Samuel Bond Haskell IV Case File: Charges, Death in Custody and Dismissal

The Haskell case

Samuel Bond Haskell IV was charged with murdering his wife, Mei Li Haskell, and her mother and stepfather in Tarzana in November 2023. He pleaded not guilty and died in custody before a judge heard any evidence. What the police, the prosecutors and the court record say, and what was never tested.

Dismissed · July 14, 2025

---

Record boundary

Haskell was charged with three counts of murder, with a special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders, and pleaded not guilty. He was found dead in his jail cell on July 12, 2025, two days before his preliminary hearing, and the case was dismissed on July 14, 2025. No court heard the evidence, and he was never convicted, so in law he remains presumed innocent. Everything this file says about what happened in the house comes from police and prosecutors and is attributed to them. Where the sources disagree, on an age, a relationship, a distance or a name, this file shows the disagreement.

AccusedP-01

Samuel Bond Haskell IV

Charged with three murders · pleaded not guilty · died in custody before trial · never convicted

Place4100

Tarzana4100 block of Coldstream Terrace · full address withheld

The family home, Tarzana

Shared by the couple, their three children and Mei Haskell’s mother and stepfather

Victim roll3 named in the charges · Tarzana, Nov. 2023

1. V-01Mei Li Haskellage 37
2. V-02Yanxiang Wangage 64
3. V-03Gaoshan Liage 71 to 72

Docket sheetTDSH-CF-2023-HSK · from DA, LAPD and court reporting

Case

People v. Samuel Bond Haskell · Los Angeles County Superior Court case 23CJCF00013

Charges

Three counts of murder · special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders · maximum sentence life without parole

Victims named

Mei Li Haskell, 37 · Yanxiang Wang, 64 · Gaoshan Li, 71 to 72

Arrest

Wed. Nov. 8, 2023 · booked on suspicion of murder

Filed

Mon. Nov. 13, 2023 · DA George Gascón

Plea

Not guilty · Fri. Jan. 12, 2024

Prosecutor

Deputy DA Beth Silverman, Major Crimes Division

Investigators

LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division, which took over from Valley Bureau Homicide

Custody

Held without bail from Nov. 13, 2023 · Twin Towers Correctional Facility

Outcome

Died in custody July 12, 2025 · case dismissed July 14, 2025 · no trial, no conviction

Status · checked October 16, 2026

DismissedNever tried

The case against Samuel Bond Haskell IV was dismissed on July 14, 2025, after his death in custody. He was never tried or convicted.

No conviction. Haskell pleaded not guilty. The case was dismissed at the defense’s request on July 14, 2025, because of his death.

His death. The Sheriff’s Department said he was found dead in his cell at about 4:20 a.m. on Sat. July 12, 2025. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.

The victims. The remains of Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li have never been found, according to the DA’s office.

Re-checked tonight: the DA’s July 2025 release and LAPD’s three victim pages are online and unchanged. The Superior Court’s online docket was not consulted directly. The sources reviewed report no criminal proceedings after the dismissal.

Dossier index18 sections · 00 to 17

Content & source warning

This file deals with the alleged killing and dismemberment of three people, the effect on three young children, and the accused’s death by suicide in jail. Injuries and methods are not described, and no crime-scene, body or victim photographs are shown. The account of what happened inside the home comes from police and prosecutors. No court tested it. If you are struggling or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) or 9-8-8 (Canada).

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §00

What happened in the Haskell case?

The short answer, with every allegation attributed

Direct answer

What happened in the Haskell case?

On Nov. 8, 2023, a person searching a dumpster in Encino found part of a woman’s body, and police arrested Samuel Bond Haskell IV, 35, the same day. Five days later, prosecutors charged him with murdering his wife, Mei Li Haskell, 37, her mother, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and her stepfather, Gaoshan Li, at the Tarzana home they shared. Prosecutors alleged that he tried to pay day laborers to haul away bags from the house the day before. The medical examiner later identified the remains as Mei Haskell’s. Her parents’ remains have never been found. Haskell pleaded not guilty. He died in custody on July 12, 2025, two days before his preliminary hearing, and the case was dismissed. He was never tried or convicted.

Key numbersEvery figure from the cited record · derived figures say so

people named as victims in the charges

counts of murder, plus a multiple-murder special circumstance

children in the home, unnamed here

victims whose remains have never been found

$500the DA says he paid day laborers to take bags away

bags the DA says police recovered at the home

$67,000cash the DA says was found at his office

Not guiltyhis plea, Jan. 12, 2024

20 monthsfrom arrest to death in custody (derived)

2 daysbetween his death and the scheduled preliminary hearing

trials or convictions

LWOPthe maximum sentence he faced if convicted

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §01

Where the case stands

Charges, plea, death in custody and dismissal, re-checked October 16, 2026

Status

Checked October 16, 2026

The criminal case is over without a verdict. Haskell was found dead in his cell at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility on Sat. July 12, 2025. On Mon. July 14, when his preliminary hearing was due to begin, Deputy DA Beth Silverman told Judge Lisa B. Lench of his death, and the case was dismissed at the defense’s request. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. He had pleaded not guilty in January 2024 and had not changed that plea.

The October 16, 2026 check found the DA’s release of July 14, 2025, still online. LAPD’s victim pages for Mei Haskell, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li are also still online and still read “Arrest Made: Yes.” The Superior Court’s online case index was not searched directly, so the dismissal rests on the City News Service court report and the DA’s release. No later criminal proceedings were found as of October 16, 2026. The criminal case ended with his death.

A guilty plea?

Expected, but never entered

Silverman told the judge she had “believed” the hearing “was going to be a guilty plea.” Haskell’s lawyer, Joseph A. Weimortz Jr., said his client “was willing to plead” to avoid more media exposure. No guilty plea was entered. A plea the defendant never made is not a conviction, and nothing in the record changes his plea of not guilty.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §02

Case snapshot

What the record establishes, what was only alleged, and what is unknown

Established

Who died, who was charged, how it ended

The official record establishes the following. Police found a woman’s torso in an Encino dumpster on Nov. 8, 2023, and the medical examiner identified it as Mei Li Haskell’s. Her mother and stepfather, who lived with her, have not been found. Her husband was arrested, charged with all three murders and held without bail. He pleaded not guilty, died in custody and was never tried.

Alleged

What the prosecution said it would prove

The DA’s office listed the evidence it “would have presented” at the preliminary hearing: the day laborers’ account, video, blood and DNA results, the contents of a rented SUV, receipts, cash and travel tickets. A judge never ruled on any of it, and the defense never cross-examined a witness. This file treats every item as an allegation and attributes it (§09).

Not established

Motive, method, the missing remains

No motive was established in court. The Los Angeles Times reported that police had not confirmed one, and DA Nathan Hochman spoke of “reasons we will never entirely know.” LAPD’s victim pages give the method as “unknown.” The medical examiner could not determine an exact cause of death for Mei Haskell. The remains of Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li have never been found.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §03

Who were the key people?

Key-people cards · names and roles from the record

AccusedP-01

Samuel Bond Haskell IV

Charged

Three counts of murder, Nov. 13, 2023; pleaded not guilty Jan. 12, 2024

Age

35 at arrest; 37 at his death (DA: born 04/03/88)

Name

“IV” in the LA Times, AP and The Guardian. The DA called him “Samuel Bond Haskell” in 2023 and “Samuel Haskell Jr.” in 2025

Earlier record

Arrested in 2008 on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon; pleaded no contest to battery; three years’ probation in 2010 (LA Times, citing court records)

Outcome

Died in custody before trial; never convicted

Sources

ProsecutorP-02

Beth Silverman

Role

Deputy District Attorney, Major Crimes Division; prosecuted the case from the filing to the dismissal

Said

“I don’t need a body to charge a murder” (Nov. 2023)

Sources

District AttorneyP-03

George Gascón

Role

DA when the charges were filed, Nov. 13, 2023

Sources

District AttorneyP-04

Nathan J. Hochman

Role

DA in July 2025; issued the release listing the evidence the office would have presented

Sources

PoliceP-05

LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division

Role

Took the case over from Valley Bureau Homicide; investigated it for the DA

Spokesman

Det. Efren Gutierrez briefed reporters in November 2023

Sources

DefenseP-06

Defense counsel

Nov. 2023

Joseph Gutierrez appeared at the first hearing (AP)

To Dec. 2023

Robert (Bob) Schwartz (LA Times)

From Dec. 2023

Joseph A. Weimortz Jr. (spelled “Weimoritz” in one LA Times report)

Sources

CourtP-07

The judges

Dec. 8, 2023

Judge Kimberley Baker Guillemet presided when he was ordered held without bail

July 14, 2025

Judge Lisa B. Lench, at the hearing where his death was announced

Sources

WitnessesP-08

The day laborers

Role

Hired on Nov. 7, 2023, to remove bags; returned the bags and the money and alerted police, according to the DA

Named

Not named in the record; some spoke to NBC4

Sources

WitnessP-09

The person at the dumpster

Role

Found the bag early on Nov. 8, 2023, and called 911

Described as

“An individual looking through dumpster bins” (LAPD); a homeless or unhoused man looking for recyclables (LA Times, ABC7)

Sources

FamilyP-10

Yanqing Wang

Role

Mei Haskell’s uncle and Yanxiang Wang’s brother; the family’s main voice in US coverage

Lives

Monterey Park (LA Times, Dec. 2023)

Sources

MedicalP-11

LA County Medical Examiner

Role

Identified Mei Haskell by kinship DNA analysis; later ruled Haskell’s own death a suicide

Sources

Not involvedP-12

Sam Haskell

Who

The accused’s father: former worldwide head of television at the William Morris Agency, retired 2005

Why named

Coverage identified the accused through him. He was not accused of anything

Sources

The three victims have their own cards (§04). The couple’s three children are not named and appear only as the record mentions them. No portraits of the accused, the family or witnesses are used. LAPD Det. Efren Gutierrez and defense lawyer Joseph Gutierrez are different people.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §04

The victims

Mei Li Haskell, her mother and her stepfather

Victim · 37V-01

Mei Li Haskell

Wife of the accused; mother of their three children. She came to the United States from China in the mid-2000s to study accounting and met Haskell at Cal State Northridge, her uncle told the LA Times. He said she worked several jobs and alone paid the family’s $7,000-a-month mortgage. Friends in court in 2025 called her “a devoted mom.”

Record

Prosecutors allege she was killed on or about Nov. 6, 2023. The torso found in Encino on Nov. 8 was identified as hers by the medical examiner through kinship DNA analysis. No other remains were reported recovered.

Outcome

Charges dismissed after the accused’s death; no trial

Sources

Victim · 64V-02

Yanxiang Wang

Mei Haskell’s mother. She and her husband moved from China after the couple’s first child was born, around 2010, and lived with the family. Her brother said she still did much of the cooking and looked after the children, although a stroke a few years earlier had made walking harder.

Record

Prosecutors allege she was killed on or about Nov. 6, 2023. Her canes were among the items the DA says police recovered at the home. Her remains have never been found.

Outcome

Charges dismissed after the accused’s death; no trial

Sources

Victim · 71 to 72V-03

Gaoshan Li

Mei Haskell’s stepfather. He and his wife moved from China to live with the family. Her uncle told the LA Times that the couple had sold their house in China to pay for Mei’s studies.

Record

Prosecutors allege he was killed on or about Nov. 6, 2023, and that blood in Mei Haskell’s Tesla matched his genetic profile. His remains have never been found.

Outcome

Charges dismissed after the accused’s death; no trial

Sources

Three names

The record behind each card

The couple’s three children lived in the house. Police found them safe at school on Nov. 8, 2023. Accounts of where they went next differ: the county Department of Children and Family Services (ABC7), “family members” (LAPD in November 2023, repeated by City News Service in 2025) and foster care (their great-uncle, December 2023). They are not named here.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §05

The places

Tarzana, Encino, Canoga Park and downtown Los Angeles

Place

The home and the dumpster

The family lived in a single-story house in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace in Tarzana, in the west San Fernando Valley. The torso was found in the rear parking lot of a commercial building near Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue in Encino, a strip of banks, a hair salon and a restaurant, according to the LA Times. The DA places the dumpster in the 16000 block of Ventura Boulevard.

Place

The arrest and the court

Police arrested Haskell at about 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2023, at the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park, ABC7 reported. His hearings were at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center downtown. He was held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, also downtown.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §06

Nov. 6 to 7, as alleged

The prosecution’s account of the days before the discovery

Alleged · before Nov. 6

Preparations, as the DA describes them

According to the DA’s office, Haskell rented an Airbnb in Tarzana in October 2023 for Nov. 6 to Nov. 18 and rented an SUV on Nov. 3, “prior to the murders.” The office said he bought a one-way ticket to Japan on Oct. 21 and a round-trip ticket for a 27-year-old girlfriend for Nov. 28 to Dec. 12. It also said he had told her in October that his children would soon be living with his parents. It cited two hardware-store receipts dated Oct. 6 and Oct. 20. None of this was tested in court.

Alleged · Nov. 6

When the DA says the three were killed

The DA alleges the three victims were killed “on or about Nov. 6, 2023” in the home they shared with Haskell. The office’s 2023 release says they were last seen on or about that date. According to the DA, Haskell stayed at the Airbnb with the children after that.

Alleged · Nov. 7

The day laborers

The DA says Haskell hired day laborers and paid them $500 to take heavy black plastic trash bags away from the house. After driving off, the workers opened one and saw human remains. They brought the bags and the money back, photographed him, the bags and the house, and alerted police. Officers came for a welfare check and found no one at home and the bags gone.

The workers told NBC4 that he first said the bags held rocks and then Halloween decorations, and that the bags felt soft. The LA Times reported that they called the California Highway Patrol first and then LAPD. In 2025 The Guardian reported that the workers spoke only Spanish and were not taken seriously when they first reported what they had found.

Alleged · Nov. 7

The video and the two cars

According to the DA, video shows Haskell that afternoon driving into a parking lot a short distance from his home, taking a large trash bag from the trunk of his Tesla and putting it in a dumpster in Encino. The LA Times described a video obtained by Fox News showing “a person believed to be Haskell” doing this at about 4:45 p.m. The DA says other surveillance video shows him moving more bags from the Tesla into the rented SUV and leaving the Tesla on the street. The Tesla, registered to Mei Haskell, was found there, near the Airbnb.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §07

Nov. 8: discovery, arrest, search

From the dumpster to the appeal for help

Record · Nov. 8

The discovery in Encino

LAPD said that at about 6 a.m. on Wed. Nov. 8, 2023, “an individual looking through dumpster bins” found a bag containing a woman’s torso and called police. News reports described him as homeless or unhoused and looking for recyclables. Detectives traced the case to the home on Coldstream Terrace.

Record · Nov. 8

The arrest

Police arrested Haskell the same day at the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park, at about 11:30 a.m., ABC7 reported. LAPD booked him on suspicion of murder and set bail at $2 million. The DA says he was driving the rented SUV and carrying a folding knife. The children were at school, and police found them safe.

Alleged · Nov. 8

The SUV and the house

The DA’s 2025 summary says police found a loaded revolver, ammunition, a military-style knife and passports for Haskell, his wife and the three children in the SUV. It says DNA testing linked the knife to all three victims and the gun to Mei Haskell and Gaoshan Li. The office says officers recovered eight trash bags at the home. It says they held bloody bedding and tools, items the DA said were used for dismemberment, and the two older victims’ canes. It also says forensic testing found that “large amounts of blood evidence” had been cleaned up inside. In November 2023 a detective said only that “blood evidence and other items” were found at the home.

Record · Nov. 8 to 12

The search for the others

Robbery-Homicide Division took over the case. On Nov. 12, 2023, LAPD asked the public for help finding Mei Li Haskell, Gaoshan Li and Yanxiang Wang, and two missing vehicles. The LA Times later reported that the two vehicles, missing from the Tarzana property, had been found in the San Fernando Valley. The medical examiner identified the torso as Mei Haskell’s by kinship DNA analysis in December 2023. Her parents have never been found.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §08

The charges and the court path

Booking, filing, plea, a hearing that never happened, and the dismissal

The case path · 2023 → 2026Read left to right, row by row · every stop sourced

Police and prosecutionCourtMedical examinerDeath, dismissal, status

1. 01Wed. Nov. 8, 2023LAPD Valley Bureau HomicideArrest; booked on suspicion of murder, bail $2 million.
2. 02Sun. Nov. 12, 2023LAPD Robbery-HomicideTakes over the case; public appeal for the three missing family members.
3. 03Mon. Nov. 13, 2023LA County DAThree counts of murder and a multiple-murder special circumstance filed.
4. 04Mon. Nov. 13, 2023Superior Court, Foltz CJCFirst appearance: held without bail; arraignment continued to Dec. 8.
5. 05Fri. Dec. 8, 2023Superior CourtArraignment continued again after a change of counsel; still held without bail.
6. 06Dec. 2023Medical ExaminerThe torso is identified as Mei Haskell’s by kinship DNA analysis.
7. 07Fri. Jan. 12, 2024Superior CourtArraigned; pleads not guilty to all three counts. Next date set to schedule a preliminary hearing.
8. 08Mar. 2024Medical ExaminerIts finding is reported: Mei Haskell’s death was “homicidal violence”; exact cause undetermined.
9. 09Sat. July 12, 2025Sheriff’s DepartmentFound dead in his cell; LASD Homicide Bureau investigates.
10. 10Mon. July 14, 2025Superior Court (Judge Lench)The preliminary hearing was due; the case is dismissed at the defense’s request.
11. 11Tue. Oct. 21, 2025Medical ExaminerAutopsy report made public; the death is ruled a suicide.
12. 12Sept. 30, 2026Status re-checkDA release and LAPD pages unchanged; no later criminal proceedings found.

Charges

What he was charged with

The DA charged Haskell with three counts of murder, one for each victim, and alleged the special circumstance of multiple murders. If he had been convicted as charged, the maximum sentence was life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was held without bail from his first court appearance until his death.

No verdict

Why there is no trial record

A preliminary hearing is where a judge decides whether there is enough evidence for a case to go to trial. Haskell’s hearing had been scheduled for July 14, 2025, and never took place. No witness testified, no evidence was admitted, and no judge or jury made any finding. The dismissal ended the case without a ruling on the evidence.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §09

The DA’s evidence summary

What prosecutors said they would have shown, and what that claim is worth

Read this as allegations

A summary from one side, never tested

On July 14, 2025, the DA’s office published the evidence it said it “would have presented” at the preliminary hearing. The table sets it out item by item. Each line is the prosecution’s description. The defense never answered it in court, and no judge ruled on whether any of it was admissible or enough for a trial.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §10

What remains unknown

Missing remains, cause of death, motive, and the untested evidence

Unknown

The missing remains

“The remains of Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li have never been found,” the DA said in July 2025. LAPD’s pages for both say their remains “have not been located.” In November 2023, Silverman said no other bags containing remains had been recovered: “I don’t need a body to charge a murder.” NBC LA reported in January 2024 that no further remains of Mei Haskell had been found.

Unknown

How and exactly when they died

LAPD’s pages say the victims were killed “by unknown method.” The medical examiner could not determine an exact cause of death for Mei Haskell and ruled it “homicidal violence,” the LA Times reported. The DA’s date is approximate: “on or about Nov. 6, 2023.”

Unknown

Why

No motive was proved. Police had not confirmed one, the LA Times reported. DA Hochman spoke of “reasons we will never entirely know.” Mei Haskell’s relatives told the LA Times they knew of no fights or talk of divorce, but that money had been a strain. The DA cited an affair and plans to travel to Japan, but did not state a motive. This file does not offer one.

Never tested

What a court would have decided

Whether the evidence would have supported a trial, and whether a jury would have convicted, cannot now be known. The case ended with his death and the dismissal, not with a finding.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §11

Death in custody and dismissal

How the case ended, July 2025

Record · July 12, 2025

The death in custody

The Sheriff’s Department said Haskell was found dead at about 4:20 a.m. on Sat. July 12, 2025, at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. The department’s Homicide Bureau investigated, as it does for deaths in its custody. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide; its report was made public on Oct. 21, 2025. NBC LA reported that he had been under “moderate monitoring” as a self-harm risk. The LA Times reported that his was the 26th death in the county jail system that year.

Record · July 14, 2025

The dismissal

At what was to have been the preliminary hearing, Silverman told Judge Lisa B. Lench of the death. The case was dismissed at the defense’s request. Friends of Mei Haskell attended. Jay Cieplik said outside court that she had been “a devoted mom” and that her parents were “devoted grandparents.”

Statements

Both sides, attributed

DA Hochman said: “Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he’s been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice.” He said the family had been “robbed of their chance to face him.” That is the prosecutor’s view, not a court’s finding.

Weimortz said his client was “not afraid of prison, but he was afraid of an even larger media spectacle,” and feared what coverage would do to his children. He said the Haskell family “grieves every single life lost in this case.”

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §12

Timeline

From 2008 to tonight’s status check, dated from the record

Read the sequence

Twenty months in custody, no trial

The DA says the alleged killings happened within a few days in November 2023. The court case then ran for 20 months without reaching a preliminary hearing (derived).

Mid-2000s

Mei comes to the US

She arrives from China to study accounting and later meets Haskell at Cal State Northridge, according to her uncle.

2008 to 2010

An earlier case

Haskell is arrested in 2008 on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, pleads no contest to battery and gets three years’ probation in 2010, the LA Times reported, citing court records.

c. 2010

Her parents join the family

After the couple’s first child is born, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li move from China and live with them.

Oct. 2023

Alleged preparations

Receipts dated Oct. 6 and Oct. 20, a one-way ticket to Japan bought Oct. 21 and the Airbnb booking, according to the DA.

Fri. Nov. 3, 2023

SUV rented

According to the DA.

On or about Nov. 6, 2023

Killings alleged

The DA alleges the three were killed at the Tarzana home.

Tue. Nov. 7, 2023

Day laborers; video

Workers return the bags and alert police; officers find no one at home; a bag is put in an Encino dumpster on video (all according to the DA).

Wed. Nov. 8, 2023

Discovery and arrest

A torso is found in the dumpster at about 6 to 6:15 a.m.; Haskell is arrested at about 11:30 a.m.; police search the home.

Sun. Nov. 12, 2023

LAPD appeal

RHD asks for help finding Mei Li Haskell, Gaoshan Li and Yanxiang Wang.

Mon. Nov. 13, 2023

Charged

Three counts of murder with a multiple-murder special circumstance; held without bail.

Fri. Dec. 8, 2023

Arraignment continued

New defense counsel; held without bail.

Dec. 2023

Remains identified

The medical examiner identifies the torso as Mei Haskell’s by kinship DNA analysis.

Fri. Jan. 12, 2024

Not guilty

He pleads not guilty to all three counts.

Mar. 2024

Medical examiner’s finding reported

The LA Times reports that Mei Haskell’s death was ruled “homicidal violence”; exact cause undetermined.

Sat. July 12, 2025

Death in custody

Found dead in his cell at Twin Towers at about 4:20 a.m.

Mon. July 14, 2025

Case dismissed

At the defense’s request, on the day the preliminary hearing was due.

Tue. Oct. 21, 2025

Ruling on his death

The medical examiner’s report, ruling the death a suicide, is made public.

Wed. Sept. 30, 2026

Status re-checked

The DA release and LAPD victim pages are unchanged; no later criminal proceedings found.

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §13

Document wall

The official record: an LAPD release, two DA releases and three LAPD victim pages

The record, not the spectacle. These are the official statements this file rests on. They are shown as typed cards rather than screenshots because the reuse terms for LA County and LAPD pages were not verified. No crime-scene, body or victim images are used. The court’s own filings were not obtained; the charges and the dismissal are known from the DA and from court reporting.

Document wall · CF-1 to CF-6Official records as typographic cards · tap a card to open the source

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §14

Myth vs. record

What the retellings get wrong, checked against the record

Myth

He was convicted

No. He pleaded not guilty, the case never reached a preliminary hearing, and it was dismissed after his death.

Myth

He pleaded guilty or confessed

No. The prosecutor said she had expected a guilty plea and his lawyer said he “was willing to plead.” No guilty plea was entered (his plea of not guilty from January 2024 stood), and no confession has been reported in the record reviewed.

Myth

The court found the DA’s evidence proved the case

No court ruled on it. The DA described the evidence it “would have presented.”

Myth

All three victims were found

No. Only part of Mei Haskell’s remains was recovered. The remains of her mother and stepfather have never been found.

Myth

Gaoshan Li was Mei’s father

The DA’s 2025 release and later reporting call him her stepfather. Early reports said “parents.”

Myth

His father worked for WME

Sam Haskell worked at the William Morris Agency. The LA Times corrected an early report that said William Morris Endeavor.

Record

He was held on $2 million bail

At booking, yes. From the Nov. 13, 2023 hearing he was held without bail.

Record

“Jr.” or “IV”?

The accused is Samuel Bond Haskell IV in the LA Times, AP and The Guardian; his father is Sam Haskell III. The DA’s 2025 release calls him “Jr.”

TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §15

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TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §16
TDSH-CF-2023-HSK · §17

Frequently Asked Questions

Source ledger

Citations & Sources

Prosecutor and police statements first; court reporting next; other news last

Prosecutor

Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “Samuel Haskell Jr. Charged With 2023 Murders of Wife, In-Laws Dies by Suicide Before Court Hearing”, news release, July 14, 2025 (case 23CJCF00013; re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET)

The July 2025 release: his death, the hearing date and the evidence summary.

Notes 3

https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/samuel-haskell-jr-charged-2023-murders-wife-laws-dies-suicide-court-hearingProsecutor

Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “Los Angeles County D.A. Gascón Announces Man Charged in Murder of His Wife, In-Laws in Tarzana”, news release, Nov. 13, 2023, as reprinted in full by the Sierra Sun Times, Nov. 14, 2023 (the DA’s own page was not located)

The 2023 filing: charges, special circumstance, no bail.

Notes 1

https://www.goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/california/51442-los-angeles-county-d-a-gascon-announces-man-charged-in-murder-of-his-wife-in-laws-in-tarzanaPolice

Los Angeles Police Department, “Los Angeles Man Arrested for Murder After Woman’s Torso Found in Dumpster, Police Ask for Public’s Help Locating Suspects Wife and In-Laws”, news release, Nov. 12, 2023, as reprinted in full by the Sierra Sun Times (the lapdonline.org newsroom copy was not located)

The Nov. 12, 2023 release: arrest, bail, the appeal for the missing family members.

Notes 5

https://www.goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/california/51381-los-angeles-man-arrested-for-murder-after-woman-s-torso-found-in-dumpster-police-ask-for-public-s-help-locating-suspects-wife-and-in-lawsPolice

Los Angeles Police Department, homicide victim page “Haskell, Mei” (re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET)

Victim page: date, location, “Arrest Made: Yes.”

Notes 13

https://www.lapdonline.org/homicide-victim/haskell-mei/Police

Los Angeles Police Department, homicide victim page “Wang, Yanxiang” (re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET)

Victim page: remains not located.

Notes 9

https://www.lapdonline.org/homicide-victim/wang-yanxiang/Police

Los Angeles Police Department, homicide victim page “Li, Gaoshan” (re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET)

Victim page: age 71, remains not located.

Notes 10

https://www.lapdonline.org/homicide-victim/li-gaoshan/Court reporting

City News Service, “Man accused of killing wife, in-laws dies in custody”, as published by the San Fernando Valley Sun, July 14, 2025

The July 14, 2025 hearing: the judge, the dismissal, both sides’ statements.

Notes 4

https://sanfernandosun.com/2025/07/14/man-accused-of-killing-wife-in-laws-dies-in-custody/Court reporting

Los Angeles Times, “Hollywood executive’s son pleads not guilty in triple murder of wife and in-laws”, Jan. 12, 2024

The not-guilty plea, Jan. 12, 2024.

Notes 2

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-12/hollywood-executives-son-pleads-not-guilty-in-triple-murder-of-wife-and-in-lawsCourt reporting

Los Angeles Times, “Samuel Bond Haskell IV held without bail for allegedly killing wife, in-laws”, Dec. 8, 2023

The Dec. 8, 2023 hearing: counsel, no bail.

Notes 19

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-08/hollywood-execs-son-held-without-bail-in-tarzana-body-parts-caseCourt reporting

NBC Los Angeles (KNBC), “Tarzana man accused of killing wife, in-laws pleads not guilty to murder charges”, Jan. 12, 2024

The plea; the identification of the remains.

Notes 6

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/tarzana-man-accused-of-killing-wife-in-laws-pleads-not-guilty-to-murder-charges/3311031/Wire service

Associated Press, “Los Angeles man accused of killing wife and her parents, putting body parts in trash”, Nov. 13, 2023

The charges, the first hearing, Silverman’s comments.

Notes 7

https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-dismembered-bodies-trash-bb5bfdc0ead13bc851fd2fea7f4bdd51Wire service

Associated Press, report on the arrest, Nov. 11, 2023

The arrest, the $2 million bail, the family as LAPD described it.

Notes 22

https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-police-torso-arrest-b3ab605947eee51129972ce3b6ccb695Newspaper

Los Angeles Times, “A torso was found near hair salon, family restaurant in Encino”, Nov. 8, 2023

The discovery: time and place.

Notes 23

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-08/a-bag-of-body-parts-discovered-in-encinoNewspaper

Los Angeles Times, “Husband arrested after body part found; wife, in-laws missing”, Nov. 9, 2023 (correction appended Nov. 11, 2023: William Morris Agency, not William Morris Endeavor)

The arrest, his earlier record, the father’s agency (corrected).

Notes 15

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-09/husband-arrested-body-part-wife-in-laws-missingNewspaper

Los Angeles Times, “Hollywood exec’s son asked laborers to move body parts, officials say”, Nov. 13, 2023

The day laborers’ account; the video.

Notes 20

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-13/son-of-hollywood-exec-tried-to-get-day-laborers-to-move-body-parts-officials-sayNewspaper

Los Angeles Times, “A Hollywood exec’s son, three missing family members and a gruesome discovery”, Nov. 14, 2023

The charges; the day laborers’ report to CHP and LAPD.

Notes 24

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-14/a-hollywood-execs-son-three-missing-family-members-and-a-gruesome-discoveryNewspaper

Los Angeles Times, “Dumped body parts, a missing couple, abandoned kids: Horror, mystery inside Tarzana home”, Dec. 5, 2023 (interview with Mei Haskell’s uncle)

Interview with Mei Haskell’s uncle: the family’s history.

Notes 21

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-05/mystery-horror-continue-in-samuel-haskell-tarzana-body-parts-caseNewspaper

Los Angeles Times, report on the medical examiner’s findings for Mei Haskell, Mar. 18, 2024

The medical examiner’s finding for Mei Haskell.

Notes 14

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-18/headless-body-gives-few-clues-as-to-how-sam-haskells-wife-diedNewspaper

Los Angeles Times, “Hollywood executive’s son dies in jail ahead of possible murder trial”, July 14, 2025

His death in custody; the jail context.

Notes 11

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-14/haskell-death-hollywood-executive-murder-chargesNewspaper

The Guardian, report on Haskell’s death in custody, July 14, 2025

His death, the family background, the father.

Notes 18

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/14/california-man-murdering-wife-in-laws-dies-jailBroadcast

KABC-TV (ABC7 Los Angeles), report on the discovery and arrest, Nov. 8 to 9, 2023

The discovery and arrest: times, the mall, the children.

Notes 17

https://abc7.com/post/encino-body-parts-found-los-angeles-police-department-human-remains/14027734/Broadcast

KABC-TV (ABC7 Los Angeles), report on the charges, Nov. 13 to 14, 2023

The charges.

Notes 25

https://abc7.com/post/samuel-haskell-iv-encino-missing-woman-mei-li/14053736/Broadcast

CNN, report on the charges and first court appearance, Nov. 12 to 13, 2023

The first hearing; LAPD’s early description of the evidence.

Notes 16

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/12/us/samuel-haskell-jr-investigation-mondayBroadcast

NBC Los Angeles (KNBC), report on Haskell’s death in custody, July 14, 2025

His death; both sides’ statements.

Notes 12

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/man-suspected-of-dismembering-wife-murdering-in-laws-found-dead-in-jail-by-suicide/3744217/Broadcast

NBC Los Angeles (KNBC), report on the medical examiner’s findings on Haskell’s death, Oct. 21, 2025

The medical examiner’s ruling on his death.

Notes 8

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/coroner-report-details-jail-death-of-tarzana-father-accused-of-murdering-wife-in-laws/3794121/

Numbered notes

1. Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “Los Angeles County D.A. Gascón Announces Man Charged in Murder of His Wife, In-Laws in Tarzana”, news release, Nov. 13, 2023, as reprinted in full by the Sierra Sun Times, Nov. 14, 2023 (the DA’s own page was not located). www.goldrushcam.com
2. Los Angeles Times, “Hollywood executive’s son pleads not guilty in triple murder of wife and in-laws”, Jan. 12, 2024. www.latimes.com
3. Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “Samuel Haskell Jr. Charged With 2023 Murders of Wife, In-Laws Dies by Suicide Before Court Hearing”, news release, July 14, 2025 (case 23CJCF00013; re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET). da.lacounty.gov
4. City News Service, “Man accused of killing wife, in-laws dies in custody”, as published by the San Fernando Valley Sun, July 14, 2025. sanfernandosun.com
5. Los Angeles Police Department, “Los Angeles Man Arrested for Murder After Woman’s Torso Found in Dumpster, Police Ask for Public’s Help Locating Suspects Wife and In-Laws”, news release, Nov. 12, 2023, as reprinted in full by the Sierra Sun Times (the lapdonline.org newsroom copy was not located). www.goldrushcam.com
6. NBC Los Angeles (KNBC), “Tarzana man accused of killing wife, in-laws pleads not guilty to murder charges”, Jan. 12, 2024. www.nbclosangeles.com
7. Associated Press, “Los Angeles man accused of killing wife and her parents, putting body parts in trash”, Nov. 13, 2023. apnews.com
8. NBC Los Angeles (KNBC), report on the medical examiner’s findings on Haskell’s death, Oct. 21, 2025. www.nbclosangeles.com
9. Los Angeles Police Department, homicide victim page “Wang, Yanxiang” (re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET). www.lapdonline.org
10. Los Angeles Police Department, homicide victim page “Li, Gaoshan” (re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET). www.lapdonline.org
11. Los Angeles Times, “Hollywood executive’s son dies in jail ahead of possible murder trial”, July 14, 2025. www.latimes.com
12. NBC Los Angeles (KNBC), report on Haskell’s death in custody, July 14, 2025. www.nbclosangeles.com
13. Los Angeles Police Department, homicide victim page “Haskell, Mei” (re-checked Sept. 30, 2026, ET). www.lapdonline.org
14. Los Angeles Times, report on the medical examiner’s findings for Mei Haskell, Mar. 18, 2024. www.latimes.com
15. Los Angeles Times, “Husband arrested after body part found; wife, in-laws missing”, Nov. 9, 2023 (correction appended Nov. 11, 2023: William Morris Agency, not William Morris Endeavor). www.latimes.com
16. CNN, report on the charges and first court appearance, Nov. 12 to 13, 2023. www.cnn.com
17. KABC-TV (ABC7 Los Angeles), report on the discovery and arrest, Nov. 8 to 9, 2023. abc7.com
18. The Guardian, report on Haskell’s death in custody, July 14, 2025. www.theguardian.com
19. Los Angeles Times, “Samuel Bond Haskell IV held without bail for allegedly killing wife, in-laws”, Dec. 8, 2023. www.latimes.com
20. Los Angeles Times, “Hollywood exec’s son asked laborers to move body parts, officials say”, Nov. 13, 2023. www.latimes.com
21. Los Angeles Times, “Dumped body parts, a missing couple, abandoned kids: Horror, mystery inside Tarzana home”, Dec. 5, 2023 (interview with Mei Haskell’s uncle). www.latimes.com
22. Associated Press, report on the arrest, Nov. 11, 2023. apnews.com
23. Los Angeles Times, “A torso was found near hair salon, family restaurant in Encino”, Nov. 8, 2023. www.latimes.com
24. Los Angeles Times, “A Hollywood exec’s son, three missing family members and a gruesome discovery”, Nov. 14, 2023. www.latimes.com
25. KABC-TV (ABC7 Los Angeles), report on the charges, Nov. 13 to 14, 2023. abc7.com

Revised case file prepared Sept. 30, 2026 (ET) from TDSH’s “Samuel Bond Haskell IV Arrested in Connection with Dismembered Body Parts, Suspected of Killing Wife and 2 In-Laws” (published Nov. 9, 2023), with fact-check corrections applied and the case status brought up to date. Editorial standard: LAPD and Los Angeles County District Attorney statements, court reporting and reputable news, with every allegation attributed. Samuel Bond Haskell IV was charged but never tried or convicted; he is not described as guilty anywhere in this file. Source conflicts on ages, a relationship, times, distances and names are shown as conflicts. Case status checked October 16, 2026.

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