THESE PARTNERSHIPS ENDED IN TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
At an arraignment hearing on 12 January 2024, 35-year-old movie maker Sam Haskell IV –the son of aHollywood producer –entered aplea of not guilty to three counts of murder. In acrime that reads like afilm storyline itself, he stands accused of murdering his wife Mei Li, 37, her mother Yanxiang Wang, 64, and her stepfather Gaoshan Li, 72. Mei Li’s body was found without her head, and the other two bodies had yet to be located at time of press.
DUMPED
Haskell was arrested while out driving in Tarzana, in the San Fernando Valley, late last year after the body was found by amember of the public. Astatement from the Los A ngeles Police Department said, “On 8November 2023, at around 6am, an individual looking through dumpsters found abag containing awoman’s torso, prompting the police to be called. Detectives responded and processed the crime scene. The investigation provided detectives with information that led them to aresidence. This residence was forensically processed for evidence, and detectives discovered the location was the family residence where the suspect lived with his wife, in-laws and three children. The children have been located and are being cared for by family members. However, [his] wife and in-laws have not been located. The suspect is identified as 35-year-old Samuel Haskell, aresident of Los Angeles. He is booked for murder and is being held on $2,000,000 bail.” The body was later identified as Mei Li.
Prosecutors have alleged that Haskell killed his wife and her parents sometime around 6November, before dismembering their bodies and placing them in bin bags. It’s claimed he then hired day labourers to dispose of the bags, which he said contained rocks and movie props. But the labourers brought the bags back to the house when they realised what was inside. One of the men told aUS news channel, “When we picked up the bags, we could tell they weren’t rocks”, adding that he opened the bag and saw “body parts, abelly button”. He added, “I was astonished. Of course, Ifelt bad”. They contacted the police, and Haskell was allegedly then caught on CCTV placing alarge bag into the dumpster.
