After a rocky divorce, a Texas man with a history of violence stands accused of killing six family members this week.
Police say Ronald Haskell shot his former sister-in-law, her husband and their five children at their home in Spring, Texas on Wednesday after being unable to locate his ex-wife. (via KVUE)
One of those five children, a 15-year-old daughter, was the only one to survive the shooting. According to NBC, she managed to call the police. Haskell was arrested after a 20-minute chase and three-hour standoff.
Haskell was charged with capital murder and made his first court appearance Friday.
"Ronald Lee Haskell collapsed twice during a court hearing yesterday. A prosecutor says maybe reality is finally settling in. The defense said Haskell has mental issues and was off his meds in court and at the time of the shooting." (via WLS)
This isn't Haskell's only run-in with the law. He's previously been accused of domestic violence multiple times.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, police and court records detail an incident from 2008. Haskell was accused of dragging his ex-wife by her hair after hitting her in the head. The incident allegedly occurred in front of their children and Haskell was arrested but eventually garnered a plea down for assault, not domestic assault.
Haskell's ex-wife also filed for a protective order last year, but the protective order was later converted into a mutual restraining order. CBS reports she filed for divorce one month later and Haskell was required by the divorce decree to undergo a psychological evaluation.
Haskell's mother told authorities Haskell stole her husbands guns during a previous dispute. The firearms were later confiscated by the police. (via WBBM)
Which brings a writer for Slate to ask, with such a troubling past, how was this man able to obtain a gun in the first place?
According to Slate, since the 2008 incident with his wife was a simple assault plea and the protective order became a mutual restraining order, Haskell was still legally allowed to buy a firearm. It is not clear whether he bought or stole the gun that police say he used in this week's killings.
Haskell is currently being held without bond.
