The son of a powerful Hollywood exec, charged with the brutal killings of his wife and her parents as he allegedly disposed of their remains in a dumpster, appeared shirtless in court Friday morning in his first public appearance since his arrest.
Samuel Haskell IV, 35, was bare-chested, wearing an anti-suicide smock around his waist, and holding a bag with a small milk carton as he stood in front of a judge and was told he would continue to be held without bail, according to ABC 7.
A court deputy explained the accused murderer’s Velcro straps came undone before his court appearance, allowing it to slip down exposing his tattooed upper body, according to the Daily Mail.
Haskell IV’s arraignment was postponed to Jan. 12, 2024.
The delay in his arraignment comes as the California man made a last-minute switch to his defense team.
Haskell IV had been represented by Beverly Hills defense attorney Bob Schwartz until two days ago, according to the Los Angeles Times.
His new attorney, Joseph Weimoritz, did not enter a plea on his behalf and requested a continuance of the hearing as he stood separated from his client by a glass partition.
It remains unclear why he made the change.
In a previous court appearance in mid-November, Haskell IV’s arraignment was postponed, and he was ordered to be held without bail.
The alleged killer lived in the Tarzana neighborhood with his wife, Mei Li Haskell, 37, and their three young children, as well as with her parents, dad Gaoshan Li, 72, and mom Yanxiang Wang, 64.
Mei Li and her parents were last seen around Nov. 6, the California District Attorney’s office said.
On Nov. 7, Haskell IV allegedly hired four-day laborers to haul off several heavy black plastic trash bags from the six-bedroom Tarzana home, speculated to be containing body parts.
He allegedly told the workers the 50-pound bags contained rocks, but the suspicious men stopped their truck a block away from his home and made the disturbing discovery.
The day laborers returned the bags and money, with the son of the prominent Hollywood executive allegedly telling them they were Halloween props, according to an interview with KNBC.
Those bags disappeared before police could get their hands on them, officials said.
Police visited Haskell’s IV’s home after the day laborers reported they had been asked to remove suspicious bags.
Responding officers found no evidence at the scene and were forced to leave.
However, a dismembered torso, believed to have belonged to his wife, Mei Li, turned up in a dumpster miles away from their home the next day by a homeless man.
Haskell IV was caught on video allegedly dumping an apparent body in the dumpster, authorities said.
When police went to his home a second time, they brought a search warrant and allegedly found evidence of a horrible crime.
“Once officers made entry, what was discovered was evidence of a crime, including some blood evidence and other items that I’m not going to provide at this point,” LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez said at the time.
Haskell IV was arrested at a shopping mall nearby and was charged with his wife’s and in-laws’ murders on Nov. 8.
The remains of Wang and Li, Chinese nationals who lived with the couple and their three grandchildren, have not been found.
The couple’s children are currently in the custody of relatives.
Meanwhile, the suspect has been identified as the son of former William Morris Agency executive vice president Samuel Haskell III.
The elder Haskell had represented an illustrious list of stars, including George Clooney, Dolly Parton, Whoopi Goldberg — and even King Charles’ brother Prince Edward.
If convicted on all three counts of murder, Haskell IV faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.