A California man accused of brutally killing his wife and her parents was found dead in his jail cell over the weekend, just two days before he was supposed to appear in court for his triple murder case, authorities have confirmed.
Samuel Bond Haskell IV, 36, was discovered Saturday morning and had died in an apparent suicide, according to law enforcement sources cited by NBC Los Angeles.
His death was confirmed Monday morning by Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, just hours before Haskell’s scheduled preliminary hearing. If he had been convicted, he faced up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he’s been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement on Monday, according to NBC News.
“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 had been charged in the grisly 2023 murders of his wife, 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell, and her parents, Gaoshan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64, at their home in Tarzana.
They were last seen alive on November 6, 2023. The following day, police say Haskell hired four day laborers to haul away several heavy black plastic bags from the residence. He was allegedly caught on surveillance video dumping items in a dumpster in Encino.
One laborer reportedly opened a bag and discovered what appeared to be human body parts. They returned the bags and left the scene after calling 911, but the remains were gone by the time officers arrived.
A day later, a woman’s torso, later identified as Mei Li Haskell, was found at the same location, which led to Haskell’s arrest.
The remains of Haskell’s in-laws have never been recovered but said blood and other evidence found inside the Haskell family home were consistent with murder and dismemberment.
Haskell is the son of Emmy-winning agent and producer Sam Haskel, whose former clients include George Clooney, Dolly Parton, and Whoopi Goldberg.
He pleaded not guilty and was being held without bail while awaiting trial.
Joseph A. Weimortz Jr., who represents the Haskell family confirmed the death in a statement to NBC News and said Haskell was “not afraid of prison, but was afraid of an even larger media spectacle,” and how it would impact his children.
“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,” Weimortz said.
“Ultimately, my client was even willing to take his own life, believing that it would end this terrible chaos.”
“The Haskell family grieves every single life lost in this case,” he added.
