The California man suspected of butchering his wife after her torso was found in a dumpster was obsessed with samurai swords, guns and martial arts – and neighbors said they heard screams for help the night before he disappeared.
Samuel Haskell IV, 35, had a disturbing fascination with weapons including a bow and arrow that he proudly displayed in his home, neighbors told The Post.
His wife, Mei Li Haskell, does not like guns in the house because they have three sons who are all under the age of 13.
“He definitely had a fascination, bordering on obsession, for martial arts,” said neighbor Elle Benami. “There are also guns and crossbows in their house. Their son would tell my kids about guns, which always worried me — so much so that I wouldn’t leave my kids alone upstairs in their house.
“I know Mei doesn’t like keeping those things in the house and she wants him to get rid of them.”
On Monday, Haskell stood before a Los Angeles judge and was charged with his wife’s murder, as well as the deaths of his parents Goashan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64, who were also reported missing.
Haskell faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of all charges, according to officials with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said the victim was last seen on or about November 6.
Benami said the last time she saw Mei Li Haskell was on Nov. 2, and the usually cheerful and cheerful mother looked somber. The women quickly said hello to each other before they drove off in their respective cars to send their children to school.
Samuel Haskell IV, 35, was arrested last week on suspicion of murder after a woman’s dismembered torso was found in a bag in a dumpster near his home in Tarzana, California. Samuel Haskell Jr/Tiktok Screenshot from one of Samuel Haskell’s movies. Neighbors told The Post Haskell had a large collection of weapons at his home.Samuel Haskell Jr/Facebook
Benami said the night before Haskell was arrested on Nov. 8, her daughter was in her bedroom around 9 p.m. when she heard screams from one of Haskell’s children.
“We’re next door neighbors, so my daughter’s room is on the side of the house that borders the Haskells’ property,” Benami said. “My daughter said she heard screams, ‘Help! Help! Hello?’ Then he heard the sound of the car door slamming and the sound of tires screeching and the car driving away.”
Haskell was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder on Nov. 8 — hours after a homeless man found the woman’s torso in a dumpster about five miles from the family’s multimillion-dollar home in Tarzana, Calif.
Mei Li, 37, has been reported missing with her parents, mother Yanxiang Wang, 64, and father Gaoshan Li, 72. All remain unaccounted for.
LAPD investigators found the body parts in a bag in a dumpster just a few miles from the Haskells’ home. Neighbors told The Post police confirmed other body parts were found inside the home. ABC 7 NEWS A screenshot from one of Samuel Haskell’s Facebook videos. The filmmaker’s project often featured scantily clad women and violent fight scenes.Samuel Haskell Jr/Facebook
Officials with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office have not yet confirmed the identity of the body, but neighbors said police told them another body part found inside the Haskells’ home was that of a woman.
Since his arrest last week, other evidence has emerged linking Haskell to the disturbing chain of events.
He allegedly hired four day laborers on Nov. 7 and paid them $500 to remove three heavy bags of trash from his garage the day before the severed torso was found in the dumpster.
The men said they initially drove off, then stopped and decided to check bags. They told local TV station KABC that the contents were “wet” and that the bags weighed about 50 pounds each.
Haskell made a series of films, usually featuring violence and fights against women.Samuel Haskell Jr/Facebook At a press conference on Nov. 8, 2023, officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said 35-year-old Samuel Haskell was arrested at 11:25 a.m. in Topanga. Mall regarding dismembered body parts found in a trash can. KTLA The Tarzana home of Samuel Haskell, who was arrested in connection with a woman’s dismembered body parts found in a trash can. MEGA
Prosecutors said when the laborers opened one of the bags, they saw what appeared to be human body parts. Sensing something was wrong, the men returned to Haskell’s house and dropped a heavy bag in the driveway and told him they didn’t want his money.
Audio recordings reveal that someone called police around 5:30pm on November 7 to report a suspicious bag that may have contained human remains.
When officers responded, the bag was nowhere to be found, LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez said.
Video has also emerged of a man driving a white car dumping a heavy black bag into a dumpster in the 16000 block of Ventura Boulevard in Encino where the torso was found. Benami told The Post that Samuel Haskell was driving the same white Tesla as in the video.
Benami said he had not seen Mei Li or her parents for several days, nor their car. He said Mei and her parents sometimes go on trips without Samuel, but his friend always makes sure to let him know if he’s leaving town.
A man matching the description of Samuel Haskell was caught dumping a bag in Encino, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 8.TMZ/BACKGRID The dump where a woman’s dismembered body was found in Encino.MEGA
Benami added Mei Li’s mother suffered a stroke shortly before the COVID-19 outbreak, and she often saw the elderly person sitting in front of the house, waving hello and goodbye.
“Her parents are Chinese and don’t speak English, so Mei will be their interpreter,” Benami said. “They are very warm and friendly like Mei, who is their only child. They would usually be sitting in the front yard or walking around the neighborhood because her mom was trying to recover from her stroke.”
Mei Li’s parents moved into the Tarzana Haskells’ house in 2020. Benami said she was excited to meet Mei Li because they were the same age and loved her mother who loved to cook.
“We have the same interests and have a lot in common,” says Benami. “He also grew up abroad and we would just walk around all day [the COVID-19 pandemic] close
Mei’s friend Li Haskell said she was a loving mother who loved throwing elaborate parties for her three young children. Samuel Haskell Jr/Instagram
“Her husband is very quiet, definitely eccentric. Other neighbors found him a bit strange and I would disagree with that assessment.”
The neighbor added that Mei Li told her she and her husband met when they were students at Cal State University, Northridge.
Records seen by The Post show Mei Li has her own business called Haskell Consulting Group, where she coaches and helps foreign students with their college applications to top American universities.
The business profile shows the group has three employees and generates annual revenue of about $63,000.
But friends who knew the couple said Haskell most likely provided for the family through his wealthy parents.
This undated composite photo provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows Mei Haskell (from left) and her parents, YanXiang Wang and Gaoshan Li. AP
Haskell, who is a low-budget filmmaker of slasher films, is the son of Sam Haskell III, former executive vice president and global head of the William Morris Agency. The former Hollywood executive, who retired in 2005, represents A-listers such as Dolly Parton, George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin.
Although Haskell IV was more reserved and reserved during the children’s birthday parties, Benami said his father was always welcoming, charming and spoke proudly of his close friendship with Parton, who is godmother to his grandchildren.
Haskell also has a younger sister, who arrived at Tarzana’s house the day she was arrested.
“He was actually on his way to pick up the boy from school and he didn’t know he was arrested or hit on a body part,” Benami said. “I was the first person to tell him. He said, ‘No way! I do not believe! I just saw three boys yesterday and they are all normal.’ He was very surprised.”
Dolly Parton and Sam Haskell III in Hollywood in 2017 FilmMagic
Benami said that during their long walk together, Mei Li never spoke about any mental or physical abuse by her husband. But the discovery of gruesome body parts inside his neighbor’s house and in a garbage dump just a few miles away shook him.
“He had a good friend who told me that Mei wanted to tell me several times, but he was told not to involve me,” Benami said with a sigh.
“It’s really heartbreaking. My best friend has [allegedly] was killed and he and his parents were probably dismembered. To think this is happening next door to me is a lot, and I wouldn’t say I’m doing well. Not at all.”
Haskell remains in a Los Angeles jail without bail, according to LA County Sheriff’s records. He is due back in court on December 8 for a hearing.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
