Ronald Lee Haskell, the shooting suspect who is said to have killed six of his former relatives in Houston, Texas had to be wheeled away after collapsing in court Friday as he faced charges that he broke into the family’s home seeking his ex-wife and ended up killing two adults and four of their children execution-style.
Authorities said Haskell’s spree of violence took place in three states before ending the rampage in the Houston suburb of Spring per the LA Times.
Shooting suspect Ronald Lee Haskell. (Photo: Harris County Sheriff’s Department)
Haskell, 33, appeared in court briefly and was taken away in a wheelchair and returned to Harris County Jail, where he is being held without bond, spokeswoman Tramesha Randall told The Times.
Haskell faces one count of capital murder/multiple murders, and prosecutors will present the case to a grand jury, Jeff McShan said, a spokesman for the Harris County district attorney’s office. The office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
A court-appointed defense attorney argues that Haskell had a history of mental issues and was not fully aware of his actions, McShan said.
Haskell is accused of breaking into the home of Stephen Stay, 39, and Katie Stay, 33, and their five children Wednesday evening, authorities said.
He was reportedly searching for his former wife, Melannie, who was not at the house. One of the children, Cassidy 15, tried to keep her former uncle out of the house, but he eventually broke down the door, holding the children at gunpoint until their parents returned home, police said. He tied up the children and shot the family members in the back of the head, execution style, police said.
Cassidy is being honored as a heroine for playing dead and calling 911 after Haskell left the house. She remains in critical condition with a fractured skull but is expected to make a full recovery, her family said.
Texas Shooting Suspect Wheeled Out of Courtroom
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