An abusive father in Illinois was arrested on Monday after he admitted to killing his three children, who were discovered dead in his home hours before he was arrested during a high-speed chase with authorities.
Jason Karels, a 35-year-old man, was in the process of being divorced by his wife Debra Karels, to whom he was reportedly being abusive. The two had agreed to allow Jason to stay in the lives of his children, and they appeared to enjoy each other’s company the last time that Debra checked on the kids, according to the Daily Beast.
The next day, however, Debra asked the police to do a welfare check on the kids, when they found them dead inside the man's residence. Jason was not at home at the time, and the authorities eventually found him driving his vehicle on Interstate 57, NBC Chicago reported.
When police officers attempted to stop him, however, Jason kept speeding away from them, leading to a 17-minute chase, which ended with his car crashing and him being taken away to a nearby hospital by law enforcement.
Jason, who was described by his sister-in-law as a man who “had severe mental issues and refused to get help,” admitted to killing his three children and attempting take his own life, though he has yet to admit to his motivation for the killings.
“I am just in disbelief. You never think something like this is going to happen to you. I never thought he would do this to his kids,” Debra Karels said. “But now I know, if you have any inkling of doubt, don’t ignore it and stick to your guns.”
“Unfortunately, there was domestic abuse in their relationship and Debbie was finally getting the strength to leave him and proceed with a divorce,” Christina Neuman Berg, Debra’s brother’s wife, said. “But Debbie wanted to maintain a relationship with her kids’ father and let him visit them, and now we know that was a horrible mistake.”
Jason is expected to face first-degree murder charges for the killing of his three children.
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