For the mother of the three kids who were found killed on Round Lake Beach earlier this week, almost $100,000 has been raised. The father of the children is still detained. As of Sunday morning, a GoFundMe set up by Round Lake Beach Community Action and Christina Neuman had amassed over $98,600, almost reaching its $100,000 target.
The funds are being raised for Debbie Karels, the mother of Gideon, Cassidy, and Bryant Karels, all of whom are young children. Jason E. Karels, Debbie’s 35-year-old husband, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the murders of their kids on Tuesday morning.
Debbie Karels picked up her kids, who had been spending the weekend with their father, at his house in the 200 block of East Camden Lane in Round Lake Beach on Monday afternoon. Debbie Karels discovered her three children dead in a bedroom, according to Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera, during a press conference.
Police discovered a message in the house that read, “If I can’t have them neither can you,” in reference to the kids, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam claimed at a bond hearing on Wednesday.
Round Lake Beach police are investigating a homicide after three people were found dead inside a home on E. Camden Lane Monday. https://t.co/Z2C8eruPxJ
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 13, 2022
According to the authorities, Karels and his wife were still married but separated. Karels confessed to killing his three children in remarks he made upon his arrest. He eventually provided detectives with a comprehensive narrative outlining how he drowned each child individually in a bathtub, according to Facklam.
Karels stated during the bond hearing that he was looking for a public defender since he could not afford a lawyer. Facklam requested that Karels be held without bond from Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak. Potkonjak commanded the holding of Karels on a $10 million bond.
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Following the triple homicide, the Round Lake Beach police, according to Rivera, alerted local police stations in the Chicago area. The Illinois State Police attempted to pull over Karels after spotting his red 2010 Nissan Maxima.
Karels refused to stop and led police on a 17-minute high-speed chase before crashing on Interstate 80 close to Water Street in Joliet into a densely forested area. Firefighters had to free Karels from the vehicle. Karels’ admission to killing his three children was recorded by officers wearing body cameras.
Karels had made several suicide attempts prior to his arrest, according to Rivera, including one at the scene of the murder at his home, where detectives discovered a “substantial amount” of blood that did not belong to his children.
Karels was admitted to the hospital, and on Tuesday night, police reported that he had been discharged and taken to the Lake County Jail. According to early autopsies on Gideon, Cassidy, and Bryant, they drowned to death, according to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton.
According to Newton, the kids didn’t appear to have any more significant wounds. Results of the toxicology are awaiting. According to Rivera, Karels and the family had no prior interactions with the police.
“This has touched all of us. You cannot attend this and leave unaffected. No one should have to witness what they [the police] saw yesterday, Rivera said at a press conference on Tuesday. In an interview with media representatives on Wednesday afternoon, Debbie Karels stated, “I only wish I was there for them that day. I only wish I had been there to seize them before everything went wrong.
Debbie claimed that her husband killed their children because “he knew it would pain me the most” and that he also subjected her to physical and mental torture. She claimed that initially she had intended to go for joint custody but had since changed her mind and chosen to ask for sole custody because her husband had mental illness.
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This is a “devastating case for our community,” said to Eric Rinehart, state’s attorney for Lake County. “We are determined to bring these three innocent youngsters to justice. Given the circumstances of the case and the defendant’s escape, we must first make sure that he is not discharged until trial. We’ve submitted a motion asking that he be detained without bond, said Rinehart.
“Secondly, we must provide the family with every resource we have. Finally, within the office, we will make every effort to ensure that this defendant is punished for his or her heinous conduct and that no one else is ever put in harm’s way, Rinehart continued.
Wednesday night, locals and community leaders gathered to discuss the tragedy. Round Lake Beach Mayor Scott Nickles and Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera were joined by more than fifty residents to provide support and engage in conversation.
Nickles, a father and a former police officer, said he was “crushed” by what happened to the three kids. Despite the fact that this tragedy has affected us today, Round Lake Beach is home to resilient individuals and strong families. As long as we continue to breathe tomorrow, we shall persevere, remarked Nickles.
But for now, give your friends a big hug, rely on your neighbours, and provide advice to one another as we start the grieving process together. Dick Barr, a member of the Lake County Board, stated Monday night that the three kids were “removed from this earth by horrific evil.”
The guy who so heinously took the lives of three of his own children “existed in the heart and mind of that horrific wickedness,” Barr said.
Rather, Barr stated, “This was a selfish person, lacking of empathy, void of compassion, void of mental well-being, who cared more about himself than he did about his own children. This was not a criminal act reflective of who we are or where we live.”
“I’m just as angry as I am heartbroken. I’m upset that this coward is still alive while his defenceless kids are lined up at the morgue and his estranged wife sobs with anguish no person should ever have to experience, he continued.
Karels, who is still being held in the Lake County Jail, could face more charges, according to the authorities. On Tuesday, a hearing to evaluate his bond is scheduled, and on July 13, a preliminary hearing is set to take place. The Round Lake Beach Police Department is still looking into the incident.
