Father pleads guilty but mentally ill in tragic drowning of his 3 children

Jason Karels, a Round Lake Beach man, has pleaded guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder for killing his three children, ages 2, 3, and 5, in June 2022. He will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Karels was estranged from the children's mother and left a note stating, "If I can't have them neither can you." The Round Lake Police Department expressed gratitude to investigators and the state's attorney's office, while offering condolences to the family and community affected by the tragedy. A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered, and the official sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 16, 2024.