Current:Home > ScamsDad who said “If I can’t have them neither can you’ pleads guilty to killing 3 kids -WealthTrack
Dad who said “If I can’t have them neither can you’ pleads guilty to killing 3 kids
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:25:27
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago man who told his estranged wife “If I can’t have them neither can you” pleaded guilty but mentally ill Friday plea to three counts of first-degree murder for killing their three young children, a prosecutor said.
Jason Karels, 36, of Round Lake Beach will be sentenced to natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.
Karels admitted to killing by drowning 5-year-old Bryant Karels, 3-year-old Cassidy Karels and 2-year-old Gideon Karels on June 13, 2022.
Officers sent to his home to check on the welfare of the children found a note for his estranged wife saying, “If I can’t have them neither can you,” prosecutors have said.
“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.”
Several members of the family were present in court for the hearing.
Karels was arrested after leading police on a chase that ended in a crash at an Interstate 80 bridge in Joliet, Round Lake Beach police have said. Karels was briefly hospitalized after the crash.
After the crash, Karels told first responders he was responsible for his children’s deaths and had attempted to kill himself before fleeing the home, police said. Officers found his blood in the house from his attempts to hurt himself.
Police said at the time of the deaths that the parents shared custody of the children but did not live together.
A pre-sentence investigation was ordered for Karels, and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2024.
veryGood! (557)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Kansas City Chiefs player offers to cover $1.5M in stolen chicken wings to free woman
- 5 people charged in Matthew Perry's death, including 'Friends' actor's doctor, assistant
- Iran police shot a woman while trying to seize her car over hijab law violation, activists say
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- In Mississippi, discovery of elephant fossil from the ice age provides window into the past
- Police identify suspect in break-in of Trump campaign office in Virginia
- Hideki Matsuyama will be without regular caddie, coach after their passports and visas were stolen
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Shop J.Crew Factory’s up to 60% off Sale (Plus an Extra 15%) - Score Midi Dresses, Tops & More Under $30
Ranking
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Violent crime is rapidly declining. See which cities are seeing drops in homicides.
- Bristol Palin Shares 15-Year-Old Son Tripp Has Moved Back to Alaska
- The Beats x Kim Kardashian Limited Edition Headphones With 40-Hour Battery Life Are Selling Out Fast!
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Usher concert postponed hours before tour opener in Atlanta
- Emily in Paris' Ashley Park Reveals How Lily Collins Predicted Her Relationship With Costar Paul Forman
- Zelenskyy says Ukrainian troops have taken full control of the Russian town of Sudzha
Recommendation
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
'It Ends With Us' shows some realities of domestic violence. Here's what it got wrong.
Police identify suspect in break-in of Trump campaign office in Virginia
Chet Hanks Details Losing 27 Pounds in 3 Days at Rock Bottom Before Sobriety Journey
Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
Proposal to allow local police to make arrests near Arizona border with Mexico will appear on ballot
Montana Supreme Court rules minors don’t need parental permission for abortion
Hurricane Ernesto to strengthen; Bermuda braces for 'the power of nature'