Sam Haskell IV, the Los Angeles man accused of brutally killing his wife and her parents and dismembering at least one of their bodies, has died by suicide while in custody, his family’s attorney confirmed.
Haskell, 36, had been charged with three counts of murder in connection to the November 2023 deaths of his wife, 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell, and her parents, Gaoshan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64.
His arrest came after a torso was discovered in a dumpster in Encino. Authorities later identified the remains as belonging to Mei Haskell.
“This case has always been about a father who, like so many others, was trying to protect his children,” attorney Joseph Weimortz said in a statement to PEOPLE. “You didn’t know the real Samuel Haskell. What the public saw was a man paraded half-naked into court, stripped of dignity, and misjudged without context.”
Weimortz said Haskell wore a protective vest in court due to medical necessity — he had undergone a colectomy in 2013 and relied on an ostomy bag.
“He wasn’t afraid of prison,” the attorney added, “but he was terrified of turning this into a media circus his three young sons would never escape. Every article, every photo, every word — he feared they’d become permanent scars on his children’s lives.”
Weimortz revealed that Haskell was prepared to waive his rights to a preliminary hearing, a jury trial, and even enter a plea, all to avoid further public exposure. “His final act was not out of cowardice,” the statement said. “He believed that by taking his own life, he could finally end the chaos.”
Haskell died two days before he was scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Prosecutors alleged that on November 7, 2023, Haskell hired day laborers to remove several trash bags from his home. One of the workers later told investigators the bags appeared to contain body parts. That same day, Haskell was allegedly spotted disposing of another trash bag — which was found to contain a human torso.
DNA tests later confirmed the remains were Mei Haskell’s. The bodies of her parents have not been recovered.
Haskell had pleaded not guilty and was being held without bail. If convicted, he faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
Haskell was the son of Sam Haskell III, a former Hollywood talent agent and Emmy-winning producer whose clients once included George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, and Dolly Parton.
Sam and Mei Li Haskell shared three young sons, now left orphaned.
“The Haskell family mourns all lives lost in this tragedy,” Weimortz’s statement concluded. “They ask for privacy as they grieve — and welcome your prayers.”
