Man looking for estranged wife kills 6 in Texas family massacre

USPA News - A Texas man looking for his estranged wife went to a relative`s house near Houston on late Wednesday afternoon, demanding to know where she was before killing six family members execution-style, officials said, saying he was stopped before going to another house. The incident began late in the afternoon when Ronald "Ron" Lee Haskell went to a relative`s house in Spring, a census-designated place (CDP) just outside of Houston, while dressed as a FedEx delivery driver.

A 15-year-old answered the door and, when asked, said her parents weren`t home, according to court documents released on early Thursday. Haskell then left but returned a short time later, after which the girl told her again that her parents weren`t home. Once Haskell told her his name, the girl said she recognized that he was her "ex-uncle" and tried to close the door, but Haskell was able to kick in the door and tied up the young girl, who was alone in the residence. Detectives said Haskell then waited for the girl`s parents and the other children to arrive at the home, after which they were tied up as well and placed face-down on the floor. He demanded to know where his estranged wife was, but they didn`t know. He then began shooting them one by one in the back of the head. The 15-year-old girl who had opened the door was also shot in the head and suffered a skull fracture, but she survived and played dead until Haskell left the residence. She then called 911 and told officers that she believed Haskell was going to another house to attack more family members. Officers who responded to the 911 call found two adults and three children deceased at the scene, while a fourth child was airlifted to an area hospital, where the victim succumbed to his or her injuries. The teenager who survived was also airlifted to an area hospital and remained in a critical condition on early Thursday. Constable Ron Hickman, of the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable`s Office, said officers simultaneously responded to the second location where the 15-year-old girl believed Haskell was going. "Our officers quickly responded to that location and arrived before the suspect did," he said. "On observing us, a pursuit ensued." The slow-speed pursuit continued for about 30 minutes and was partly aired on live television, but it came to an end when Haskell drove into a cul-de-sac. It led to a standoff with police that continued for hours, during which armored SWAT vehicles sandwiched Haskell`s vehicle to prevent him from fleeing. The standoff ended shortly before 10 p.m. when Haskell surrendered peacefully. Hickman said Haskell was taken to the Harris County Sheriff`s Office Homicide Division where he was then charged with one count of capital murder. He said the motive for the killings appeared to be domestic and involved a divorce, but Haskell has refused to talk with investigators since his arrest. The victims of the massacre were identified by police as a 39-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman, two boys ages 13 and 14, and two girls ages 9 and 7. Hickman said Haskell and his estranged wife have children, but they were not at the home where Wednesday`s killings took place. A sheriff`s office spokesman said Haskell`s wife was not in the area at the time of the shooting.