Additional Coverage:
Tarzana Triple-Murder Suspect Dies by Suicide in Jail
Samuel Haskell Jr., 37, accused of the gruesome murders of his wife and in-laws, was found dead in his cell at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on Saturday. Authorities confirmed his death was by suicide. Haskell’s death comes just two days before his scheduled preliminary hearing, where prosecutors planned to present evidence detailing the brutal killings and Haskell’s alleged plans to flee to Japan with a woman he was having an affair with.
Haskell, son of a former Hollywood agent, was charged with three counts of murder after the dismembered torso of his wife, Mei Li Haskell, 37, was discovered in an Encino dumpster on November 8, 2023. The remains of his wife’s parents, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Li, 71, have yet to be recovered. The couple’s three children are now in the care of relatives.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office revealed that Haskell had hired day laborers to remove heavy trash bags from his Tarzana home on November 7, 2023. The workers, upon discovering human remains inside one of the bags, returned the bags and their payment to Haskell, photographed him, the bags, and the house, and then contacted police.
By the time police arrived for a welfare check, Haskell and the bags were gone. Surveillance footage later showed Haskell disposing of a large trash bag in the dumpster where his wife’s remains were later found.
Upon Haskell’s arrest on November 8, 2023, authorities discovered a Home Depot receipt for items such as plywood, a canopy, a moisture barrier, coveralls, and diamond saw blades in his wallet. A search of a rented SUV yielded a loaded .357 revolver, ammunition, a blood-encrusted military-style knife (which later tested positive for the victims’ blood), a headlamp, firearm sight, and passports for Haskell, his wife, and their children.
Further investigation of the family home uncovered bloody bedding, a large machine saw, diamond saw blades, a machete, and canes belonging to the missing in-laws. Evidence suggested a significant cleanup effort had been made to remove blood from the residence.
Cellphone records revealed Haskell’s affair with a 27-year-old woman. Prosecutors stated that Haskell had informed this woman a month before the murders that his children would soon be living with his parents. He had also purchased a one-way ticket to Japan for himself and a round-trip ticket for the woman in October 2023.
Haskell had pleaded not guilty to the charges and faced life in prison without parole if convicted. District Attorney Hochman expressed frustration that the family has been robbed of the opportunity to confront Haskell in court and hold him accountable for his actions. The motive for this horrific crime remains a mystery, taken, as DA Hochman stated, “to the grave” by Haskell himself.