Accused triple-murderer Sam Haskell Jr. was found dead in his jail cell from suicide on July 12, 2025, just days before he was scheduled to appear in court. Haskell Jr., son of Hollywood producer Sam Haskell, allegedly murdered and dismembered his wife and her parents in 2023.
Reports also say jail officials found a suicide note in Haskell Jr.’s cell. In it, he mentioned the three children he shared with his late wife, 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell, whom he was accused of killing. Haskell Jr., who was 37 when he died, also allegedly killed and dismembered Mei Li’s mother and stepfather, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Li, 71.
Haskell Jr. called his kids his “best friends”
According to TMZ, Haskell Jr.’s note said he would miss his three “best friends,” his children. But Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told the outlet that, before his arrest, Haskell Jr. had purchased a one-way ticket to Japan for himself and a round-trip ticket for his girlfriend. This suggests that, after allegedly killing their mother, he intended to leave his three children behind.
Hochman said that information was set to be revealed at the hearing scheduled to take place just two days before Haskell Jr. died.
According to The New York Times, Haskell Jr.’s lawyer, Joseph A. Weimortz Jr., also referred to his client’s three children in a statement.
Weimortz Jr. said, “My client was not afraid of prison, but he was afraid of an even larger media spectacle. He was not afraid for himself; he was afraid for his boys. He was afraid that every photo taken, every word written, would be a permanent scar his children would have to live with. He was afraid that every gory, salacious detail, regardless of its truth or falsity, would be used for public entertainment.”
The Sam Haskell Jr. case
According to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, Haskell Jr. killed his wife and her parents on or around November 6, 2023. Surveillance footage and forensic evidence—including bloodstains, a cutting saw, a machete, and DNA matches—linked Haskell Jr. to the killings and to attempts to dispose of the remains. One gruesome discovery was Mei’s torso in an Encino dumpster, while the bodies of her parents were never recovered.
According to prosecutors, Haskell Jr. hired Spanish‑speaking day laborers on November 7 to remove heavy black garbage bags from the family’s Tarzana, California home. One of the laborers opened a bag, discovered human remains, and tried to alert authorities.
Surveillance footage captured Haskell Jr. himself dumping a similar bag into an Encino dumpster. The following day, a passerby found Mei’s torso in that dumpster, triggering a police investigation.
Haskell Jr., who pleaded not guilty, was on suicide watch after his arrest. Reports say he was not considered a suicide risk when officials found him dead.
Published: Jul 16, 2025 08:24 am