Debra Karels and her three children, Bryant, 5, Cassidy, 3 and Gideon, 2.Photo: GoFundMe
• Jason Karels pleaded guilty last December to three counts of first-degree murder after drowning his children Bryant, 5, Cassidy, 3 and Gideon, 2
• Eric Kalata, a lawyer on the prosecution team, described Karels’ actions as “brutal, evil, and sinister"
After being convicted of the murders of his three young children in December,Jason Karelswas sentenced in an Illinois courtroom to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday.
Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said during a press conference at the time that, “[Karels] also said he attempted to commit suicide several times after the deaths of the children,”PEOPLE previously reported.
The mother, identified as Debra Karels, toldCBS Chicagoin 2022 that she and Karels were in the middle of a divorce because he “constantly played games and neglected his family.” Debra added that she discovered the dead bodies of her children lying on a bed that day when she went to pick them up after they spent the weekend with her estranged husband, according to the outlet.
Eric Kalata, a lawyer on the prosecution team, described Karels’ actions as “brutal, evil, and sinister,” according to the release. He said that Karels caused terror in the final moments of life for his children, and that Karels used them as pawns in a scheme of revenge.
In victim impact statements that were read in court at the sentencing hearing, the family described the three children as beautiful, innocent children who did not deserve what happened to them, calling Karels a “monster” who destroyed many lives, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
Jason Karels.OFFICE OF THE STATE’S ATTORNEYLAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
OFFICE OF THE STATE’S ATTORNEYLAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
The family also reportedly said that Karels was supposed to love and protect them at all costs and instead, he did the opposite. The statements further described the loss as a wound that will remain unhealed forever, per the release.
Lake County Community Action collectively created aGoFundMecampaign to financially support Debra following her childrens’ deaths.
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“Our thoughts are first, with the family today,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in the release. “This has been a devastating case for the family and community. They will always have this Office’s support. The law enforcement officers from Round Lake Beach performed unbelievably in the most difficult of circumstances imaginable. We are thinking of them too.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
