IL - Jason Karels, 35, murdered his 3 children, ages 5,6,7, Round Lake Beach, 6 June 2022

[imstilla.grandma]

Karels was arrested later that evening near Joliet, Ill., following a 17-minute pursuit by Illinois State troopers. The chase led to Karel’s vehicle crashing near Interstate 80. “While being removed from the car, Karels made statements to police officers regarding his role in the triple homicide,” the release states.

Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said during a press conference at the time that, “[Karels] also said he attempted to commit suicide several times after the deaths of the children,” PEOPLE previously reported.

The mother, identified as Debra Karels, told CBS Chicago in 2022 that she and Jason were in the middle of a divorce because he “constantly played games and neglected his family.” Debra added that she discovered the dead bodies of her children laying on a bed that day when she went to pick them up after they spent the weekend with her estranged husband, according to the outlet.

Man Pleads Guilty to Drowning His 3 Kids After Leaving Note for Wife: 'If I Can't Have Them, Neither Can You'

Jason Karels, an Illinois man accused of drowning his three children, ages 5, 3 and 2, during a custodial visit in 2022, has pleaded guilty to their murders.

people.com

 

[stg]

Such a sad story. We used to live in the subdivision across the street from the one where this horrible crime took place (in a neighboring town to Round Lake Beach), so I would run past that house regularly on one of my running routes. I saw these kids playing outside at least once. We also had a father kill his 9-year-old daughter and himself in the subdivison just north of where we previously lived two years ago. That couple was also separated. It is a very safe, family-friendly area, normally, with low crime. Murder is almost unheard of here. My first wife left me and we divorced, and I never thought for a second of hurting our children. I just tried to be the best dad I could be to them in a very tough time. So tragic what these men decide to do to their progeny to allegedly get back at the mother.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Guilty but mentally ill means a defendant has a mental illness but understands the difference between right and wrong.

Officers sent to his home to check on the welfare of the children found a note for his estranged wife saying, "If I can't have them neither can you," prosecutors said.

Karels was arrested after leading police on a chase that ended in a crash at an highway bridge in Joliet, Round Lake Beach police said. Karels was briefly hospitalized after the crash.

Karels told first responders following the crash that he was responsible for his children's deaths and had attempted to kill himself before fleeing his home, police said. Officers found his blood in the house from his attempts to hurt himself.

Police said at the time of the deaths that the parents shared custody of the children but did not live together.

Illinois man gets life sentence for killing his 3 kids

A suburban Chicago man who told his estranged wife in a note after he drowned their three young children "If I can't have them neither can you" was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

herald-review.com