The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Ronald Haskell's death sentence on Thursday, Oct. 22, for the 2014 murders of six members of the Stay family in Spring.
The state's highest criminal court rejected all seven claims Haskell raised in his automatic appeal, first reported by KHOU. The opinion found no reversible error in Haskell's trial or sentencing.
Haskell was convicted in 2019 of capital murder for fatally shooting Stephen and Katie Stay and four of their children: Bryan, Emily, Rebecca and Zach. The couple's daughter, Cassidy Stay, was 15 at the time. She survived a gunshot wound to the head by pretending to be dead, then called 911 from a landline in her father's office, according to the court's opinion.
Her call helped authorities respond before Haskell could reach other intended victims.
What the court decided
Haskell's appeal challenged the admission of an audio recording, the denial of a mistrial, evidence presented during the punishment phase and the instructions given to jurors, Click2Houston reported.
Among the key claims, Haskell argued the evidence did not support the jury's finding that he would pose a future danger. The court disagreed, pointing to evidence of violence and threats toward multiple people, the planning behind the killings and what it described as a lack of remorse.
The opinion also addressed testimony from a defense expert who assessed Haskell as posing a low risk of violence in prison. The court said jurors were not required to accept that assessment.
Haskell also challenged the admission of an email from a former co-worker who described him as manipulative. The court assumed for its analysis that admitting the email may have been an error but concluded it was harmless because similar evidence had already been presented.
Judge Walker delivered the opinion. Judge McClure did not participate, according to the court filing.
The 2014 killings
On July 9, 2014, Haskell drove to the Stay family's Spring home disguised as a delivery worker, according to the court opinion. He wore a FedEx shirt and cap from a former job and carried a fake package made from a rolled-up pillow wrapped in duct tape.
Prosecutors argued during the 2019 trial that Haskell planned the attack as vengeance against his former wife, Melannie Lyon, and her family. The defense argued he was legally insane at the time. A Harris County jury rejected the insanity defense and convicted him of capital murder on Oct. 11, 2019.
The court's opinion detailed a six-day journey Haskell took from California to Texas before the killings. Along the way, he stole a handgun from a former girlfriend's home in Utah and purchased ammunition, an extra magazine, a laser sight and ear plugs at a sporting goods store, according to the opinion.
After the shootings, Haskell stopped at a Sonic restaurant, reloaded his gun and drove toward the home of Lyon's parents. A Harris County deputy constable spotted him and initiated a pursuit that ended when Haskell drove into a cul-de-sac outside the home of another Lyon family member. An hours-long standoff followed before Haskell surrendered just before 10 p.m.
The ruling affirms the conviction and death sentence handed down by the trial court. No public statements from the Harris County District Attorney's Office or the Stay family regarding the Oct. 22 ruling were available at the time of publication.
