Top Hollywood exec's son who killed, dismembered wife and her parents dies by suicide

News.com.au

14-07-2025

The son of a top Hollywood exec who killed and dismembered his wife and her parents committed suicide in jail just days before a court hearing, according to reports.
Samuel Bond Haskell IV's death was announced hours before he was due to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing in his murder case, said Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to KABC.
The suspected killer, 37, appeared to have committed suicide in his cell, with his body discovered Saturday morning, law enforcement sources told NBCLA.
Haskell's father is an Emmy-winning producer and Hollywood agent, serving high-profile clients including George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Dolly Parton and Kathie Lee Gifford.
In 2023, Haskell was accused of murdering his wife, Mei Li Haskell, 37, and her parents, Gaoshan Li, 72, and 64-year-old Yanxiang Wang, at their home in the Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana.
He tossed their dismembered body parts in an Encino trash bin, where his wife's remains were later discovered, cops said.
The remains of Haskell's in-laws have never been recovered and his death has deprived their loved ones of discovering the truth about what happened.
All three family members were last seen alive on November 6, 2023.
The next day, Haskell allegedly hired four day labourers to remove several heavy black plastic trash bags from his home, the Los Angeles Police Department said at the time.
'One of the labourers opened one of the bags and allegedly observed human body parts,' the LAPD statement read. 'They called 911 and reported the incident.'
The labourers returned the bags and the money and left, but by the time cops arrived, the bundles were gone, authorities said.
Haskell was also caught on video dumping something in a dumpster in Encino on November 7, authorities said.
After a woman's torso was discovered by someone rummaging through the trash there November 8, police were called and Haskell was arrested, prosecutors said.
Haskell had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was being held with no bail while awaiting trial.
'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 J Hochman said in a statement on Monday.
'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,' he said.