The headless torso that appeared in a dumpster was undoubtedly a homicide; that's clear.
But it is impossible to determine whether the death of the wife of the son of a prominent Hollywood actor was the result of a gunshot, a blow to the head, asphyxiation or even decapitation, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Body parts found inside black plastic bag in November
and workers' reports of what appeared to be human remains on his Tarzana property led police to arrest Samuel Bond Haskell IV in connection with the disappearance and death of his wife and parents.
The coroner determined the torso belonged to Haskell's wife, Mei, 37, but police have not yet located the remains of his mother, Yanxiang Wang, 64, and stepfather, Gaoshan Li, 72.
According to the autopsy report, Mei Haskell was decapitated with “a single shearing force to the base of the neck,” although there is “no definitive indication” that the dismemberment occurred after death. However, a pathologist added, “the possibility that the removal of the head and neck was initiated before death cannot be completely excluded.”
The report indicated that only her upper thighs were attached to her torso and that the amputation sites were noticeably smooth.
“This suggests that a sharp power tool was likely used to perform these amputations.”
With no direct cause of death, the medical examiner ruled that the mother of three died from “homicidal violence.”
Although toxicology tests showed no signs of drug use, the pathologist's report said that, like other forms of death, poisoning could not be ruled out.
Samuel Haskell IV was indicted in January on triple counts of murder.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
In January, Haskell, 35, pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder with special circumstances of committing multiple murders. If he is convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Haskell is the son of Emmy-winning producer Sam Haskell, a former executive at the powerhouse talent agency William Morris.
Los Angeles police are still trying to solve the mystery of the Tarzana man and his three missing family members. Authorities say Haskell lived in a sprawling home in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace with his wife, his three school-age children and his in-laws.
Yanqing Wang said she had never heard of fights or talk of divorce between her niece, Mei, and her husband, but said her sister, Mei's mother, complained that Mei was the only one paying her $7,000 mortgage. a month and that Haskell had not offered them financial support when they were looking to buy a home three years ago.
Police said that on Nov. 7, Haskell tried to get laborers to remove bags containing what he claimed were rocks from his home. Workers told KNBC-TV Channel 4 that the contents of the bags looked like meat and when they looked inside, they saw body parts. “When we picked up the bags, we realized they weren't rocks,” one of the workers said in Spanish.
When that disposal method failed, Haskell was caught on security cameras throwing bags from the back of his Tesla in Encino, authorities said.
The next morning, a homeless man found a human torso stuffed inside a duffel bag in a dumpster in an Encino parking lot near Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue, about five miles from Haskell's home, the police said. police.
Haskell was arrested after the gruesome discovery, and during a search of his home, detectives discovered blood and evidence consistent with dismemberment, the district deputy said. Lawyer. Beth Silverman said.
