A Texas man allegedly kicked down the door of his former in-laws’ house, tied up the couple and their five children, and shot all of them in the head. The couple’s 15-year-old daughter played dead until her ex-uncle left, then alerted police that he was on his way to murder her grandparents. Ron Haskell, 33, was intercepted, arrested, and charged with murder after a lengthy stand-off with police.
Haskell was reportedly looking for his ex-wife, Melanie Haskell, who was not at her sister’s house at the time. She had a protective order against him for domestic abuse, and their divorce was finalized on February 14 of this year. Ron Haskell had also faced domestic violence charges in another state.
Via ABC News:
During a preliminary court hearing this morning, a prosecutor said that Haskell came to the family’s door posing as a FedEx delivery man and was wearing a FexEx shirt. FedEx confirmed to ABC News that Haskell previously worked as a driver for the company but was employed by an independent contractor. He stopped working for the company in January.
The teen told police that when she answered the door, she told Haskell that her parents were not home. He left, but came back and kicked in the door, the court was told.
Haskell tied up the teenager and other children and waited in the home until the rest of the family arrived back at the residence, the prosecutor said. When they returned, Haskell allegedly tied up two adults, identified as Katie and Stephen Stay, and four other children, all under the age of 13. He forced them all to lay facing the ground, the court was told.
While the family lay bound, Haskell asked the family members where his wife was, prosecutors said. When they said that they did not know where his wife was, Haskell allegedly shot every member of the family in the back of the head, execution style.
A week before the shooting, Ron Haskell also reportedly “taped his mother to a chair, choked her and threatened to kill her for speaking to his ex-wife.”
There aren’t words that can even approach this enormity. But for what it’s worth, all the condolences and warmth in the world to that 15-year-old girl. Who knows how many more lives she saved.
Image via Harris County Sheriff’s Department.