Tarzana man linked to wife’s murder cut himself to death – NBC Los Angeles

Samuel Haskell, the Tarzana father accused of murdering and dismembering his wife and in-laws, died by suicide after slashing his arms with a razor in jail, according to an autopsy report made public by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office Tuesday.

Haskell, 37, was found unresponsive in a cell at the Twin Towers jail in downtown LA on July 12 after jail staff saw his cell windows had been covered.

He was pronounced dead a short time later by paramedics.

The coroner’s exam noted there were multiple lacerations on his left and right arms just below his elbows, the “antecubital fossa,” which cut through both basilic veins, and concluded that Haskell bled to death.

The report said a note was found in Haskell’s left pocket, and there were no alcohol or drugs in his system.

At the time of his death, Haskell had indicated he planned to plead guilty to the murders at a hearing scheduled for the same week.

“Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he’s been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice,” LA County DA Nathan Hochman said in a statement.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department said Haskell was supposed to be under, “moderate monitoring,” for risk of self harm, and during previous court appearances was dressed in an anti-suicide smock instead of conventional jail clothing.

LAPD

LAPD

He was charged in 2023 with the murders of his wife, Mei, and her parents, Yanxiang Wang and Gaoshan Li.

Mei Haskell’s partial remains were discovered in a trash bin in Encino in November, 2023, but the remains of Wang and Li were never found.

Samuel and Mei Haskell had three children.

In July, Haskell’s defense lawyer said the death by suicide was “not acts of cowardice or lunacy.”

“Ultimately, my client was even willing to take his own life, believing that it would end this terrible chaos,” the attorney said.