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Jason E. Karels murdered Bryant Karels, 5, Cassidy Karels, 3, and Gideon Karels, 2, by drowning them in a bathtub, authorities said. (Mug shot: Office of Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart)
The Illinois man who pleaded guilty to drowning his three children to spite their mother was sentenced Friday to spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In victim impact statements, the kids’ mother, aunt, and maternal grandmother called the defendant, Jason E. Karels, 36, a “monster” and said that losing Bryant Karels, 5, Cassidy Karels, 3, and Gideon Karels, 2, was a like a “light lost,” according to Lake County prosecutors.
As previously reported, Karels drowned the children in a bathtub in June 2022 and left a note for the mother, stating, “If I can’t have them neither can you.”
He led cops on a high-speed chase after they tracked him down to Interstate 57 and 115.
The pursuit spanned across “multiple highways” and involved several police departments, lasting for approximately 17 minutes. The chase came to an end when Karels crashed the vehicle in a densely wooded area off Interstate 80.
As authorities extricated Karels from the vehicle, he made incriminating statements indicating that “he was responsible for the deaths of the children at the Round Lake Beach home,” according to Police Chief Gilbert Rivera. Karels also said that he attempted to die by suicide multiple times after killing the children, but claimed he was unsuccessful. Chief Rivera said that multiple body cameras recorded the confession.
The defendant made a plea of guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder on Dec. 15, 2023. This sort of plea in Illinois operates the same as a conventional guilty plea but establishes a process by which defendants get better access to mental health treatment while in custody.
“Our thoughts are first, with the family today,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement after the sentencing. “This has been a devastating case for the family and community. They will always have this Office’s support. The law enforcement officers from Round Lake Beach performed unbelievably in the most difficult of circumstances imaginable. We are thinking of them too. Finally, I want to thank our team of lawyers, Jeff Facklam, Eric Kalata, and Mary Daly, and the victim specialist, Dawn Patch. These dedicated professionals worked tirelessly to support the family and ensure that this offender was brought to justice.”
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