Karels family murders

Police response outside the home where the murders occurred.

The **Karels family murders** occurred on June 13, 2022 in Round Lake Beach, Illinois. 35-year-old Jason Karels drowned his three children in his bathtub before leaving a note addressed to his estranged wife, Debra Karels. He was arrested later that same day after a high-speed chase with police. Karels was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

## Background

Jason E. Karels, 35, and Debra “Debbie” Karels lived at 253 East Camden Lane in the Sutton-on-the-Lake subdivision of Round Lake Beach, Illinois. They had three children: Bryant Anthony Karels, age 5, Cassidy Rose Karels, age 3, and Gideon Locke Karels, age 2. The Karels had purchased the Round Lake Beach home on September 28, 2017–some time after Bryant’s birth.

Jason had no history of mental illness and no criminal record. However, by 2022, it appeared he had begun suffering certain mental conditions and refused to seek counseling. According to Debra, Jason was physically abusive towards her in the months prior to the murders.

### Custody dispute

In May of 2022, Debra separated from Jason as he had "neglected [their] family"; she filed for divorce around this time. Subsequently, Jason and Debra battled for custody over their three children. Jason began suffering suicidal thoughts, and several people advised Debra to keep the children away from him. She permitted them to visit their father on weekends.

## Murders

As per their agreement, Jason and Debra's children were sent to visit their father on the weekend of June 11. Debra had last spoken to the children in a phone call on the night of June 12.

On the morning of Monday, June 13, 2022, Karels filled a bathtub with water. He took the three children into the bathroom, where he drowned each of them individually, and later laid their bodies on his bed.

After drowning the three children, Karels wrote a note that included the phrase, "If I can't have them, neither can you". The note was addressed to Debra, and was left inside the home. Karels then attempted suicide several times but was unsuccessful. He instead fled the scene in his red 2010 Nissan Altima and drove south.

### Discovery

Debra arrived at 253 East Camden Lane after noon that day. After entering the home, she discovered the bodies of the three children; at 1:40 PM, she contacted the police. In addition to the bodies, police also found large amounts of Karels's blood at the scene.

### Capture

Some time after discovering the murders, the police sent out an alert to several area police departments with a description of Karels's vehicle.

While driving on Interstate 57, Karels began being trailed by police. A 17-minute-long chase ensued and ended after Karels crashed his vehicle into a wooded area on the side of Interstate 80 in Joliet. As the crash occurred next to an overpass, it is possible he was attempting suicide by crashing off the bridge and plunging onto the street below. Firefighters arrived and pulled Karels out of the vehicle. Upon his arrest, he admitted to having murdered the three children. He was briefly hospitalized, and was later taken to the Lake County Jail.

## Aftermath

In a press conference the evening after the murders, Lake County Board Member Dick Barr said, “As heart broken as I am, I am equally angry. I’m angry that this coward is not dead while his innocent children are stacked up at the morgue and his estranged wife weeps with sorrow no human alive should ever have to endure”.

Community members created an impromptu memorial around the home. The Round Lake Beach Community Action created a GoFundMe page for Debra the day after the murders, seeking a $10,000 goal; this goal was later increased to $100,000. The latter goal was met on June 19, six days after the murders. Dozens of people gathered at a conference at the Round Lake Beach civic center on June 15.

On June 15, 2022, Jason Karels was charged with three counts of murder. His first court appearance took place over Zoom. His bond was initially placed at $10,000,000, but was denied on June 21. Karels claimed he could not afford a lawyer, and sought a public defender.

A year later, in June 2023, a memorial for the three children was held outside the Round Lake Beach Police Department, as well as to congratulate the officers who arrested Jason Karels.

## Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jason-karels-father-drowns-three-children-round-lake-beach-illinois-left-note-wife/
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.gofundme.com/f/3-innocent-rlb-angels?qid=fb1d3024c8c79ffb77a3ad932edd9d4f
3. ↑ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/253-E-Camden-Ln-Round-Lake-Beach-IL-60073/4769927\_zpid/
4. ↑ https://nypost.com/2022/06/16/jason-karels-dad-charged-with-drowning-kids-left-note-for-wife/
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/06/19/fundraiser-collects-nearly-100000-for-mother-whose-3-children-were-murdered-in-round-lake-beach/
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 https://abc7chicago.com/round-lake-beach-dick-barr-jason-karels-gofundme/11961092/
7. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jason-karels-father-drown-three-children-round-lake-beach-chicago-suburb/
8. ↑ https://patch.com/illinois/grayslake/if-i-can-t-have-them-neither-can-you-accused-killers-letter
9. ↑ https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/06/21/judge-grants-prosecutors-request-to-hold-round-lake-beach-triple-murder-suspect-without-bond/
10. ↑ https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2023/06/15/officers-honored-one-year-after-apprehending-father-charged-with-killing-his-children-in-round-lake-beach/