"Texas slaying suspect wore delivery shirt" Associated Press July 11, 2014
SPRING, Texas — A man charged with killing four children and their parents was dressed as a delivery man when he forced his way into the family’s suburban Houston home and held the children at gunpoint until their parents arrived, police said Thursday.
Investigators slowly built a picture of Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, the slain couple’s estranged brother-in-law, as the suspect.
Haskell is accused of killing his sister-in-law, Katie Stay, her husband, and four of their children ranging in age from 4 to 14. The lone survivor of the attack, the couple’s 15-year-old daughter, was hospitalized in critical condition.
Haskell had previous run-ins with law enforcement in Utah, where he had lived with his wife. Neighbors said Haskell’s marriage was so rocky that Stay went to Utah last fall to help her sister escape the relationship and start a new life in Texas.
It was not clear why he showed up in Spring on Wednesday, demanding to know where to find his wife.
Documents introduced at a preliminary court hearing Thursday show the 15-year-old attempted to close the door to the house after telling Haskell her parents were not home, according to a report by Houston television station KPRC. But he kicked in the door.
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"Texas slaying suspect collapses at hearing" Associated Press July 12, 2014
HOUSTON— A man accused of killing six members of his ex-wife’s family, including four children, after forcing his way into their suburban Houston home collapsed in court twice Friday as a prosecutor read out details of the crime.
A shackled Ronald Lee Haskell was standing before a state district judge during a probable cause hearing when he fell to the ground. Deputies lifted him to his feet and he stood for about a minute before collapsing again. He was then lifted into a chair and wheeled from the courtroom.
‘‘Maybe reality is finally setting in,’’ said Tammy Thomas, the lead Harris County assistant district attorney in the case. ‘‘It’s not television, this is not fiction. He is facing his consequences.’’
Thomas said she expected a grand jury to issue a capital murder indictment as a result of Wednesday’s fatal shootings of Stephen and Katie Stay and four of their children, ranging in age from 4 to 14. A daughter, 15, survived.
Authorities have said Haskell, 33, was searching for his ex-wife, Katie Stay’s sister, when he came to the home in the suburb of Spring. He tied up the family and put them face-down on the floor before shooting each in the back of the head, investigators said. The family had refused to say where Haskell could find his ex-wife.
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Also see: Appeals court: Texas can use race in admissions
