An Ohio father accused of fatally shooting his three young sons earlier this month pleaded not guilty Friday to 21 counts included in a grand jury indictment, and prosecutors vowed to seek the death penalty for the "incomprehensible act of horror."
Chad Doerman, 32, appeared in court for arraignment on the indictment, composed of nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault.
The filing also includes numerous "specifications," such as the victims' preteen ages, and use of a firearm during the alleged crimes, that could make the father eligible for death if Doerman if found guilty.
Clermont County's top prosecutor, Mark Tekulve, said outside a courtroom Friday that he hopes surviving family members are able to someday find peace.
He also declared the prosecution's mortal goal with certainty.
"This is a death penalty case," Tekulve said. "And my goal is to have this man executed for slaughtering these three little boys. It is an incomprehensible act of horror."
The boys were ages 3, 4 and 7.
A lawyer for Doerman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bail was initially set at $20 million, but the Clermont County judge in the case granted the prosecution's request for no bond pending the next hearing on July 5, NBC affiliate WLWT reported.
The prosecution alleges the father lined up his sons in a residential yard and "executed" them by opening fire with a rifle the afternoon of June 15.
It happened at a home in Monroe Township, about 25 miles southwest of Cincinnati, authorities said.
The Clermont County Sheriff's Office said in a statement deputies responded to the location after receiving two alarming calls after 4 p.m. that day.
A woman reported "her babies had been shot," the office said. And a motorist reported a girl was running down a road saying her father "was killing everyone," the sheriff's office said.
The 34-year-old mother of the boys grabbed the defendant's rifle in an attempt to stop the shooting, David Gast of the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office said during a court hearing June 16, and was shot in the hand.
One of the boys was then able to flee to a nearby field, he said, but Doerman allegedly "hunted that boy down, drug him back to the property, and executed him in front of witnesses."
The boys were declared dead at the scene by first responders.
The mother was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati with a non-life-threatening injury, authorities said. An older sister was unharmed, according to the sheriff's office.
Doerman was arrested at the scene without incident, sheriff's officials said. He was found sitting on a step outside the residence, they said.
Possible motive has not been revealed. Court documents viewed by WLWT of Cincinnati said Doerman confessed that he had been planning the killings "for several months.”
