Jason Karels, 36, who told his wife ‘if I can’t have them neither can you’ before drowning their three kids to be sentenced to LIFE after conviction in heinous murders
A suburban Chicago man who told his estranged wife, “If I can't have 'em, neither can you” before drowning their three children in a bathtub, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to three first-degree murders .
Jason Karels, 36, of Round Lake Beach, will be sentenced to life in the Illinois Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole after the plea.
Karels admitted that in June last year he drowned the three young children he shared with his estranged wife Debra.
Round Lake Beach police responded to a call for a welfare check and discovered the lifeless bodies of five-year-old Bryant, three-year-old Cassidy and two-year-old Gideon at their father's home.
When police found the children dead, police found a note at the house that read, “If I can't have them, neither can you.”
The children were on a weekend visit at the time and their mother planned to pick them up for a doctor's visit.
Jason Karels, 36, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder in the drowning deaths of his three children
Bryant, five; Cassidy, three; and Gideon, two, were visiting their father in June last year when they were killed. Karels and the children's mother, Debra, were estranged
Police found a note at the house that read: “If I can't have them, you can't have them either.” The children's mother tried to get full custody before the murder
Debra was in the process of gaining full custody of the siblings when their father murdered them. Prosecutors say he drowned them one by one.
Karels led police on a frenzied chase that ended in a crash on an Interstate 80 bridge in Joliet before his arrest.
The 36-year-old was briefly hospitalized after the accident. When first responders pulled him from the wreckage, he admitted that he was responsible for the deaths of all three children.
He also told police he had tried to commit suicide before fleeing. Officers found his blood in the home.
Before entering into the plea agreement, prosecutors and the victim specialist consulted extensively with the victims' families, the prosecutor's office said.
“This case has devastated the Round Lake Beach community and beyond,” Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement. He reaffirmed his office's commitment to providing support to the grieving family.
The Round Lake Police Department released its own statement that said in part: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the victims and with the rest of our community affected by this senseless tragedy. While nothing can bring these wonderful children back, we hope this outcome will provide some closure to the family and loved ones.”
Police discovered the siblings' lifeless bodies after their mother requested a welfare check
Karels (right) led officers on a chase that ended in a crash in Joliet. He confessed to his role in the killings as first responders lifted him from the wreckage
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $100,000 for funeral costs and to provide 'a level of financial security' for the grieving mother
Last year, Debra told ABC7 Chicago, “He knew nothing was more important to me than those kids. He took them from me because he knew that would hurt me the most.”
Community members have rallied around Debra Karels in the wake of her children's deaths. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Round Lake Beach Community Action has raised more than $100,000.
“On June 13, 2022, Debbie Karels went to the home of her estranged husband, Jason Karels, to pick up her children from his visit with their three children,” the campaign reads. “What she found instead was a horror unimaginable to anyone.
'Jason Karels had killed their children by drowning them one by one in the bathtub. He then fled the scene so Debbie could find the lifeless bodies of her children.”
Speak with ABC7 Chicago Last year, Debra said, “I talked to the kids the night before. I said, “I love you so much. I can't wait to see you tomorrow.” And the next day they're gone.
“He knew nothing was more important to me than those kids. He took them from me because he knew that would hurt me the most.”
Proceeds from the fundraiser will cover funeral costs and “provide a level of financial stability” for the stricken mother, who was left without a house or car in her name.
A sentencing hearing for Karels is scheduled for February 16.