A suburban Chicago man pleaded guilty but mentally ill last week to drowning his three young children, apparently because he was angry with his estranged wife.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said that Jason Karels, 36, will be sentenced to life without parole early next year, The Asssociated Press reported.
Round Lake Beach police found 5-year-old Bryant, 3-year-old Cassidy, and 2-year-old Gideon dead on June 13, 2022, after their mother went to pick them up from their father’s after a weekend and couldn’t find him, as CrimeOnline reported.
The Illinois State Police spotted Karels’ vehicle a few hours later and engaged in a short pursuit before he crashed in Joliet.
Officers found a note at the home, with the dead children, that said, “If I can’t have them neither can you,” prosecutors said. They also said that Karels attempted to kill himself before fleeing the home.
“This case has devasted the Round Lake Beach community and beyond,” Rinehart said in a news release. “We hope that today’s resolution provides some measure of closure, and we will continue to provide support to the family.”
Investigators said the Karelses were separated and shared custody of the children at the time.
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[Featured image: Left to right, Bryant, Cassidy, and Gideon/GoFundMe]
