A suburban Chicago man who told his estranged wife, “If I can’t have them neither can you” pleaded guilty but mentally ill today to three counts of murder for killing their three young children, a prosecutor said.
Jason Karels, 36, of Round Lake Beach will be sentenced to 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.