ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL – An Illinois man has pleaded guilty to drowning his three young children in a bathtub. Jason Karels, 36, from Round Lake Beach entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill. As a result of this plea, he will be sentenced to life without parole, according to Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.
On June 13, 2022, Karels filled a bathtub and drowned his children, Bryant, 5, Cassidy, 3, and Gideon, 2. Upon discovering the bodies in Karels’ house in the Chicago suburb, their mother, Debra, also found a note that read, “If I can’t have them, neither can you.”
The brutal events wrought considerable distress in the Round Lake Beach community and beyond, Rinehart said, adding that he hoped the resolution might offer some closure.
Following the murders, Karels led an extensive police chase which concluded in a crash at an Interstate 80 bridge in Joliet. After the crash, he confessed his horrific actions to the police, as well as an attempted suicide.
At the time of the incident, the parents were separated and had joint custody of their children. It’s reported that Karels had been suffering from mental illness but was not seeking psychiatric assistance, and Debra was seeking a divorce as a result of alleged abuse. Even so, she still permitted the children to stay with their father for their sake.
The court is set to deliver the life sentence on February 16.