An Illinois father who wrote to his estranged wife that “if I can’t have them, neither can you” before killing their three young children has pleaded guilty to the murders – despite insisting he suffered from mental illness.
Jason Karels, 36, of Round Lake Beach, will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Friday after pleading guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder.
Karels admitted to drowning 5-year-old Bryant Karels, 3-year-old Cassidy Karels and 2-year-old Gideon Karels in a bathtub on June 13, 2022.
Their mother, Debra, found the body at Karel’s home at 200 E. Camden Lane in suburban Chicago, where police said he left a note that read, “If I can’t have it, you can’t either.”
“This case has devastated the community of Round Lake Beach and beyond,” Rinehart said in a statement. “We hope today’s resolution provides some measure of closure, and we will continue to provide support to the family.”
Several family members attended the court hearing on Friday.
Jason Karels, 36, a suburban Chicago man who left a note to his estranged wife that read, “If I can’t have them, neither can you,” has pleaded guilty to killing their three children. AP
Karels was arrested after leading police on a chase that ended in a crash on the Interstate 80 bridge in Joliet, police said. He was hospitalized shortly after the accident.
After the crash, she told police she was responsible for her children’s deaths in the bathtub and that she had attempted suicide before fleeing the home, where officers found her blood from the attempted suicide, police said.
Bryant, 5, Gideon, 2, and Cassidy, 3, drowned in the bathtub. Facebook / Debra Karels
The parents shared custody of the children but were not living together at the time of the death, officials said.
A relative has claimed that Jason suffers from mental illness but has refused to seek psychiatric help, and Debra is in the process of getting a divorce after allegedly suffering abuse at his hands.
But the mother wanted to maintain a relationship with Jason for the sake of their children, and allowed them to live with her.
Karels will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. AP
Karels will be sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 16.
By Postal Wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
