Sam Haskell Jr., the son of a prominent television producer, died by suicide just days before his preliminary hearing to determine whether he should stand trial for allegedly dismembering his wife and killing her parents, according to TMZ.
Haskell was in prison at the time of his death. Last year, he pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in a Los Angeles court. He was accused in the 2023 murders of his wife Mei Li Haskell and her parents, Gaoshan Li and Yanxiang Wang. He allegedly dismembered their bodies, placed them in garbage bags, and hired day laborers to take the bags to a dump site.
Haskell’s father was Sam Haskell Sr., founder and president of Magnolia Hill Productions, which produced various TV specials starring Dolly Parton and others featuring The Waltons. Before that, Haskell Sr. spent time at William Morris, where he rose to Worldwide Head of Television before retiring. During his time at the agency he repped numerous stars, including George Clooney, Dolly Parton and Whoopi Goldberg.
