Dismembered Chinese Wife and In-Laws: US Trust Fund Baby Dies by Suicide in Jail Before Trial

A US trust fund baby in Los Angeles was indicted for allegedly murdering and dismembering his wife and her parents, but it has now been reported that he died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial.

Authorities stated that 37-year-old Samuel Bond Haskell IV was found dead in his cell at a downtown Los Angeles jail on the 13th, and the cause of death was determined to be suicide.

According to CNN, Haskell faced three counts of murder, with the victims being his 37-year-old wife Mei Haskell, his 64-year-old mother-in-law Yanxiang Wang (transliteration), and his 72-year-old father-in-law Gaoshan Li (transliteration). He was originally scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the 15th, but died before the court date.

Haskell came from a prominent family; his father, Sam Haskell, is an Emmy Award winner and former executive at William Morris Agency. The public is deeply shocked by this family tragedy.

Haskell’s lawyer revealed that Haskell originally intended to waive both the preliminary hearing and the jury trial, mainly considering the impact the case would have on his children. The lawyer stated that his client was not afraid of imprisonment, but rather feared the ongoing exposure of the case in the media. He also said that Haskell’s side was deeply saddened by the loss of every life involved in the case.

The Los Angeles County Prosecutor stated that Haskell evaded legal punishment by suicide, thereby depriving the victims’ families of the opportunity to confront him in court. Had the trial concluded with a guilty verdict, he would have faced life imprisonment without parole.

It is understood that on November 6, 2023, Haskell killed the three victims at his home in Tarzana, Los Angeles. The next day, he allegedly hired temporary workers for $500 to help move several heavy black plastic garbage bags from the residence. While moving the bags, the workers noticed body parts inside, so they returned the bags and the money to Haskell's home and reported to the police. When police arrived at the scene, nobody was home, and the bags had already disappeared.

Prosecutors obtained a key surveillance video showing Haskell dumping the black garbage bags into trash bins, as well as moving garbage bags between his wife’s Tesla and a rented SUV. Later that day, a decapitated female torso was found in a trash bin, which forensic analysis confirmed to be Mei. (News Source: CTWANT)