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Hollywood executive's son accused in murders of wife and in-laws dies in custody, officials say

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The son of a prominent Hollywood executive who was in jail and awaiting a preliminary court hearing on Monday for allegedly killing his wife and her parents has died in custody, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Samuel Bond Haskell was charged in 2023 with the killings of his wife Mei Haskell, 37 and her parents, 64-year-old Yanxiang Wang and 72-year-old Gaoshan Li. The 37-year-old Haskell is the son of Hollywood agent and producer Samuel Haskell.

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Samuel Haskell's family members are listed as missing by LAPD: Mei Le Haskell, 37, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Lee, 72 LAPD

Detectives with the sheriff's department responded to the Twin Towers Correctional Facility on July 12 around 4:20 a.m. to investigate the death of Haskell. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said Haskell died by suicide.

Haskell, a cinematographer and producer, had pleaded not guilty earlier to murder charges, which included a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. He faced a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole had he been convicted as charged.

The victims lived with Haskell and the couple's three young children in their Tarzana home and were last seen around Nov. 6, 2023. 

Haskell had allegedly hired four day laborers on Nov. 7 to remove several heavy black plastic trash bags from his home. One of the workers opened one of the bags and called 911 after allegedly seeing body parts, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.

Haskell was arrested the following day after someone rummaging through a dumpster in Encino came across a body part and called police. Haskell was apparently caught on video dumping the trash bags from the back of his Tesla into the dumpster.

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SkyCal overhead the dumpster where the woman's torso was located in Encino. KCAL Nes

The dismembered body parts were positively identified as Mei Haskell's remains, with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner listing her cause of death as "deferred."  

Also on November 7, Haskell was captured on surveillance video moving more black plastic trash bags from his Tesla to a rented SUV in which he drove away, leaving the Tesla parked on the street.

The car, registered to Mei Haskell, was later recovered by law enforcement and contained blood that matched Gaoshan Li's genetic profile, according to the district attorney's office. At the time of Haskell's arrest, he was armed with a folding knife and a Home Depot receipt dated Oct. 20, 2023, was found in his wallet, listing the purchases of plywood, canopy, moisture barrier, coveralls, and diamond-saw blades. 

The DA's office listed other evidence found inside the rented SUV, including a loaded handgun, ammunition, a "blood-encrusted" military-style knife, a headlamp, and passports for himself, his wife Mei, and their three children. DNA analysis of blood on the military knife matched all three victims, while blood stains on the firearm matched the genetic profiles of Mei Li and Gaoshan Li, according to the district attorney's office.  

No other information surrounding Haskell's jail death was available at this time. 

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