Current Events > Man sentenced to death after murdering 6 members of his Ex-Wife's family

(+) Yeah! (+)

A Texas jury sentenced a man who killed six members of his ex-wifes family to death Friday after approximately four hours of deliberations.

The same jury convicted Ronald Lee Haskell of capital murder last month, rejecting claims of mental illness by Haskell's lawyers. The defense argued hard for a life sentence during the penalty phase this week, with one saying the 39-year-old Haskell should spend the rest of his life thinking about what he has done and "die in prison."

In Texas, insanity is rarely used as a defense and seldom successful. Haskell's attorneys said his long history of mental illness, in which he was treated by multiple doctors, should be considered by the jury as a mitigating factor in sentencing.

Prosecutors said Haskell had planned to kill anyone who helped his ex-wife Melanie Lyon after she left him. Katie Stay was Melanies sister and had traveled from her home in Houston to Melanies home in Utah to help her sister leave Haskell.

Lyon testified that after Haskell physically abused her and their children, the couple divorced and she moved to Texas to be with her family. Authorities said Haskell traveled from California and stalked Lyons family for two days before murdering all but one member of Lyons sisters family.

Haskell killed Stephen and Katie Stay and their children Zach, 4, Rebecca, 7, Emily, 9, and Bryan, 13. During closing arguments in the punishment phase of Haskell's trial earlier Friday, prosecutor Kaylynn Williford described how Haskell shot 4-year-old Zach in the shoulder an injury he could have survived and said the frightened child scurried in the chaos to his father on a couch, burying his head in his father's shoulder for protection.

But by that point, Zach's father was already dead, Williford said.

"He scrambles over to his father, because that's what little boys do," Williford said.

Haskell then went over to Zach, pointed a gun to the back of his head and pulled the trigger, she said.

"How cold and vengeful do you have to be to take the life of a 4-year-old?" Williford said.

Cassidy Stay, the couples then-15-year-old daughter, survived the slaughter by pretending to be dead after she was shot in the head. She then called the police to tell them Haskell was on his way to the home of her grandparents and police arrested him before he arrived. Cassidy testified at the trial that she begged her uncle "please don't hurt us" before Haskell opened fire.

Full Article: https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-man-sentenced-to-death-penalty-after-killing-six-members-of-his-ex-wifes-family


This guy is literally hollywood movie level evil.

Traveled halfway across America to brutally kill innocent people just because they helped his ex-wife who left him because he beat their kids?

Even Kingpin doesn't beat kids.
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Why death though? That's barbaric.

Throw him in a pit instead. Forever.
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Texas

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prosecutor Kaylynn Williford described how Haskell shot 4-year-old Zach in the shoulder an injury he could have survived and said the frightened child scurried in the chaos to his father on a couch, burying his head in his father's shoulder for protection.

But by that point, Zach's father was already dead, Williford said.

"He scrambles over to his father, because that's what little boys do," Williford said.

Haskell then went over to Zach, pointed a gun to the back of his head and pulled the trigger, she said.

"How cold and vengeful do you have to be to take the life of a 4-year-old?" Williford said.

Dark stuff.
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Yeah dude deserves something worse than death. Tbh anything or one that kills a child who had their whole fuckin life ahead of them deserves something horrible done to them. And he beat kids. Great. Piece of fuckin shit.
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Take him apart slowly
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Next fair

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The fairest of nexts.
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Ilishe posted...

Why death though? T

You can thank religion for that
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Good. I heard about this story. Guy is in the maximum tier of shithead scumbag thug. Not a fan of the death penalty in general but cases like this justify its existence.
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All people with a violent history should be on a watchlist and monitored
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Wait, if he was a wife beater, why wasn't he in prison sooner?
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-Unowninator- posted...

Wait, if he was a wife beater, why wasn't he in prison sooner?

American justice system

Who cares about wife beaters when there are people taking drugs or stealing cookies?

Sad but true
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Like, if hes dark and a crazy killer i dont understand why he didnt commit suicide. Im not going to court after committing acts thats either life or death in prison. Lethal injections horrible, hes winning by self inflicted gun wound/death.
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I don't see anything wrong the sentencing.
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Not sure what's more crazy.

A sane person that does something like this or someone who is legit gone.
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Justice!
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Crimes like these make me wish Scaphism was still an option. Oh well.
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