Hollywood Bigwig's Son Who Butchered Wife & In-Laws Kills Himself in Jail| Crime Alert 6PM 07.14.2025

His father represented Hollywood royalty, but Sam Haskell III. is known for a gruesome crime; he allegedly butchered his wife & in-laws & then disposed of their bodies. Now he's been found dead in his jail cell...from suicide. 

A toddler's body is found dumped by a dumpster - now cops are on the hunt for the killer. Plus, a toe-tally bizarre find on a Washington beach!  Jennifer Gould reports. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert hourly update, breaking crime news Now. I'm Jennifer Gould.
The horrifying saga of Sam Haskell Junior, the Hollywood scion
accused of butchering his wife and her parents, reached a
gruesome and shocking end. He reportedly died by suicide in
his jail cell, just forty eight hours before he was

(00:21):
due in court for his preliminary hearing. Law enforcement sources
revealed to several media outlets in Los Angeles that Haskell,
thirty seven, slit his wrists at Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
Haskell had pleaded not guilty to the horrific twenty twenty
three murders of his wife, May Lee Haskell, thirty seven,

(00:41):
and her parents, Gau Shan Lee seventy two and Yangshang
Wang sixty four. Prosecutors alleged Haskell executed his family, then
embarked on a macab mission to dispose of their bodies.
The nightmare unfolded on November seventh, twenty twenty three, when
Haskell allegedly hired four day laborers to remove quote unquote

(01:04):
heavy black plastic bags from his Tarzana home, claiming they
contained rocks suspicious. One laborer reportedly opened a bag and
discovered human body parts. The horrified workers immediately dumped the
bags back in Haskell's driveway, returned his money, and called
nine one one, but by the time Copps arrived, the

(01:27):
bags were gone. The grizzly mystery deepened the very next day,
when a homeless man rummaging through a dumpster in Encino,
about five miles away, discovered a woman's headless torso DNA
later confirmed it belonged to may Lee Haskell. Despite extensive searches,
the remains of May's parents have never been found, and

(01:49):
neither has the rest of may Lee either. Blood and
dismemberment evidence found inside the Haskell home cemented the horrific narrative.
Haskell's public appearances were notoriously bizarre. At a December twenty
twenty three court hearing, he famously appeared shirtless, clad only
in a suicide prevention smock that kept slipping, clutching a

(02:13):
milk carton. Retired FBI agent Bobby Chuck Cohn suspected Haskell
was on suicide watch at the time. He spoke to
KTLA five News, you know all of.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
These people get an evaluation of psychological evaluation when they
get incarcerated, and that evaluation may have indicated to the
people at the jail that he may be a candidate
for se harm.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Despite speculation about his mental state and reports of financial
troubles with his wife, his attorney insisted he understood the proceedings.
Friends described Haskell as withdrawn and secretive, a stark contrast
to his wife's warmth. His father, Emmy winning producer Sam
Haskell Senior, who represented stars like George Clooney and Dolly Parton,

(02:57):
has remained publicly silent on his son's alleged atrocities and
subsequent death. Haskell's attorney, Joseph A. Weimertz Junior, confirmed the suicide,
revealing Haskell had left a note behind and feared the
ongoing media scrutiny would irrevocably scar his three young children,
who now face a devastating future without either parent. Haskell's

(03:20):
death closes the murder case against him, but leaves behind
a legacy of unspeakable horror and unanswered questions for the
shattered families involved. More crime and justice news after this,
a heartbreaking discovery in Los Angeles, the lifeless body of

(03:44):
a boy believed to be just three to five years old,
found discarded like trash near dumpsters in a Panorama City
parking lot. The grim scene unfolded around seven in the
morning in the eighty two hundred block of Vannuy's Boulevard,
a bustling commercial strip, when a homeless man stumbled upon
the toddler's body and immediately alerted authorities. Christian Sanchez works

(04:06):
close to the crime scene. He spoke to KTLA five News.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Well, have my father imagine four years old? I can't
even imagine the paint a little baby went through.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Officers swiftly responded, cordoning off the area with yellow crime
scene tape and erecting a privacy canopy to shield the
heartbreaking site. The Los Angeles Police Department's Juvenile Division Abuse
Child Unit is now spearheading the probe. No cause of
death has been released, as medical examiners are now working
to determine how the unidentified boy died. Authorities have not

(04:40):
yet disclosed if the child showed visible signs of trauma
or abuse, nor have they confirmed if he had been
reported missing prior to this devastating discovery. Investigators are meticulously
scouring surveillance footage from the surrounding area for clues. They
are particularly interested in a white vehicle reportedly seen near

(05:01):
the dumpsters around four am before it sped away that morning.
Policea urging anyone with information to contact them at eight
one eight three seven four ninety five fifty or one
eight seven seven LAPD twenty four to seven. And finally,
a toetally bizarre surprise in Tacoma, Washington, Kevin Ewing, enjoying

(05:22):
a serene stroll at dash Point National Park, stumbled upon
a small, green wrapped present. But this was not just
any soulful surprise. Unwrapping this little gift revealed a severed
human toe, accessorized with sage, tobacco and a feather. Talk
about a creepy combination, Ewing said it was like something

(05:44):
out of a horror movie. He spoke to Cairo seven News.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, a lot of things are kind of going through
my head. It is like, you know, where's the rest
of the body, Like did this washing from the from
the tide from the water.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
Was this a gruesome gift from the tide or is
some sick game afoot? Washington State Patrol quickly tried to
get to the bottom of this macabre mystery. Launching a
full scale investigation. So far they have confirmed it is
an adult male digit, but so far no other info
and the nail biting search for answers. Talk about the

(06:17):
gift that keeps on giving goosebumps for the latest crime
and justice news. Fall lu the Crime Alert hourly update
on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert, I'm
Jennifer Gould.