Samuel Haskell Jr's Wife Wanted to Divorce Him But Feared Custody War, Pals Say
Samuel Haskell Jr.'s marriage to wife Mei, who is presumed to be dead along with her missing parents, was strained in the years leading up to his murder charges, according to a longtime friend of the 37-year-old who said Mei considered leaving in 2019.
Jenny said she advised her friend that she could walk away if that's what Mei felt was best for herself and family, RadarOnline.com has learned, explaining that she was going through a divorce herself at the time.
"I told her she could do it, but she just felt like she couldn't risk losing her boys," Jenny told Daily Mail, opting to go only by her first name in fear of retaliation.
Haskell IV is the son of former William Morris Agency executive vice president Samuel Haskell III whose clients formerly included Dolly Parton and Prince Edward.
The murder suspect's father was also formerly the CEO of the Miss America organization, having resigned along with other top brass in 2017 following a leaked email scandal.
"Mei felt trapped," Jenny said, speculating the topic of divorce may have been brought up again prior to her friend disappearing. Authorities charged Haskell with the three murders on Monday after a bag containing a woman's dismembered torso was found in a dumpster in Encino, California, not far away from his home address in Tarzana.
"She said she couldn't leave because of the boys," Jenny claimed. "She was afraid that her husband would take away the kids with the help of his very rich and influential father. She said it wasn't happening. That there was no way she could get a divorce."
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RadarOnline.com obtained photos of the house located in the center of a quiet neighborhood days after investigators scoured the home and found evidence of a crime with blood.
"There was also physical abuse," alleged Jenny. "She told me that he had hurt her. He had hit her."
Mei's parents, YanXiang Wang, 64, and Gaoshan Li, 72, had moved into the home years ago to assist with looking after the couple's three young sons.
"When Mei's youngest son was born, her parents moved from China to help take care of the baby. They were very helpful with the kids," Jenny shared. "Mei doesn't have any other family here except for her parents."
Jenny said she became worried after Mei stopped responding to her, despite reaching out numerous times on November 5. "I knew something was wrong because she wasn't replying to my text messages. She always responds right away."
The victims were last seen on or about November 6.
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Prosecutors believe that on the day after the murders, Haskell Jr. hired four day-laborers on November 7 to remove black trash bags from his LA-area home, at least one of which was claimed to have contained body parts.