Latest from International Business Times
International Business Times
18 minutes ago
- International Business Times
Who Was Samuel Bond Haskell IV? Son of Top Hollywood Agent Who Killed, Dismembered His Wife and Her Parents Commits Suicide in Jail
The son of a top Hollywood executive, who killed and dismembered his wife and her parents, has reportedly committed suicide in jail shortly before a scheduled court appearance, according to authorities and sources. Samuel Bond Haskell IV was found dead just hours before he was set to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing related to his murder charges, Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told KABC. The suspect was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday morning in what appeared to be a suicide, law enforcement sources told NBCLA. It is still unclear how he committed suicide as authorities have launched an investigation. Killed Self Before Proven Guilty Samuel Haskell Jr X Haskell's father is a Hollywood agent and Emmy-winning producer, Samuel Haskell Sr., who has represented major stars such as George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Dolly Parton, and Kathie Lee Gifford. In 2023, Haskell was charged with the murders of his wife, Mei Li Haskell, 37, and her parents—Gaoshan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64,—at their home in the Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana. Police believe the headless torso could be that of Mei Haskell X According to police, Haskell tossed the dismembered bodies by placing them in a trash bin in Encino, where his wife's remains were eventually found. The bodies of his in-laws were never found. All three victims were last seen alive on November 6, 2023. The next day, Haskell hired four day laborers to haul away several large black plastic garbage bags from his home, according to the Los Angeles Police Department at the time. "One of the laborers opened one of the bags and allegedly observed human body parts," the LAPD statement read. "They called 911 and reported the incident." Mei Haskell and her parents are still missing X Authorities said the laborers returned both the bags and the payment before leaving, but by the time police arrived, the bags had vanished. Police also said that Haskell was caught on surveillance footage disposing of an item in a dumpster in Encino on November 7. The next day, on November 8, a person searching through the trash found a woman's torso, prompting a police investigation that led to Haskell's arrest, according to prosecutors. Haskell had entered a not guilty plea and was being held without bail as he awaited trial. Father, a Star His father, Samuel Haskell Sr., was a prominent agent affiliated with William Morris, representing notable clients such as Dolly Parton, George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, and Prince Edward, the brother of King Charles. The two workers hired by Samuel Haskell IV seen tossing the bags before realizing that they contained human body parts X Samuel Haskell Sr. retired from William Morris in 2005. In 2009, he published a memoir titled 'Promises I Made My Mother.' Described by publishers as a "deeply personal and spiritually-enriching story about living a principled life in unprincipled times." Mei Haskell X In 2012, the multiple Emmy-winner Samuel Haskell Sr. co-founded Magnolia Hill Productions with Dolly Parton, producing many of her television specials. However, his tenure as the CEO of the Miss America organization from 2015 to 2017 ended in resignation after private emails surfaced where he had criticized some contestants, ridiculing one for gaining weight and describing another as promiscuous. Samuel Haskell Sr. is married to Mary Donnelly Haskell, a former Miss Mississippi and his college sweetheart. The couple has a daughter, Mary Lane, and a son, Sam IV.
International Business Times
18 minutes ago
- International Business Times
Who Was Przemyslaw Jeziorski? California Professor Shot Dead by Masked Gunman While Visiting Greece for Custody Hearing
A California professor was shot and killed in Greece by a masked gunman in a shocking execution carried out in broad daylight. Przemyslaw Jeziorski, who was originally from Poland, was fatally shot five times in the chest and neck at close range while visiting Greece for a custody hearing on July 4. The UC Berkeley business professor, who had been with the Haas School of Business for eight years, was attacked near his ex-wife's home in an Athens suburb. Jeziorski, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the masked gunman fled the scene on foot, according to police. Eyewitnesses described the shooter as a tall and athletically built man. Killed in Broad Daylight Przemyslaw Jeziorski X Greek authorities are actively investigating the killing and are working to track down the suspect. Jeziorski was gunned down outside a home where his ex-wife and their two children live. He had traveled to Greece to take part in a child custody hearing. His ex-wife, whom he met in the United States, moved back to Greece six years ago following their divorce, her attorney told the newspaper Ta Nea. Jeziorski, known to many as "PJ," was a distinguished academic who held a PhD from Stanford. His faculty profile notes he had received numerous research grants, including funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Jeziorski's ex-wife cooperated with authorities and provided a statement to the police, according to reports. She told local news outlets that she wasn't aware of anyone who might have wanted to harm him. Chilling video footage obtained by Ta Nea showed a car waiting near the scene, apparently waiting for the gunman. Jeziorski's brother paid tribute to him on WhyDonate, the European equivalent of GoFundMe. "Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served," Łukasz Jeziorski wrote. "To pursue legal action and support ongoing investigations, I have secured legal representation in Greece and will also need support for future legal processes in Poland and the United States. "These efforts come with significant and urgent costs that my mother and I cannot manage on our own." Mystery Behind Death Przemyslaw Jeziorski with his children Facebook He also remembered his brother as "a loving father" and "beloved professor." "He was a leading scholar in marketing science, industrial organization, and data analytics. He loved teaching and sharing his passion for the intricacies of marketing analytics and marketing science with his students." Zsolt Katona, one of Jeziorski's colleagues, also shared a heartfelt tribute in his memory. Berkeley Haas Dean Jennifer Chatman also released a statement after his death. "We are heartbroken by news of the tragic and sudden death of Professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a beloved member of our marketing faculty and Haas community," she told ABC 7 News. Jeziorski studied at SGH Warsaw School of Economics, the University of Chicago, the University of Arizona, and earned his PhD in Economic Analysis and Policy from Stanford University, according to his personal website. He had earlier served as a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University and worked as a research intern at Microsoft. Throughout his academic career, he published work in several leading academic journals and mentored over 1,500 MBA and PhD students. Jeziorski also co-founded Keybee, a startup launched through UC Berkeley's Skydesk, which offers data-driven solutions for managing thousands of short-term rental properties on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and He also provided consulting services to major companies, including Microsoft, Mastercard, and MIC Tanzania.
International Business Times
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- International Business Times
Azealia Banks: Conor McGregor's X-Rated Photo Leaked by Rapper on X After He Tried to Slide into Her DMs
Azealia Banks has posted explicit images of what she claims are unsolicited nude photos sent to her by Conor McGregor. The rapper shared screenshots of X (formerly Twitter) direct messages allegedly sent by the former UFC champion. McGregor allegedly sent the rapper two X-rated photos; one of himself appearing to lift weights with his genitals, captioned "Lifting weights" and anoter accompanied by a threatening message: "Don't be a rat cos all rats get caught." In the tweets, Banks accused McGregor of sending her "crooked dick pics" and attempting to threaten her into silence. "How you gonna send a b---h some crooked dick pics then threaten her not to tell. @TheNotoriousMMA nig** do you know who the f**k I am? This is HARAM," she wrote, attaching two full-frontal mirror selfies of McGregor. In a follow-up post, she added: "Like how are you really going to sexually harass me with the potato farmer d--k then threaten me not to tell???? Honey...... ain't u trying to be the president of Ireland what is it giving fam? Use some f***ing sunscreen damn." The leak sparked some swift and scating responses on X. One user wrote, "Report Conor to the Police as he's breaking The Online Safety Act 2023 which carries a fine and or prison, as well as placed on the register." Another quipped, "Conor McGregor's falloff has been generational." Others mocked the situation more bluntly. One posted: "Wasn't expecting to see Conor McGregor d--k pics on this fine Monday morning." Another person commented: "Why is he lifting weights with his d--k, wtf is going on??" The incident comes just days after McGregor was photographed kissing a bikini-clad woman on a Florida beach - a woman who was not his long-term fiancée Dee Devlin. As reported by The Sun, the Irish MMA fighter was seen cosying up to the unidentified brunette in Fort Lauderdale, laying out towels, placing his hand on her leg, and relaxing with her for several hours. The couple reportedly jetted in via watercraft and were unfazed by surrounding beachgoers. The 36-year-old has been engaged to Devlin since 2020, and the couple share four children together. Despite previous public displays of affection and a shared family life on social media, McGregor has faced multiple allegations and controversies over the years, including a civil trial in 2023 where he was found liable for assaulting a woman and ordered to pay over £200,000 in damages. McGregor has not publicly responded to Banks' allegations or the leak at the time of writing.
International Business Times
4 hours ago
- International Business Times
Man Dies in Freak Accident After Helicopter Strikes Bird, Causing it to Ricochet into Cabin and Fatally Hit Passenger
A man has died after a helicopter he was travelling in collided with a bird, during a flight in Australia's Northern Territory. The incident took place over Northern Territory's remote north-east Arnhem Land. Emergency services received reports about 2pm Monday that a helicopter carrying two occupants had made an emergency landing at the Lake Evella airstrip in Gapuwiyak after the aircraft struck a bird, as reported by ABC News. "The impact allegedly caused the bird to fatally strike a 54-year-old male passenger," an NT Police statement said. "The pilot was able to land the aircraft safely and was uninjured." The bird reportedly ricocheted off the blades of the chopper, causing the bird to crash through the cabin of the helicopter and fatally hit the passenger. Northern Territory police officers and St John Ambulance paramedics attended the scene and declared the 54-year-old man dead. Police are investigating the "fatal helicopter incident" and will prepare a report for the coroner. The statement said NT WorkSafe and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified.
International Business Times
5 hours ago
- Health
- International Business Times
German Doctor Accused of Killing 15 of His Patients, Then Starting Fires in Their Homes to Cover Up the Crime, Goes on Trial
A German doctor went on trial in Berlin Monday, accused of murdering 15 of his patients who were under his care. As reported by the Associated Press, the prosecutor's office brought charges against the 40-year-old doctor "for 15 counts of murder with malice aforethought and other base motives" before a Berlin state court. The prosecutor's office is not only seeking a conviction and a finding of particularly serious guilt, but also a lifetime ban on practicing medicine and subsequent preventive detention. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. If a court establishes that a suspect bears particularly severe guilt, that means he wouldn't be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany. While the trial is underway, the prosecutor's office is actively investigating dozens of suspected cases in separate proceedings. Doctor's Co-worker Became Suspicious After Several of His Patients Died in Fires The doctor, identified only as Johannes M. due to Germany's privacy rules, is also accused of trying to cover up evidence of the murders by starting fires in the victims' homes. He has been in custody since Aug. 6. A co-worker first raised the alarm over Johannes M. last July after becoming suspicious that so many of his patients had died in fires, according to local newspaper Die Zeit. Doctor Administered a Deadly Cocktail of Drugs to Cause Respiratory Arrest, Death in Patients The doctor was part of a nursing service's end-of-life care team in the German capital and was initially suspected in the deaths of just four patients. The number of victims has gone up significantly since last summer, and prosecutors are now accusing him of the deaths of 15 people between Sept. 22, 2021, and July 24 last year. The victims' ages ranged from 25 to 94. Most died in their own homes. The doctor allegedly administered an anesthetic and a muscle relaxer to the patients without their knowledge or consent. The drug cocktail then allegedly paralyzed the respiratory muscles. Respiratory arrest and death followed within minutes, prosecutors said. The accused had "visited his patients under the pretext of providing medical care", prosecutor Philipp Meyhoefer said at the opening of the trial at the state court in Berlin. Johannes M. had organized "home visits, already with the intention of killing" and exploited his patients' trust in him as a doctor, Meyhoefer said. Motive Not Yet Known, Patients were All Seriously Ill But Not Close to Death So far, it is unclear what the palliative care physician's motive might have been, dpa reported. The victims named in the indictment were all seriously ill, but their deaths were not imminent. However, prosecutors and police previously said that the accused is said to have had no motive beyond killing, and that the suspect's acts meet the legal definition of "lust for murder." Similar Cases in Germany An investigation into further suspected deaths is ongoing. A specially established investigation team in the homicide department of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office and the Berlin public prosecutor's office investigated a total of 395 cases. The case recalls that of notorious German nurse Niels Hoegel, who was handed a life sentence in 2019 for murdering 85 patients by deliberately bringing about cardiac arrests. More recently, a 27-year-old nurse was given a life sentence in 2023 for murdering two patients by deliberately administering unprescribed drugs. In March, another nurse went on trial in Aachen accused of injecting 26 patients with large doses of sedatives or painkillers, resulting in nine deaths. Last week, German police revealed they are investigating another doctor suspected of killing several mainly elderly patients.
