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Samuel Haskell died by suicide in jail nearly two years after he was charged with the murder of his wife Mei Li Haskell and in-laws, law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles.
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Content warning: This story deals with murder and suicide.
A California murder case has had a shocking development.
Samuel Haskell, who was charged with killing and dismembering his wife and in-laws, was found dead in his jail cell July 12 following an apparent suicide, law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles. He was 37.
While the circumstances of Samuel’s death weren’t immediately available, the sources added that the inmate—the son of former agent and former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell III—left a note. He had been due to appear in court July 14 for a hearing in his case, according to inmate records viewed by E! News, and previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
E! News has reached out to his attorney but has not heard back.
Samuel was arrested in November 2023 after a female torso was discovered in a plastic bag near a dumpster in Encino, Calif., the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed at the time. Evidence at the scene led authorities to the home where he lived with his wife Mei Li Haskell, 37, and their three sons, as well as her parents Gaoshan Li, 71, and Yanxiang Wang, 64.
At the home, investigators found "evidence of a crime" and "blood evidence" inside, LAPD Det. Efren Gutierrez said at the time.
While DNA testing later determined the torso belonged to Mei Li, her parents’ remains were never recovered, authorities previously told NBC Los Angeles.
ABC 7 News
Days after his arrest, Samuel was charged with three counts of murder, which constituted a maximum sentence of life without parole had he been convicted. He was being held with no bail at the time of his death.
As for the couple’s three children, they were found in the care of family members during the initial investigation and later placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, ABC7 reported at the time.
(E! News and NBC Los Angeles are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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