Court sentences Man to life for drowning three kids over ownership dispute with estranged wife

The Man who told his estranged wife ‘If I can’t have them neither can you’’ has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his three children.

The above undated photo provided by the Lake County State’s Attorney shows Jason Karels of Round Lake Beach, Ill. Karels.

Karels pleaded guilty to the allegations of drowning his three young children but claimed to be mentally retarded.

The cup was sentenced Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Karel was said to have threatened his wife thus: “If I can’t have them neither can you”, hence his decision to terminate the lives of his children by drowning them.

The Lake County judge sentenced Jason Karels, of Round Lake Beach, after considering victim-impact statements written by the children’s mother, maternal grandmother and aunt that called Karels “a `monster’ who destroyed many lives,” the prosecutor said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are first, with the family today. This has been a devastating case for the family and community,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement.

Credit: The Associated Press