Samuel Haskell Jr., the son of famed Hollywood producer and agent Sam Haskell, has died by suicide just days before he was set to appear in court for the killings of his wife and in-laws, according to prosecutors.
He was charged with three counts of murder with the special circumstances of committing multiple murders and pleaded not guilty. He was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“This is one last cruel act by someone who did the most horrific things for reasons we will never entirely know,” he said.
“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.”
Detectives were called to “investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of an inmate,” and upon arrival, identified the deceased inmate as Haskell.
On or around Nov. 6, 2023, Haskell had murdered and dismembered his wife, her mother, and stepfather, before paying several day laborers the next day to take away heavy black trash bags.
A laborer proceeded to open one of the bags and saw human body parts, the DA’s office said. They went on to alert authorities and returned the bags. Haskell was allegedly seen disposing of one of those bags in Encino that same day.
The following day, Haskell was captured on surveillance footage transferring additional black trash bags from his vehicle into a rented SUV. Law enforcement says the car contained blood that matched one of the victims.
Further, on Nov. 8, an individual looking through the Encino dumpster found a torso in a trash bag and called police.
The remains were later identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as belonging to Haskell’s wife, while her parents’ remains have never been found.
