and everyone involved? Do you think their sentences were too light? Philpott definitely got away too lightly for his attempted murder charge in the ’70s. Do you think these deaths were preventable had the justice system been harsher back then?

In the brutal Visconde massacre of June 30th, 1991, where a mother and her two daughters were brutally killed, a mix of false confessions, fake investigations, and famous suspects emerged, and some even got away with murder. The Philippines has undoubtedly had more than its share of violent crimes. In Manila, there are some well-known families who can afford to live in gated villages where security is tighter than most. Security guards take the identification of visitors before they enter the gates, making sure the families are safe. Ironically enough, this is also exactly where it all happened, inside one of these gated villages back in 1991, right at the heart of Metro Manila.

On June 30th, 1991, 47-year-old Estralita Visconde and her daughters, 18-year-old Carmela and 7-year-old Jennifer, were found dead in their residence in BF Homes, Parañaque. Rodel Visconde, a close relative of the victims, rushed to the scene within an hour of the horrifying discovery. Estralita, 47 years old, had been stabbed over 12 times. Their 18-year-old daughter Carmela was raped and stabbed nine times. Most shockingly, 7-year-old Jennifer was found murdered with 19 stab wounds. The husband and father of the murdered girls, Lauro Visconde, was in the United States at the time, and there were no witnesses to the crime. Two days after the murder, Lauro Visconde returned home. At first, he was spared the details of his family’s slaughter, but when he finally discovered the details of what happened to his family, he was left traumatized.

Following the finding of the victims, the police immediately started the investigation and took fingerprints and photographs from the crime scene. When they were satisfied with the crime scene investigation, the police told the family relatives they could clean up the house, which later turned out to be the destruction of vital evidence. “We were not talking that much about DNA; unfortunately, that was not an option because the laboratories at the time could not do it,” said an officer from the National Bureau of Investigation assigned to the case. “But you make the most of what you’ve got, and that means once you decide to burn it, you’ve given up.”

With so much vital evidence destroyed, the police had to focus on the murdered family’s background, but there were only a few clues that could potentially explain why the Visconde women were murdered with such brutality. For the police, the most confusing question was the motive. The Viscondes were not extremely wealthy and had no known enemies. The family was quite close-knit, and everyone respected them. The murdered children, Jennifer and Carmela, were normal, loving kids who doted on each other. 7-year-old Jennifer in particular was very protective of her older sister. So who could have wanted to purposely destroy a seemingly ordinary and loving family?

As the details of the murders spread to the public, the police found themselves under significant pressure to solve the crimes, and to do it fast. Their first set of suspects were six house burglars from the “Baroso gang” who were notorious for breaking into luxury suburban homes. The police arrested them after they confessed to the Visconde murders, but from the get-go, the Visconde family was skeptical about the robbery motive. They claimed that appliances and car keys were left behind, while police insisted that expensive pieces of jewelry were stolen and later traced to pawnshops upon the burglars’ confession. But despite the family’s objections, the police arrested them and quickly closed the case.

But still, the Visconde family continued to doubt the burglars’ story. Rodel Visconde, the relative who found the bodies, pointed out several inconsistencies. He heard the burglars claim they moved the victims’ bodies to the second floor of the house, but the Visconde home was a bungalow with no second floor. The burglars also mentioned being chased by the family’s dog, which the Viscondes didn’t have. Their confession included a struggle in the living room where they supposedly stabbed Estralita, yet no bloodstains were found there. These contradictions led the family to suspect that the confession was completely made up, but why? This suspicion was confirmed when the burglars were brought to the media and admitted they had falsely confessed. They claimed they were tortured and abused by the police and showed bruises and cuts on their bodies as evidence. Due to a lack of sufficient evidence, the six burglars were let go.

The second set of suspects was a group led by engineer Danilo Agis, whose fingerprints were allegedly found on the house’s garage lights. Again, there was a lack of evidence linking them to the crime. Officers then looked into the background of the family but came up with nothing. Over more than a year, the NBI followed several new leads and picked up a number of suspects for the Visconde murders, but none of the charges stuck. The lead investigator proposed that no one in their right mind would commit such a crime unless it was about drugs. At the time, cocaine and crystal meth were very popular among addicts. Police took a closer look at the drug scene in BF Homes, where kids from rich families had the means to get such illegal substances.

While all this was happening, the grieving Visconde family grew increasingly suspicious of how the investigation was being conducted. They suspected something bigger was at play, perhaps even a cover-up to hide the true perpetrators. Their suspicions were confirmed when one of the investigators came forward and claimed that he was threatened to leave certain names out of the investigation. The investigator also claimed he was ordered by a former general, whose relative was one of the suspects, to stop the investigation and hand over all the evidence to him. But with no concrete evidence, eyewitnesses, or confessions, the case did not make any progress.

The Visconde massacre remained unsolved for almost 4 years until an eyewitness came forward. Jessica Alfaro, a self-confessed former drug addict, confessed to everything she saw during a police interview on April 28th, 1995, and here is where the puzzle begins. Jessica Alfaro pointed the finger at the children of wealthy and well-known families known as the “Alabang boys.” For those who don’t know, Alabang is an area south of Manila that is popular among rich and influential families. The suspects included Hubert Webb, son of Freddie Webb, who was an actor, a former basketball player, and a congressman of the city where the crime was committed, and later a senator. Jessica claimed Hubert Webb was the mastermind of the crime. She also claimed a policeman was involved in this, Gerardo Biong.

Jessica’s account of the crime was bone-chilling. She said that the night before the murders, around 8:30 p.m., she and her then boyfriend, Peter Estrada, drove her Mitsubishi Lancer and met up with Hubert and his group at an Ayala Alabang commercial center to do crystal meth together in the car park. Jessica, who was 27 years old at the time, said she was only looking for a good time with her boyfriend and his friends. She said that they did not hang out with the group regularly but crossed paths occasionally, as they had the same drug supplier, who was the son of a wine store owner. Hubert apparently asked Jessica and her boyfriend Estrada to check on the Visconde residence. He was interested in seeing 19-year-old Carmela secretly, but her mom was strict and only allowed her daughter to talk to girls. Jessica agreed and followed the other cars to Vincent Street, led by friends Joey Filart and Miguel Rodriguez in a Mazda pickup while the rest were in a Nissan Patrol.

Jessica went by the house around 10:00 p.m. The mother, Estralita, was there and Carmela had just returned home. Carmela told Jessica to come back before midnight, and Jessica passed this to Hubert. The group returned to the Alabang commercial center to do more drugs while they waited. Jessica was told that Hubert wanted to confess his feelings to Carmela, although Jessica was sure that Carmela already had a boyfriend. Around 10:30 p.m., she saw Carmela driving with a man and dropping him off on the main road. At that point, Jessica figured he was Carmela’s boyfriend. She said this to Hubert and passed him a message from Carmela that she was expecting them around midnight and would leave the gate unlocked. They were to flash the car’s headlights twice once they arrived. Jessica claimed in her sworn statement that the assault was planned by Hubert, as she heard him say right before heading to the Visconde residence that they would take turns violating Carmela, but he had to go first.

Around midnight, they entered the house through the kitchen, as Carmela had left the gate unlocked for them. Jessica entered the house, followed by Hubert and Ventura, while the rest remained outside as lookouts. According to Jessica, Carmela was waiting for them in the kitchen when they arrived. Hubert followed her inside while Jessica went outside to smoke. On her way out, she saw friends Antonio Lejano and Artemio Ventura taking a knife from one of the kitchen drawers. After smoking, Jessica went back inside and peeked through a slightly open bedroom door. There she saw Estralita and Jennifer slaughtered on the bed, while Carmela was still alive, tied up, gagged, and crying. According to Jessica, the men killed Estralita first before turning their attention to Carmela.

She also described a horrifying scene where Hubert killed Jennifer, the youngest daughter. Jennifer had woken up to the noises and tried to help her older sister. She jumped on Hubert, biting his shoulder and trying to pull down his jacket, but despite her attempts, she was no match for the grown man. An angry Hubert grabbed the little girl, pushed her against the wall, and stabbed her multiple times. Jennifer sustained the most stab wounds among the three victims, with her body showing the most severe injuries. Jessica claimed that after Estralita and Jennifer were placed on the bed, Carmela was violated on the floor by Hubert, Lejano, and Ventura, who took turns assaulting her before killing her. Witnessing these horrors, Jessica left the house and went back to her car. Despite being high on drugs, she was terrified and deeply disturbed by what she had seen.

In her statement, Jessica also mentioned that Hubert had paid a police officer named Gerardo Biong to manage the crime scene, and that Biong had done his best to tamper with, destroy, and hide evidence. Lolita Birrer, the ex-girlfriend of policeman Biong, came forward with additional details about the cover-up. She testified that she was with Biong the night before the murders and claimed that around 2:00 a.m., Biong had been informed about the crime. Birrer recalled that after receiving a phone call, Biong rushed to BF Homes. When he came back home around 7:00 a.m., she noticed him washing his hands thoroughly while paying special attention to his fingernails, which appeared to have dried blood on them. He also threw away a handkerchief that had a horrible smell and put a knife covered in aluminum foil into a metal cabinet.

Two maids who worked for the Webb family, Mila Gaviola and Narissa Rosales, also gave crucial testimonies. At around 4:00 a.m. on June 30th, 1991, Mila Gaviola went about her routine of collecting dirty laundry. When she entered Hubert Webb’s bedroom, she saw him awake, dressed only in pants, and smoking in bed. While doing the laundry, she noticed fresh bloodstains on Hubert’s shirt. Feeling suspicious, she went to the servants’ quarters but decided to check the stockroom near Hubert’s room. From a small opening in the stockroom door, she saw Hubert pacing back and forth in his room, looking agitated and uneasy. Narissa, the other maid, remembered serving drinks to Hubert and two of his friends on the night of the murders. She recalled that Hubert asked for three glasses of juice on the night of the murders.

Security guards of the community, Justo Cabanisan and Norman White, also gave details. Cabanisan recalled that Hubert Webb had entered their subdivision a few days before the massacre and had introduced himself as the son of then Congressman Webb. White testified that he had seen three vehicles enter the subdivision on the night of June 29th, just as Jessica Alfaro had described. White also confirmed that police officer Gerardo Biong was the first to arrive at the crime scene. When Hubert’s name came up in the investigation in 1993, he strongly denied knowing or approaching Carmela, but a friend of Carmela later claimed that he had seen them together and that Carmela had described Hubert as rude and arrogant, which was why she had turned him down.

Hearings officially began in October 1995 at the Parañaque Regional Trial Court, ruled by Judge Amelita G. Tolentino. The defense team presented 95 witnesses, including Hubert Webb himself, his father, and other relatives and friends, to back up Webb’s claim that he was in the United States from March 9th, 1991, to October 26th, 1992. But on October 1st, 1996, one year after the beginning of the trial, the judge accepted only 10 out of the 142 pieces of evidence submitted by the defense. According to Philippine law, alibi is generally considered the weakest defense, especially when there is direct testimony from an eyewitness that is corroborated by others.

Among the defense witnesses was Artemio Sacaguing, a former NBI official who testified that Jessica Alfaro was an NBI asset and only took on the role of eyewitness when no actual witness to the Visconde killings could be found. In response, former NBI official Pedro Rivera countered Sacaguing’s testimony and claimed it was a lie. Rivera said that Sacaguing had a bad reputation within the NBI, which led to his transfer to remote assignments and early retirement. Rivera claimed that Sacaguing was not part of the NBI team investigating the Visconde massacre and that Sacaguing had falsely taken Jessica Alfaro’s statement in April 1995 without a lawyer present. Rivera said Sacaguing’s actions were suspicious and unprofessional.

On January 6th, 2000, Judge Tolentino found Hubert Webb, Peter Estrada, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Antonio Lejano II, and Miguel Rodriguez guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape with homicide. They were sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay the Visconde family 3 million pesos for the murders. But two of the accused, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, are still missing to this day; they are believed to have fled the country for good. Parañaque policeman Gerardo Biong was found guilty as an accessory for burning bedsheets and tampering with other evidence related to the crime. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was released on November 30th, 2010, after serving his sentence.

In her ruling, Judge Tolentino criticized the testimony of the defense witnesses as inconsistent and biased. She noted that many of the US-based defense witnesses, who were mostly relatives or friends of the Webb family, suffered from what she described as “incurable and selective memory syndrome.” For example, Alex Del Toro, the husband of a Webb relative, testified that he had hired Hubert Webb at his pesticide company in California, but both Webb and Del Toro were unable to describe Webb’s job duties in court. Additionally, Tolentino found it impossible that Webb was working in a pesticide company as he had asthma and several allergies.

The judge also found contradictions in the testimonies of other US-based witnesses who claimed to have seen Webb going to the beach, shopping, bar hopping, or playing basketball. Tolentino was doubtful about the authenticity of the photographs and videotapes allegedly showing Webb in the United States and claimed that they looked fake. She also questioned the validity of certificates issued by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and suggested that such documents could have been easily faked by the wealthy Webb family.

On December 16th, 2005, the Court of Appeals upheld the trial judge’s decision and denied Hubert Webb and his co-defendants any chance for reconsideration. The Webb family continued to appeal the case, which eventually reached the Supreme Court in 2007. DNA testing, which had only recently become admissible in Philippine courts, was now a critical factor in their case. On April 22nd, 2010, the Supreme Court ordered the reopening of the case and granted Hubert Webb’s request for DNA testing, but this procedure could not be carried out because the NBI reported that they no longer had the sample, as they returned it to the Parañaque Regional Trial Court, which also denied having it.

On October 8th, 2010, Hubert Webb filed a motion for acquittal, arguing that his constitutional right to due process was violated due to the state’s negligence or willful suppression of the evidence that could have proven his innocence. In December 2010, two months after backtracking from the order for DNA testing, the Supreme Court caught the whole country by surprise. Seven magistrates voted to acquit Webb and his alleged conspirators, while four justices upheld the guilty verdict of the lower courts and four others decided to not vote. In simpler terms, Hubert Webb and his fellow accused were set free. The high court ruling also concluded that Alfaro was not an eyewitness but an NBI informer.

Following the acquittal, then President Benigno Aquino III directed the Department of Justice to revisit the case. On June 28th, 2011, the Justice Secretary announced that new evidence had surfaced which proved that Hubert Webb had indeed been in the Philippines during the Visconde murders. The evidence included tapes from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration which had been restored by IBM and examined by the National Computer Center. The tapes showed Freddie Webb leaving the country, but Hubert was not seen leaving with him. Despite this new evidence, Lauro Visconde’s attempt to have the acquittal reversed was denied due to double jeopardy laws. The legal principle of double jeopardy prevents a person from being tried twice for the same offense.

Now, it is clear that there were many flaws in the case. The questions of who is truly behind the Visconde massacre and whether Hubert and the others were genuinely innocent or managed to slip through the justice system may never be answered. What are your thoughts on the Supreme Court’s decision to acquit Hubert Webb and his co-accused? Do you think justice was served, or do you believe the legal system failed in this case?

“Did you shoot your son?”

“You did?”

“I…”

In the seemingly normal town of New Richmond, Ohio, the lives of three young brothers were brutally cut short in a tragedy that has left the entire community in shock, and no one knows why it happened. Our deepest sympathies go out to those who knew and loved Hunter, Clayton, and Chase Doerman, and to all those affected by this case. If you enjoy watching my videos, kindly consider hitting that subscribe button.

Chad Christopher Doerman, a 32-year-old man from Clermont County, Ohio, lived with his wife Laura, who was 34. Laura had a 16-year-old daughter named Alexis from a previous relationship, and together Chad and Laura had three young boys: Hunter, Clayton, and Chase, aged 3, 4, and 7. The boys were known in their small community of New Richmond as sweet, hilarious, and inseparable, as they all shared a love for sports and got along very well. Laura stayed home to care for the kids while Chad worked to support the family, and they lived in a modest three-bedroom home along the Ohio River. Friends and relatives say Laura was very close to her boys, who were always playing together and supporting each other. The boys’ baseball coach described them as “a little pack,” highlighting how sweet, funny, and caring they were, sharing a deep love for baseball.

“911, where’s your emergency?”

Just as everything seemed to be going fine on the afternoon of June 15th, 2023, a shocking tragedy struck. At around 4:15 p.m., a frantic 911 call came from Laura screaming that her babies had been shot. At the same time, Alexis was seen running towards the nearby firehouse with a small black dog. A concerned driver stopped to see what was wrong, and Alexis screamed that her stepfather was killing everyone in the house. The driver tried to get the terrified teenager into her car, but Alexis refused, saying she did not want to leave her family. She continued running toward the firehouse while the driver dialed 911.

“Stand up! Stand up! Get your hand up!”

The population of just under 2,800 was quickly filled with massive response and chaos. Police and emergency services rushed to the scene as they were told to approach quietly to avoid alerting the shooter. When officers arrived, they found something horrifying. The three little boys had been shot, and their father, Chad, sat on the porch with a rifle, seemingly indifferent to the crime he had committed.

“Where’s he at? Get him right right here.”

“You got him on the porch?”

“We asked, that’s the last place we’ve been told.”

“Show me your hand now!”

“Stand up! Walk towards us! Stand up now! Walk towards us!”

“Stand up with your hands up!”

“Stand his name is Chad.”

“Chad, I know, I know, but we can’t first.”

“And he’s not been, you know, he’s a shooter.”

“Shoot him!”

“We got to find cover first. We ain’t no good if we ain’t safe ourselves.”

“Hey, hey, no, we need to come from this side where we can see them. Don’t take cover behind her. We see them, we’re going to approach from this side.”

“We got cover right here.”

“Show us your [ __ ] hands now! Stand up! Stand up! Stand up! Stand up now! Stand up! Stand the [ __ ] up!”

“21, it’s in the air and that’s the shooter is not complying. They need to take, they have to shoot.”

“I ain’t trying to hurt nobody.”

“Completely sober. 21, get the EMS over here.”

“Well, but I don’t do drugs. Now, I’m not trying to fight you.”

“3, get your butt inside. Gatlin, get your butt inside. We on primary.”

“29, we got three down.”

“63, we’re 21. Have EMS respond over here.”

“You’re clear, they’re being advised to start.”

“3, do you want to respond to the current address?”

“Exactly, you need, we’re right in the front yard.”

“You took my life from me, my life.”

“What are you doing, man?”

“Can I roll over? I ain’t going to hurt you. I ain’t going, I ain’t going to hurt nobody.”

“You got anything on you yet?”

“No, I ain’t got nothing, man. Phone, that’s it.”

“I ain’t mad, I ain’t nothing.”

“So little, just make sure that dog don’t come out. I don’t think he’ll bite you, just don’t reach for him and try to grab him. Pet him, he won’t bite you.”

“What’s going on, man?”

“Nothing, uh. Can I stand up? It’s kind of uncomfortable. I’m going to get, ain’t going to do nothing. I ain’t running away.”

“You can do whatever you want with here.”

“You the only one else inside the house?”

“What?”

“You’re the only one else inside the house?”

“Sit down right here. My, my daughter, she ran over to the fire department.”

“Sit down, uh.”

“It’s my stepdaughter.”

“Put him in the cage.”

“Can you get the wallet out of my back pocket?”

“Shut up.”

“Yeah, the right from main solid [ __ ] it, yes sir, now I where je and c.”

Laura was quickly rushed to the University of Cincinnati Hospital with a gunshot wound to her hand. She wasn’t told until later that evening that her sons had been pronounced dead. As more details emerged, the community was horrified to learn what had happened. Chad Doerman, who had been planning the attack for months, lined up his three young sons in the front yard. One of the boys tried to escape to a nearby field, but Chad hunted him down and brought him back. When Laura tried to intervene and grab the gun, Chad shot her in the hand before shooting all three of his children execution-style. These sweet, innocent boys were defenseless, and Chad purposely made sure their only protector, their mother, was unable to save them.

The brutality of Chad Doerman’s actions required only minimal preparation. He used a rifle typically used for hunting small animals like squirrels. This suggests the rifle was likely one he already owned and had ready for use. It’s clear he had no intention of evading responsibility for his actions. News reporters knew about the boys’ deaths before Laura did. Tanya, a reporter from WCPO, later revealed that she knew they were dead when reporting the story that night but was asked by detectives to withhold the information until Laura was informed.

Chad Doerman’s first court appearance was on June 16th, 2023. He appeared at the Clermont County Courthouse facing three counts of aggravated murder. Chad was brought into court under heavy security, surrounded by multiple officers and wearing what is often referred to as a “pickle suit,” which is a protective outfit designed to prevent self-harm. His attorney requested a $75,000 bond, but the prosecution argued for a much higher bond given what he did to his family. During his arraignment on June 23rd, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty for Doerman. Although Doerman’s trial was scheduled to begin in July 2024, it was delayed and a new date had not been set. On August 2nd, 2024, Doerman changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole.

On that day, Clayton, Hunter, and Chase were likely just playing as children do during the summer months, according to the prosecutors. However, Chad Doerman’s behavior that day was unsettling. Court documents detail that Doerman returned home early from work and at one point began walking around the house with a Bible, mumbling to himself, “Chad knows what’s right.” He then made his way towards the gun safe located in the master bedroom. His wife Laura expressed her concern and mentioned that she was planning to call his parents due to his strange behavior. Doerman initially dismissed her fears by saying he was just kidding and playing around. Laura decided to stay with him in the room along with one of their sons to make sure he wasn’t alone with them.

“My children are shot! My children are not breathing!”

A chilling 911 call from Laura Doerman, the mother of Clayton, Hunter, and Chase Doerman, who desperately… Despite this, Doerman retrieved the rifle from the gun safe and shot one of his sons. Laura called 911 in desperation, trying to help her injured child and protect the other boys. Doerman, however, chased them down, shooting each of them as they tried to escape. He even demanded that his stepdaughter Alexis put one of the boys down as she ran for help. She complied, and Doerman shot that child as well.

Since the legal proceedings, more disturbing details about Chad Doerman have emerged. A quick search of his Facebook page revealed that on Monday, June 12th, he had updated his profile and cover photos, portraying himself as a loving dad. It’s chilling to think about what happened just days later. Perceptions of Chad’s relationships with his family have understandably been tainted by the events of June 15th. Keith described Chad as a loving dad, noting that he could tell Chad had simply snapped and that his eyes seemed hollow. Keith insisted that the man at the arraignment was not the son he knew. He expressed frustration at not being allowed to speak with Chad, saying he had no idea about the motive, whether it was financial, mental, or work-related. Keith even called Chad a “super father,” which seems deeply ironic in light of the horrific crimes. Keith ended the call by saying he couldn’t handle it anymore, revealing the deep shock and grief he and his wife Gloria are likely experiencing.

While it’s understandable that Keith and Gloria are devastated, referring to Chad as a “super father” is difficult to reconcile with the brutal reality of his actions. Super fathers don’t harm their children, let alone kill them in such a cold, calculated manner. Given that Chad admitted to planning the murders for months, it’s hard to accept that he just snapped out of nowhere. Additionally, during the court proceedings, Chad’s attorney mentioned that Keith and Gloria were willing to co-sign a $75,000 bond for him, a detail that adds another layer of complexity to the case.

But friends and neighbors paint a different picture of Chad. Neighbor Jim Kimcannon claimed that Chad continually mistreated his wife and children, often yelling at them. Despite a records request to Clermont County Children’s Protective Services revealing no referrals or complaints against Chad, one neighbor reported seeing Chad angrily tossing his children around in the yard. Even those who considered themselves friends of Chad were aware of his temper. Mark Holland, a friend of Chad, described him as having a very bad temper and likened him to a bomb ready to explode. In 2010, Chad was arrested for domestic violence after allegedly choking his father. The charge was dismissed when Keith did not show up in court, and Keith now claims it was a misunderstanding.

While it is understandable that loving your children unconditionally means supporting them, it also involves holding them accountable, especially when they’re adults. In this case, there’s concern that Chad’s parents, Keith and Gloria, may have unintentionally enabled him. They’ve described him in ways that seem out of step with the gravity of his actions, which raises questions about their role and perspective.

Now, a clear motive for the tragedy at the Doerman home remains unclear. There is speculation about possible issues between Laura and Chad, including rumors of a brewing divorce, but nothing has been officially confirmed. If there were relationship problems, the nature of the murders seems incredibly vindictive. It is indeed possible that Chad’s actions were meant to inflict the maximum pain and suffering on Laura, and in doing so, he also traumatized Alexis, who witnessed the horror firsthand.

A neighbor who was home at the time of the incident spoke about Chad Doerman and what he witnessed. He described hearing gunshots, and after going to the store and returning, discovered the heartbreaking scene of the children lying in the yard. The neighbor described Chad as extremely unstable, noting that he was consistently angry, often yelling at and degrading his wife and kids. Despite this, the neighbor admitted he never imagined Chad was capable of such violence.

The community has come together to support Laura and her children. Outside her home, a memorial has been set up with various items left in honor of the three boys who were tragically taken from them. At a nearby baseball field, a memorial was created and players held a moment of silence and prayer for the family. The New Richmond Youth Sports Association collected donations to assist the family, and Laura’s sister Rachel has set up a GoFundMe page that has raised over $160000. Additionally, one of Alexis’s friends has also started a GoFundMe to support her and the family.

In a heartfelt tribute, it reads: “We want the world to know how amazing these babies were. They were not just the victims of this tragedy; they were happy, funny, and incredibly loving boys. They were beautiful and deserve to be remembered for who they were—fierce in their love and playful in their hearts. They fished, played ball, and shared their lives with joy and affection. They played together just as hard as they loved.” The house that once echoed with their laughter now stands as a painful reminder of how cruel people can be.

Ohio is a death penalty state, and while I hope Chad faces the full extent of the law, currently executions are carried out by lethal injection. I wish that by the time his sentence is carried out, the state could use a method that reflects the brutality of his actions, such as a firing squad. However, the focus must remain on honoring the memory of the boys and ensuring that their tragic story leads to justice and some semblance of closure for their loved ones.

“Amazing life, and you were the best dad I could have ever asked for. I could write to you for days, but to end this off, always remember: I will never in a million years ever forgive you for what you have done, and hope…”

After a Clermont County father admitted to murdering his three young sons and was sentenced to life in prison without parole, prosecutors are now walking us through their investigation. Yeah, prosecutors say leading up to the shooting, the Doerman family was just living a happy, normal life according to most. But all of that changed on June 15th of last year. WLWT News 5’s Karin Johnson is live for us in Batavia tonight with more. Karin.

“Yeah, Mike, uh, even the night before the shooting, prosecutors say everything seemed normal. Chad Doerman coached his oldest son Clayton’s baseball team; the entire family was there. Then the next day, June 15th, Chad Doerman leaves for work around 7:00 a.m. On his way to work, he searches on YouTube for a song titled ‘Happy in Hell’. Part of the lyrics: ‘Between happy and hell, that’s where I’m living now.’ Later that morning, that’s him walking into Kroger wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he killed his three sons several hours later.”

7-year-old Clayton, four-year-old Hunter, and three-year-old Chase Doerman walked up to the Little Clinic at the advice of his mother. He expressed to her—not to Laura—that he was having some confusing feelings. He waits about 2 minutes and leaves. Once at home, he plays with his sons while his wife Laura makes lunch. Oddly, the defendant says to Laura that, “This will be my last good meal.”

From 3:30 to 3:45, he begins to read the Bible to Hunter. He’s walking around the house with the Bible, mumbling, “Chad knows what’s right. Chad knows what’s right.” Shortly before he kills his kids, Doerman calls his father and makes the statement that, “Clayton is going to be the hardest one.” And suddenly, after lying down, the defendant jumps up, grabs the .22 rifle from the safe, and terror fills the room. Laura’s initial concern was her husband is about to kill himself; instead, he murders their three boys.

“Did you shoot your son?”

“You did?”

“I…”

Twelve days later, after denying he shot the boys, Doerman seemed to find the publicity humorous in a recorded jail call with his brother. Treated or prescribed any medication for mental illness, prosecutors say Doerman made various statements to law enforcement that he knew what he was doing and did not appear to be in the throes of a delusion.

In the quiet suburb of Mornington, Victoria, the sudden disappearance of a beloved mother and her young daughter shocked the entire country as concerned friends and family grappled with unanswered questions. Fake emails hiding in plain sight and crocodile tears made it to the surface. Our love and respect goes out to all those who knew and loved Anna and Gracie Kemp and all those affected by this case.

John Sharp was born on February 28th, 1967, in Mornington, Victoria, where he spent his childhood. He met Anna Kemp from New Zealand while working at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The two got married in 1994 and settled in Mornington, a peaceful suburb on the Mornington Peninsula. Their daughter Gracie was born in 2002 with hip dysplasia, which required her to use a corrective brace for her first 3 months. The strain of sleepless nights took its toll on John and Anna’s relationship.

In 2003, Sharp made a strange purchase: a high-powered spear gun and an additional spear from Sport Phillip Marine in Mornington. Despite never showing any interest in spear fishing before, Sharp dedicated hours to practicing with the weapon in his backyard. He taught himself how it worked and managed to eventually use it properly. Later that year, the family made one final move to a home on Prince Street in Mornington. This move was supposed to be a fresh page for them, but it instead became the center of growing tension and mystery.

In November of the same year, Anna became pregnant again—a joy for her, but a huge headache for John, who even doubted the child was his. Gracie was 15 months old at the time. As Sharp was already struggling with parenthood, he saw the new pregnancy as an additional burden. He decided he didn’t want another child, feeling that Gracie was already too much to handle. Instead of talking about his feelings with Anna, he stayed silent and grew an inner frustration and anger towards her and their unborn baby. This unspoken conflict made everything go downhill.

That morning, Anna took Gracie to the childcare center and returned to pick up her daughter around midday. That morning, she also called her mother in New Zealand and they had a catch-up. Later that evening at 8:44 p.m., Anna had a normal conversation with one of her friends. Around 2:00 p.m., she called her health insurance company to add the new baby to the family’s coverage. Anna’s friend, Samantha Jeffrey, had plans to see her later in the week with a meeting scheduled for Friday morning, which Anna had marked on her calendar.

But on Thursday morning, Samantha received a phone call from Anna’s husband, John. This was quite unusual as John rarely called her. He told Samantha that Anna had left. Anna’s best friend, Dawn Henry, also received a call from John, which she found equally strange as it was completely out of character for him to reach out directly. John told Dawn that not only had Anna left with another man, but she had also left Gracie behind. Dawn did not believe John; there was no way a devoted mother like Anna would have left without taking her daughter.

On Wednesday, a TV antenna technician arrived at Prince Street for an installation that Anna had booked. John seemed reluctant to let him in, but the technician noticed what he thought was an older man standing about 10 feet behind John inside the house. The technician didn’t interact with this person and couldn’t provide further details. Subsequent inquiries found no trace of this older man at the Sharp home.

Back in New Zealand, Anna’s family grew increasingly worried as they hadn’t heard from her. They tried calling, but Anna wasn’t answering or returning messages. Her mother, Lily, spoke with the priest, Father Tony Harrison. Lily told Father Harrison that she had spoken with Anna on Monday and had been trying to contact her ever since without success. While Father Harrison was visiting Lily, her phone rang. It was John. He told Lily that Anna had left him for another man. The shocking news didn’t end there; John also claimed that this mystery man was the father of Anna’s unborn baby.

As days passed with no word from Anna, her family’s worry grew. Woodhouse traced Anna’s local health center and spoke to a nurse who remembered Anna, noting that she had been upset about her husband’s reaction to her pregnancy. Everyone’s intuition screamed that something was terribly wrong. They were also skeptical about John’s claim that Anna had allegedly not taken Gracie with her right away. John had told Anna’s family and friends that she had returned to collect Gracie on Sunday, March 28th, and had left the family home in a taxi. Woodhouse obtained the phone numbers of every taxi company operating in the Mornington area but found no records of any taxi picking up a passenger from Prince Street where the Sharp family lived. He made various attempts to contact John Sharp but was unsuccessful. As a result, Woodhouse compiled a case file on Anna and sent it to Australia.

The Victoria Police Missing Persons Unit received the case. The officers were troubled by the disappearance of a responsible woman who was a devoted wife and mother, and who was expecting a second baby. It didn’t fit Anna’s nature to simply disappear and leave her child behind. The police headed to the Mornington area, with their first task being to speak with John Sharp to determine if he had any information that could help trace Anna and Gracie. After taking a detailed statement from John, they began their investigation. Sharp soon became the prime suspect. There was no evidence to support his claim that Anna had left in a blue car; no bus or plane tickets were purchased, and no hotel bookings were made in her name. Anna’s friends had heard nothing about her running away with another man. The only signs of her existence were the activity on her phone and bank account.

As the investigation deepened, undercover officers began tailing Sharp and noted his movements. A loner by nature, Sharp rarely interacted with others, making him an easier target for surveillance. The police increased the pressure as they hoped to force him into a mistake. John Sharp made a televised appeal for his wife and daughter, saying, “The marriage may be over, but I still love you. You are the mother of our beautiful daughter Gracie, whom we both adore more than anyone else. Marriage might be over, but I still love you, as you are the mother of our beautiful daughter Gracie, whom we both adore more than anyone else.”

Detective Constable Mark Kennedy of the Missing Persons Unit had interviewed John when the investigation into his wife’s disappearance first began. At one point during the initial interview, John had said, “I really don’t care where Anna is, I just want to know where Gracie is.” Detective Constable Kennedy noticed a stark difference between John’s behavior on television and during the interview. On TV, John appeared more emotional and Urgent, whereas in the interview he had been matter-of-fact and far less emotional.

The police continued to watch John Sharp closely, and one day they observed him walking into bushes next to a public toilet in Mornington. He picked up a blue plastic carrier bag, removed what appeared to be a credit card, and then returned the bag to its hiding spot. When they checked the bag, they made a shocking discovery: Anna’s Visa card and mobile phone were inside. Later, they also found her driving license. This evidence confirmed their fears that Anna had likely met with foul play, and John Sharp became a firm suspect.

Her Visa card had been used to send flowers to her mother in New Zealand, but Lily did not believe that Anna had actually sent them. Anna’s mobile phone had also been used since her disappearance, and odd emails had been sent to different family members. In April, Anna’s brother Gerald received an email allegedly from her saying that she needed time and space. The police continued their inquiries and returned to talk with Anna’s friends and family, especially John. While he remained a suspect, they could not determine a clear motive.

John was interviewed again by police in Mornington, but his story hadn’t changed. He insisted that Anna had left voluntarily on March 23rd. The officers were unconvinced, noting his lack of emotion, which made them doubt his version of events even more. They decided to keep John under police surveillance, and he was observed dumping potential evidence into a bin. This breakthrough confirmed Sharp’s guilt in his pregnant wife’s murder, but with growing dread, the police quickly realized he must have also killed young Gracie. They now had to make a very difficult decision: would they arrest Sharp now and risk insufficient evidence for a conviction, or continue investigating him, hoping he would lead them to the bodies?

John Sharp was arrested, and during his first interview, he firmly denied any knowledge of Anna and Gracie’s whereabouts, sticking solidly to his story. But the police noted that it seemed like he wanted to tell them something but couldn’t. According to John, Anna had left him for another man and had taken their daughter with her. He claimed that their marriage had been unhappy for some time and that Anna had eventually told him she wanted to separate because she was having a relationship with someone else, by whom she had become pregnant.

“I don’t think anybody would know how John felt about anything,” an officer said. “He was a closed book, very insular, a loner. I don’t think anybody apart from his parents understood how John felt about anything. He didn’t show any emotion, he showed no personality. I think you could call him inept.”

As Sharp refused to tell the truth, detectives knew they needed another strategy to get to him. They decided to bring in his parents and show them the incriminating footage of their son at Chelsea Beach before sending them in to talk to him. After 1 hour, Sharp’s parents left the interrogation room with pale faces; it was clear their conversation had a big impact. The detectives re-entered the room, and this time Sharp was ready to talk.

On March 21st, 2004, the Sharp family attended a nephew’s birthday party. The guests noticed nothing unusual; there was no visible tension or arguing between John and Anna, and everything seemed normal. This would be the last time anyone saw Anna alive. According to Sharp, 2 days after the party, the couple had a heated argument before going to bed around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. Anna supposedly fell asleep almost immediately while Sharp stayed up thinking about the argument and what their marriage had come to. After some time, he left the bed and went to the backyard garage to pick up a spear gun he had used only for target practice.

Sharp then returned to the bedroom where Anna slept, aimed the loaded spear gun at her left temple, and fired. When she continued to breathe, he reloaded and fired again, killing Anna and their unborn son. He covered her body with towels and went downstairs to sleep on the sofa bed. The next morning, Sharp tried to move Anna’s body but couldn’t. He unscrewed the spear gun bolts and removed the projectiles from her head, and then took Gracie to her childcare center. A TV serviceman arrived at the house but was turned away by Sharp as Anna’s body was still lying in their bed.

That night, Sharp buried Anna in a shallow grave in their backyard. Over the next three days, he took Gracie back to Sport Phillip Marine to buy another spear, which he intended to use to kill the toddler. Sharp told Gracie’s childcare center that Anna had left him, claiming he didn’t know her whereabouts but promising them he would collect Gracie in a few days. He told a similar story to Anna’s mother in New Zealand, adding the same detail that Anna had left him for another man with whom she was having an affair.

On March 27th, Sharp put Gracie to bed for the night, then drank several glasses of whiskey and cola to numb his senses. Once drunk from the alcohol, he went to the garage, took the spear gun and the new spear he had recently bought. Just as he had with Anna, Sharp leveled the spear gun at Gracie’s head and fired. Gracie didn’t die immediately; instead, she began crying in pain. Sharp then took the two spear shafts he had removed from the bolts used on Anna and returned to Gracie’s crib. He shot her with those, but she still wasn’t dead. In a final brutal act, Sharp pulled out one of the spears and shot her again in the head. Gracie endured three spear bolts to the head before Sharp finally managed to kill her with a fourth one.

The next morning, Sharp went to Gracie’s body, removed the bolts from her head, and wrapped her in garbage bags and a tarpaulin. He then dumped her body at the Mornington Refuge Transfer Station. During the same trip, Sharp got rid of the spear gun bolts and some of Gracie’s clothes and toys, trying to erase any trace of what he had done to his family.

On March 29th, Sharp paid a visit to a local Bunnings Warehouse in Frankston and bought a roll of duct tape, two tarpaulins, and an electric chainsaw. The next day, he exhumed Anna’s body from that backyard and used the chainsaw to cut her into three pieces. He wrapped the remains in the tarps and disposed of them, along with the chainsaw, in waste collection bins at the Mornington Transfer Station.

Back at home, Sharp faked an email from Anna to her family in New Zealand, attempting to make it look like she was still alive and well. This email raised more concerns about Anna’s sudden silence. Sharp then arranged for flowers to be delivered to her mother on her birthday, supposedly from Anna. Anna’s mother, increasingly worried, reported her missing to the police in Dunedin. They contacted the police in Mornington, and officers came to interview Sharp. He told them that Anna had moved to a nearby suburb, Chelsea, with their daughter and denied any knowledge or involvement in her disappearance.

As we have already mentioned before, after the initial investigation, Sharp was interviewed by the police once again, sticking to his claim that Anna had left voluntarily on March 23rd. But it wasn’t until after speaking with his family that Sharp finally confessed. Sharp explained that he killed Anna because she was controlling and moody and their marriage was unhappy. He revealed that he had been taking care of Gracie by myself and just amongst all this madness, and that’s when he lost the plot. Some sources suggest that sharp may have killed Anna after she discovered he was abusing Gracie, though there is no concrete evidence to support this theory. But the absence of evidence doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t true.

Sharp appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria, where he was arraigned and pleaded guilty to the murders. On August 5th, 2005, the court sentenced him to two consecutive life terms in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years. Officers spent three weeks searching a landfill in Mornington, where they ultimately found both bodies. Anna and Gracie were laid to rest in Green Park Cemetery in Dunedin, buried under Anna’s maiden name, Kemp. The grave also includes a mention of Anna’s unborn son, Francis. What are your thoughts about John Sharp? Do you think something could have been done to prevent his crimes? Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you want more videos like this, please consider dropping a like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss out on more true crime videos. Take care, and see you in the next one.