Sam Haskell IV, the son of top Hollywood agent Sam Haskell III, died by suicide days before his preliminary hearing on charges of murder.
In November 2023, Haskell was arrested in Los Angeles after his wife’s torso was found near his home after she had been missing for several days. He also stood accused of killing his wife’s parents
“The son of a top Hollywood agent who was arrested after a woman’s torso was found in a dumpster near his LA home was caught on camera disposing of what appears to have been part of her body in a California strip mall parking lot,” noted the New York Post at the time.
“Surveillance footage obtained by TMZ shows Samuel Haskell IV parking his white Tesla next to a dumpster in Encino Tuesday afternoon before opening up the back and taking out what appears to be a large garbage bag,” it added. “Haskell, 35, can be seen struggling to hoist the unwieldy bag up and onto his shoulder before tossing it.”
According to Fox News, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman revealed in a statement that “prosecutors had damning new evidence against him that was going to be made public at an upcoming preliminary hearing — including that he was having an affair with a 27-year-old woman and had been arrested with a bloodsoaked knife containing the DNA of all three victims.”
Authorities found the 37-year-old dead in his cell by apparent suicide; no details have been shared as to the methods used. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“Instead of standing before a judge and answering for the crimes he’s been charged with, the defendant managed to escape justice,” Hochman said in a statement. “This is one last cruel act by someone who did the most horrific things for reasons we will never entirely know. A family that has been dealing with unimaginable loss now has been robbed of their chance to face him, hold him accountable for his barbaric actions, and openly share their grief and their cherished memories of their loved ones.”
Haskell’s attorney has not commented on the suicide, but previously told Fox News that his client’s risk of self-harm was “wild speculation” while criticizing the judge for requiring Haskell to appear shirtless or wear a protective vest at previous hearings.
“He was obviously an unhinged individual,” Joshua Ritter, a former Los Angeles deputy district attorney, told Fox News. “The crime itself speaks to his mental unrest. It’s not so uncommon that we see people commit murders based on financial or marital difficulties, but the idea of going as far as killing your in-laws and chopping their body parts up is very extreme.”
The bodies of Mei Haskell’s parents have yet to be discovered. The couple shared three children together, who were all turned over to the Department of Children and Family Services.
Haskell’s father previously represented George Clooney, Dolly Parton, and Whoopi Goldberg.
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