LOS ANGELES (BN24) — A California man charged with killing his wife and her parents and dumping dismembered remains in the trash has died by suicide while in custody, authorities and his attorney said Monday.
Samuel Bond Haskell, 37, was found dead Saturday morning inside a cell at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles. He left a note, according to the sources.
Haskell, the son of Hollywood television producer Sam Haskell, had pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of his wife, Mei Haskell; her mother, Yanxiang Wang; and her stepfather, Gaoshan Li. He was being held without bail and faced a possible sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed Haskell’s death in a statement Monday, calling it “one last cruel act.”
“Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he’s been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice,” Hochman said. “This is one last cruel act by someone who did the most horrific things for reasons we will never entirely know. A family that has been dealing with unimaginable loss now has been robbed of their chance to face him, hold him accountable for his barbaric actions, and openly share their grief and their cherished memories of their loved ones.”
Haskell’s attorney, Joseph A. Weimortz Jr., also confirmed his client died by suicide and said Haskell feared the intense public scrutiny more than prison itself.
“He was not afraid of prison but was afraid of an even larger media spectacle,” Weimortz said in a statement. “In order to avoid more media exposure, he was willing to waive his right to a preliminary hearing. In order to avoid more media exposure, he was willing to waive his right to a jury trial. Ultimately, my client was even willing to take his own life, believing that it would end this terrible chaos.”
Authorities said the case began in early November 2023 when the three victims vanished from the family’s Tarzana home, where Haskell lived with his wife, her parents, and the couple’s three young children.
The District Attorney’s Office said that on November 7, Haskell allegedly hired day laborers to haul away heavy black plastic bags from the house. One of the workers opened a bag and saw what appeared to be human remains, prompting a 911 call.
Investigators later said Haskell was seen disposing of a large trash bag behind a strip mall in Encino. The next day, a person searching through a dumpster discovered a torso wrapped in plastic. DNA testing confirmed it belonged to Mei Haskell.
Police have not recovered the remains of her parents, though evidence of violence was found in the home.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause of death.
