The Ronald Haskell case is the Texas capital murder prosecution of Ronald Lee Haskell, who shot and killed six members of his ex-sister-in-law’s family in Spring, Texas on July 9, 2014, and now sits on Texas death row after a Harris County jury rejected his insanity defense in September 2019 and sentenced him to death that October. The lone survivor, 15-year-old Cassidy Stay, played dead and called 911, which allowed deputies to stop Haskell before he could reach other relatives he had planned to kill.
What Happened at the Stay Home
Haskell arrived at the Spring, Texas home of Stephen and Katie Stay disguised in a FedEx uniform and carrying a 9mm handgun fitted with a homemade silencer fashioned from a duct-taped pillow. Katie Stay was the sister of Haskell’s ex-wife, Melannie Lyon. Haskell forced his way inside, held the couple’s five children at gunpoint, and waited for their parents to return.1FOX 26 Houston. Cassidy Stay Takes the Stand in Trial of Man She Watched Kill Her Family
When Stephen and Katie came home, Haskell forced all seven family members to lie face-down on the floor and shot them one by one.2Courthouse News Service. Man Sentenced to Death in Killing of Texas Family Six people died:
- Stephen Stay, 39
- Katie Stay, 34
- Bryan Stay, 13
- Emily Stay, 9
- Rebecca Stay, 7
- Zach Stay, 4
Cassidy Stay, 15, was shot in the head but survived by pretending to be dead until Haskell left. She then called 911 and told deputies Haskell planned to travel to other relatives’ homes to keep killing.3ABC 13 Houston. Timeline: 6 Members of Family Killed in Their Home in Spring Harris County deputies used that information to intercept him.4KERA News. 4 Children, 2 Adults Killed in Apparent Domestic Dispute in Texas After a short chase, Haskell’s car was blocked in a nearby cul-de-sac. A three-hour standoff followed, with Haskell holding a handgun to his own head while officers communicated by cell phone. Around 10:00 p.m., authorities swarmed the car and took him into custody.5ABC News. Kids Dead, Texas Home Shooting
Why He Did It
Prosecutors described Haskell’s motive as vengeance against his ex-wife’s family. He and Melannie Lyon married in March 2002 and had four children. Lyon testified that Haskell was physically abusive throughout their roughly 12-year marriage, describing daily violence that included hitting, choking, and kicking, often in front of the children. She said he told her that if the abuse were ever exposed, he would “make me watch my family die.”6FOX 26 Houston. Ex-Wife of Man Accused of Murdering Family Takes the Stand in Trial
Warning signs stacked up in the years and weeks before the shooting. In June 2008, Utah’s Cache County Sheriff’s Office booked Haskell on suspicion of assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child; he pleaded guilty to assault, and both charges were dismissed in 2009. In June 2013, Lyon obtained a protective order against him in Logan, Utah. The couple separated that same month, and their divorce was finalized in February 2014.7ABC 13 Houston. Accused Spring Gunman Faced Allegations of Domestic Violence, Had Run-Ins With Police8Click2Houston. Ex-Wife, Forensic Psychologist Take Stand in Ronald Haskell’s Murder Trial
Haskell’s own mother, Karla Jean Haskell, had also accused him of violence. On July 3, 2014, six days before the Stay shootings, she alleged that Ronald duct-taped her to a chair, choked her until she lost consciousness, and left her bound for four hours. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department tried to find him but could not.7ABC 13 Houston. Accused Spring Gunman Faced Allegations of Domestic Violence, Had Run-Ins With Police
Haskell blamed the Stays for helping Lyon leave him. His brother, Robert Haskell, testified that in the months after the separation Ronald made “countless” phone calls threatening to harm anyone who helped Lyon, at one point saying he wanted to “slit their throats.” Prosecutors said he specifically targeted Katie Stay because he believed she had pushed Lyon to file for divorce.9Connecticut Post. Ronald Haskell Hated Ex-Sister-in-Law for Role in Divorce After killing the Stays, Haskell reloaded and set out for the homes of Lyon’s parents and brother. Cassidy’s 911 call cut him off.10Houston Public Media. Harris County Jury Sentences Ronald Haskell to Death for Killing 6 in Spring in 2014
The Trial
Haskell’s capital murder trial began on August 26, 2019, more than five years after the shootings. Prosecutors charged him with two of the six killings — those of Stephen and Katie Stay — a common Texas strategy for securing a capital conviction in multi-victim cases.11CBS News Texas. Texan Ronald Lee Haskell Sentenced to Death for Killing Ex-Wife’s Family
The Prosecution’s Case
Prosecutors Samantha Knecht and Lauren Bard called the murders a “cold-blooded execution” carried out through careful planning. They laid out how Haskell traveled from California to Spring, stalked the family for two days, disguised himself in a FedEx uniform, and used a homemade silencer. His conduct afterward — reloading and heading to more targets — was incompatible with psychosis, they argued.12Houston Public Media. Prosecutor: Man Claiming Insanity When He Killed 6 in Spring in 2014 Knew It Was Wrong Prosecution experts testified that Haskell had faked his symptoms and that his claims of hearing voices were “lies and manipulation.”13Seattle Times. Prosecutor: Man Claiming Insanity Knew Killing 6 Was Wrong
The Insanity Defense
Defense attorneys Doug Durham and Neal Davis III argued Haskell should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. They said he suffered from a serious mental illness that prevented him from telling right from wrong, and they presented seven years of medical records showing a decline in his mental state. A forensic psychiatrist testified for the defense that Haskell had schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, conditions involving hallucinations, delusions, and extreme mood shifts. Haskell himself claimed voices told him to commit the murders.14Mercury News. Texas Jurors Deliberate Case of Man Accused in Slaying of 6 Insanity defenses are rare in Texas and seldom succeed.12Houston Public Media. Prosecutor: Man Claiming Insanity When He Killed 6 in Spring in 2014 Knew It Was Wrong
Cassidy Stay’s Testimony
The prosecution’s key witness was Cassidy Stay, 20 by the time she took the stand. She told jurors that Haskell appeared calm and in control while holding the children at gunpoint. She described trying to appeal to his humanity by sharing each sibling’s name and age, and she recalled that when she prayed aloud he mocked her by saying, “Oh, what did he say?” Of the immediate aftermath, she said: “The room smelled like blood. It tasted sour. It felt heavy and hot. There was no spirit in that room.” Cassidy testified that Haskell did not appear to be responding to voices or acting under anyone else’s direction.1FOX 26 Houston. Cassidy Stay Takes the Stand in Trial of Man She Watched Kill Her Family15ABC 7 News. Woman Who Played Dead While Family Was Killed Takes the Stand
Verdict and Sentence
On September 26, 2019, the jury unanimously rejected the insanity defense and convicted Haskell of capital murder.16CNN. Texas Stay Family Murder Verdict On October 11, 2019, after deliberating a little more than four hours, the same jury sentenced him to death. To impose that sentence, jurors had to find that Haskell would be a future danger to society and that any mitigating factors, including his claimed history of mental illness, were insufficient to warrant life without parole. Prosecutors called him a “manipulative, selfish, narcissistic, blame-shifting monster” who had faked his symptoms.10Houston Public Media. Harris County Jury Sentences Ronald Haskell to Death for Killing 6 in Spring in 2014
Where the Case Stands Now
Haskell was received on Texas death row on October 16, 2019, and is listed under TDCJ number 999616. No execution date has been set.17Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Death Row Information – Ronald Haskell His case has been in the post-conviction phase since then, moving through a direct appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and a state habeas corpus proceeding.
The habeas case drew unusual attention in 2024. District Court Judge Natalia Cornelio, who was then handling the petition, issued a June 2024 bench warrant ordering Haskell’s transfer from the Polunsky Unit to the Harris County Jail. The warrant said Haskell was needed for a “midnight court appearance,” but no such hearing took place. During a three-week stay at the county jail, Haskell was instead taken to a private imaging clinic near the Texas Medical Center for a brain scan tied to his habeas petition. Prosecutors said they were not told in advance.18ABC 13 Houston. Stay Family Murders: Judge Natalia Cornelio Recused From Death Row Inmate Ron Haskell’s Case After Bias Accusations
On October 7, 2024, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office moved to recuse Judge Cornelio, alleging she had “cast aside her role as a neutral, detached decision maker to become an advocate for death row inmate Ronald Lee Haskell.” On January 15, 2025, administrative Judge Susan Brown granted the motion and removed Cornelio from the case, transferring Haskell’s appeal and habeas petition to another court.18ABC 13 Houston. Stay Family Murders: Judge Natalia Cornelio Recused From Death Row Inmate Ron Haskell’s Case After Bias Accusations In October 2025, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued a formal public reprimand against Cornelio, concluding she had performed “her judicial duties with bias” and had signed the bench warrant “knowing it contained false information” about a nonexistent court appearance.19Houston Chronicle. Judge Natalia Cornelio Ronald Haskell Reprimand
Haskell remains on death row, and his post-conviction proceedings continue under a new judge.17Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Death Row Information – Ronald Haskell