Jason E Karels: Illinois man sentenced to life in prison for drowning his 3 children to death in a bathtub

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: An Illinois man who pleaded guilty to drowning his three children to spite their mother was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday, February 16, as per ABC 7 Chicago.

According to Lake County prosecuotrs, in victim impact statements, the children’s mother, aunt, and maternal grandmother called the defendant, Jason E Karels, 36, a “monster” and said that losing Bryant Karels, five, Cassidy Karels, three, and Gideon Karels, two, was a like a “light lost."

Jason E Karels left a note for the mother before he drowned his children

In June 2022, Karels drowned the children in a bathtub and left a note for the mother, stating, “If I can’t have them neither can you.” He led police 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.

Jason E Karels admitted he was responsible for the deaths of his children

While 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 December 15 last year. 

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.

What did the State Attorney say?

“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.”