Girl Plays Dead to Survive After Aunt's Ex-Husband Shoots Her Parents and Siblings To Death

An abusive husband, Ron Lee Haskell, looking for his ex-wife, tied up and murdered the ex-wife’s sister, her husband and four of their five children because they wouldn't reveal where his ex-wife was.

Their oldest daughter was shot and wounded but played dead - the only way she was able to survive the mass murder of her family by her former uncle.

Ron Lee Haskell had forced himself into his former sister-in-law’s house while looking for his ex-wife Melanie Haskell - she was not there. He then tied up everyone in the family and asked them to tell him where she was. When they couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, he shot all of them to death. Or so he thought.

Haskell killed his ex-sister-in-law, Katie Stay, ex-brother-in-law, Stephen Stay, and four of their five kids: a 14-year-old boy, a nine-year-old girl, a seven-year-old girl, and a four-year-old boy. 15-year-old Cassidy survived the shooting.

Cassidy told police she played dead until he left, at which point she called 911 and reported that Haskell said he was on his way to murder her grandparents. That phone call by Cassidy appears to have saved her grandparents’ lives. Cassidy is currently in critical condition in hospital.

Haskell was finally apprehended after a standoff in his car, during which time he held a gun to his head.

The Spring constable called the situation “obviously a domestic situation that went south, probably a divorce or at least a separation.”

And what do you know? That’s exactly what happened.

Haskell was arrested for suspicion of domestic violence, simple assault, and committing an act of violence in front of children back in 2008. Ex-wife Melanie Haskell said he had dragged her out of their bedroom by her hair and hit her. Their children were age three and five at the time.

Melanie had divorced him and moved from Utah to Houston, where her sister, Katie Stay, lived.  A protective order was issued against Haskell, but it was dismissed in October. The dismissal had the condition that he would have supervised visits with his kids “until his therapist could determine he was no longer a threat to them.” Instead, the couple agreed to a mutual restraining order.

Experts say that the most dangerous time for a victim is after they leave their abuser. Although it would be speculation to say Haskell would have murdered his wife if he had found her, it is worth noting that 46 American women are shot to death every single month by a current or former intimate partner.

Via CNN, ABC, NBC