The Los Angeles man accused of dismembering his wife and parents before attempting to dump their remains in the trash has accepted the appointment of Britney Spears’ former conservator as guardian of their three children, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Samuel Haskell IV, 36, is currently locked up at Los Angeles’ notorious Twin Towers prison as he awaits trial for allegedly murdering Mei Li, 37, and her parents Gaoshan Li, 72, and Yanxiang Wang, 64, in the horrific November attack.
The couple, who lived in a $2.5 million, six-bedroom home in Tarzana, had three children, all of whom are now in the care of their sister Mary Lane Haskell, 34.
But court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com show Haskell approved Jodi Montgomery being appointed as temporary financial guardian of the children in May, a decision that will be confirmed at a hearing in August.
Samuel Haskell IV, 36, pictured during a hearing in February, remains detained at Los Angeles’ notorious Twin Towers prison as he awaits trial for the alleged murder of his wife and in-laws last November.
Mei Li had three children with Haskell. They are currently in the care of her sister.
Montgomery also asked to be named administrator of Mei’s estate, which includes the family home, which the mother of three purchased in 2020.
Although Haskell’s name was added to the deed in 2022, meaning he owns a fifty percent stake in the property, he will not be allowed to touch the proceeds from any sale due to California’s “killer statute” if he is convicted of Mei’s murder.
The law, which applies in most US states, prohibits killers from inheriting any of their victims’ possessions, meaning everything will pass to the couple’s children.
Montgomery has also been appointed special administrator of Mei’s estate, allowing her to deal with issues related to the house, including security.
According to court documents, the property, which has been vacant since November, has been vandalized since the murders, with documents stating that “there have been multiple forced entry incidents, items have been taken and a small fire has been started within the premises.”
On Friday, workers were seen changing the locks on the property and a neighbour confirmed to DailyMail.com that the house had previously been vandalised by burglars who took some of the children’s toys, among other items.
Montgomery was appointed Spears’ personal conservator in 2019 and briefly took control of her finances when her father Jamie was forced to step away due to illness.
Although she later resumed control, Montgomery remained responsible for Spears, 42, until her 13-year conservatorship ended in November 2021.
Court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com show that Jodi Montgomery, Britney Spears’ former conservator, was appointed temporary financial guardian of the children in May and has requested to be named administrator of Mei’s estate.
Samuel Haskell IV has been charged with her murder, as well as the deaths of her parents, her mother Yanxiang Wang, 64, and her father Gaoshan Li, 72, whose bodies have not yet been found.
The 37-year-old mother’s remains were wrapped in a plastic bag and found in November by a passerby who was rummaging through a dumpster not far from where the Haskells lived.
Montgomery later said she was pleased with the decision and offered to help Spears in the future if needed.
In a statement, she said: “Throughout the conservatorship, Ms. Montgomery has been a tireless advocate for Ms. Spears and it has always been her goal to provide her with a path to termination of her conservatorship. That day has now come.”
‘Ms. Montgomery is happy to continue working for Ms. Spears and assisting her in her freedom, independence, growth, well-being and happiness outside of the conservatorship.’
Haskell, the son of Hollywood agent James Haskell III, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Mei and her parents. He has frequently appeared shirtless in court and was placed on suicide watch following his arrest.
This came after a homeless man discovered Mei’s headless torso in a dumpster in Encino, just a few miles from the couple’s home.
The bodies of Mei’s parents have not yet been found.
Mei’s friends previously told DailyMail.com that she had wanted a divorce for at least four years but feared her husband’s powerful agent father would persuade the courts to give him custody of their three children, aged six, eight and 12.
Neighbours also told DailyMail.com about Haskell’s obsession with guns and said he kept a large collection of them inside the house.
Montgomery has also been appointed special administrator of Mei’s estate, allowing her to deal with issues related to the house, including security.
On Friday, workers were seen changing the locks on the property and a neighbour confirmed to DailyMail.com that the house had been vandalised by burglars who took some of the children’s toys, among other items.
Court documents revealed the now-vacant property has been vandalized since the murders and “has been broken into multiple times.”
“He had an obsession with guns,” said his neighbor Elle Benami. “He had a samurai sword and a crossbow.”
“He was a martial artist. I think he had a black belt and he used to go to Japan to do martial arts.”
“Children could play here at my house or in the front yard. I was fine with children playing in the front yard of their house,” added Benami, who feared something could happen accidentally with so many weapons in the house.
Haskell’s children even bragged to other neighborhood kids about having guns in the house, something their doting mother Mei did not like.
Benami added: “Would I say they looked like a happy couple? No, but I definitely didn’t expect anything like that. I could never have imagined what happened.”
According to prosecutors, Haskell dumped the human remains in the trash after previously trying to dispose of them by hiring four day laborers to remove bags containing the body parts.
One worker revealed he was paid $500 to remove three large trash bags, adding that Haskell claimed they were filled with rocks before later pretending the body parts were “Halloween props.”
The accused murderer is the son of former Hollywood agent Samuel Haskell Sr. and former Miss Mississippi Mary Donnelly-Haskell. Dolly Parton was among Haskell’s clients.
“When we picked up the bags, we realized they were not rocks,” he said, noting that the bags were soft and soaked.
He and his co-workers looked inside the bags and inside they saw ‘body parts, a belly button’.
He added: “I was stunned. Of course, I felt bad. We had been fooled.”
The men then returned the bags and money to Haskell’s home, telling him they “didn’t want to get involved.”
The workers went directly to the police and informed the California Highway Patrol and the police.
According to court documents, later that day, Haskell “was allegedly observed and photographed a short distance from his home disposing of a large bag of trash into a dumpster in the 16000 block of Ventura Boulevard.”
The bag was later found to contain Mei’s headless torso.
Haskell is due back in court on Thursday.
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