California man accused of dismembering wife and killing in-laws dies by suicide in jail

A California man accused of killing his wife and in-laws and dumping his wife’s remains in a trash bin has died by suicide in jail, according to his lawyer and law enforcement sources.

Samuel Bond Haskell, 37, was arrested in November 2023 in connection with the killings of his wife, Mei Haskell, her mother, Yanxiang Wang, and her stepfather, Gaoshan Li. He had pleaded not guilty to the murder charges and was being held without bail pending trial.

Haskell, the son of prominent Hollywood TV producer Sam Haskell, was found dead by suicide in a jail cell Saturday morning, law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles. He left a note, the sources added.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed the death.

Samuel Bond Haskell in custody
Samuel Bond Haskell in custody during an appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2023.Pool via NBC LA

Haskell was scheduled to appear for a Monday preliminary hearing in his murder case and if convicted, faced up to life in prison without the possiblity of parole, Hochman said.

“Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he’s been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice,” the D.A. said in a statement Monday. “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.”

A lawyer for the Haskell family, Joseph A. Weimortz Jr., confirmed he died by suicide in a Monday statement.

Weimortz said Haskell was “not afraid of prison, but was afraid of an even larger media spectacle,” and how it would impact his children.

“In order to avoid more media exposure, he was willing to waive his right to a preliminary hearing. In order to avoid more media exposure, he was willing to waive his right to a jury trial,” Weimortz said. “Ultimately, my client was even willing to take his own life, believing that it would end this terrible chaos.”

Samuel Bond Haskell.
Samuel Bond Haskell.Joseph A. Weimortz Jr. Esq.

“The Haskell family grieves every single life lost in this case,” he added.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a weekend news alert that detectives responded to the Twin Towers Correction Facility in Los Angeles regarding the death of an inmate, identified as Haskell.

No additional details were disclosed, and the county medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said the victims lived in Tarzana with Haskell and the couple’s three young children at the time of the killings.

Haskell’s wife and in-laws were last seen November 6, 2023. The following day, Haskell allegedly hired four day laborers to remove several “heavy black plastic trash bags” from the Tarzana home, the DA’s office has said.

From left, Mei Haskell, YanXiang Wang and Gaoshan Li.
From left, Mei Haskell, YanXiang Wang and Gaoshan Li.Los Angeles Police Department

One of the laborers opened a bag and “allegedly observed human body parts,” the DA’s office said. That laborer called 911 and reported the incident.

That same day, Haskell was allegedly seen disposing of a large trash bag behind a strip mall in Encino. On Nov. 8, an individual looking through the dumpster found a torso in a trash bag and called police, the DA’s office said.

He was taken into custody after the partial remains, later identified through DNA, were found to be his wife’s.

Police have not recovered the remains of Mei Haskell’s parents. The LAPD, however, said blood and other evidence found inside the Haskell family home were consistent with murder.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or go to 988lifeline.org, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.


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