The son of a former prominent Hollywood agent who was accused ofdismembering his wifeand her parents was found dead from an apparent suicide at a Los Angeles jail, officials said, just days before he was expected to appear in court. Samuel Bond Haskell Jr., 37, was arrested on suspicion of murder in November 2023 after a torso was found in a trash bag, the Los Angeles Police Department said at the time. Authorities accused Haskell of killing and dismembering his wife, Mei Li Haskell, 37; her mother, Yanxiang Wang, 64; and her stepfather, Gaoshan Li, 71, in a Tarzana, California, home they all shared. Haskell, who was the son of former talent agent and film producer Sam Haskell III, was found dead at the Twin Towers Correction Facility in Los Angeles on July 12, according to anews alertfrom the county sheriff's department. The agency reported at about 4:20 a.m. local time that detectives responded to the facility to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Haskell. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman confirmed Haskell's death on July 14. The district attorney said Haskell was found dead by suicide in his jail cell. Haskell was charged with three counts of murder as well as the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole for his crimes and was scheduled to appear in court on July 14 for a preliminary hearing. "Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he's been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice," Hochman said in a statement. "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." Pennsylvania murder trial:Man's parents tried to get him help. Then he beheaded his father, prosecutors say Prosecutors said they had been preparing to present evidence for the hearing that Haskell had "brutally" murdered his wife and in-laws at their Tarzana home on or around Nov. 6, 2023. Tarzana is an affluent, suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The next day, Haskell hired and paid $500 to several day laborers to remove heavy black plastic trash bags from the residence, according to the district attorney's office. After Haskell drove away from the home, prosecutors said the workers opened one of the bags and discovered human body parts, which prompted them to return the bags and money. The workers also took pictures of Haskell, the bags, and the front of the residence before alerting police, prosecutors added. But when police responded to the home to conduct a welfare check, prosecutors said no one was at the residence, and the bags were gone. That same afternoon, Haskell was captured on surveillance footage driving into a parking lot, removing a large trash bag from the trunk of his Tesla, and disposing of the bag into a dumpster in the nearby neighborhood of Encino before leaving, according to prosecutors. Haskell was then seen again on surveillance footage transferring other trash bags from his Tesla to an SUV that he rented on November 3, prosecutors said. He left the Tesla, which was registered under his wife's name, parked on the street. Police later recovered the vehicle at the location and discovered that since the killings, Haskell had been staying with his children at an Airbnb in Tarzana, according to prosecutors. Investigators determined that he had rented the Airbnb in October for some time between Nov. 6 to Nov. 18, 2023. On the following day, prosecutors said a person rummaging through the dumpster in Encino found a beheaded torso inside a trash bag, which authorities later identified as the remains of Haskell's wife. That person called 911 to report the discovery, and Haskell was arrested the same day while driving his rental vehicle. Cartel turf war:20 bodies, some decapitated, found in Mexico At the time of his arrest, prosecutors said Haskell had been armed with a folding knife, and police discovered a Home Depot receipt in his wallet that was dated Oct. 20, 2023, for the purchase of plywood, canopy, moisture barrier, coveralls, and diamond-saw blades. Police also found a loaded .357 revolver, 32 rounds of ammunition, a blood-encrusted military-style knife, a headlamp and firearm sight, and passports for himself, his wife, and their three children, according to prosecutors. The blood on the knife matched the DNA of all three victims, and blood stains on the firearm matched Mei Li Haskell and Li. Also on November 8, prosecutors said investigators discovered eight trash bags containing bloody bedding, towels, a large machine saw, diamond-saw blades, a machete, a plywood board covered in blood, disposable gloves, and canes belonging to Wang and Li in the garage and backyard of the family's home. "Forensic testing revealed that large amounts of blood evidence had been cleaned up throughout the home," according to the district attorney's office. "Subsequent DNA testing of blood found on some of the items, including the saw, machete, and plywood board, as well as areas inside the residence, matched the DNA of all three victims." The bodies of Wang and Li have not been found, according to prosecutors. After examining Haskell's cell phone, prosecutors said police learned that Haskell had been having an affair with a 27-year-old woman whom they interviewed. Haskell allegedly told the woman in October 2023 that "his children would soon be living with his parents," according to prosecutors. Prosecutors alleged that Haskell had asked the woman to accompany him on a trip to Japan, and investigators recovered a one-way ticket to Japan purchased by Haskell on Oct. 21, 2023. He also later purchased a round-trip ticket for the woman for the period of Nov. 28 to Dec. 12, 2023. His girlfriend disappeared in 1983.He is now charged with murder. In January 2024, Haskell — who had been in custody since his arrest — pleaded not guilty to murder charges and was ordered to be held without bail,KNBC reported. His three children, who were elementary school-age at the time, were placed in protective custody in November 2023, according to the television station. KNBC reportedon July 14 that the prosecutor on the case, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, told a judge that she had expected Haskell to plead guilty this week. His defense attorney, Joseph Weimortz, told the television station that Haskell had been willing to waive his rights to a preliminary hearing and a jury trial to "avoid more media exposure." Weimortz noted that Haskell was afraid that the negative publicity would affect his children, according to KNBC. "In order to avoid more media exposure, he was willing to plead," Weimortz wrote in an email to the television station. "My client's acts were not acts of cowardice or lunacy. Ultimately, my client was even willing to take his own life, believing that it would end this terrible chaos." If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Contributing: Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:California man accused of dismembering his wife found dead in LA jail
