Man suspected of shooting six dead in Texas to appear in court

[July 11, 2014]  HOUSTON (Reuters) - The man accused of fatally shooting four children aged 4 to 14 and their parents after entering their suburban Houston home disguised as a FedEx delivery man while looking for his former wife is expected to appear at a Houston court on Friday.

Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, who is being held without bond, was expected to appear for a procedural hearing after being charged on Thursday with capital murder and multiple murders. Capital murder can bring the death penalty in Texas.

Haskell is alleged to have killed two boys ages 4 and 14, two girls ages 7 and 9, and their parents Stephen Stay, 39, and Katie, 33. Five of them were found dead and one of the children died after being flown to a hospital for treatment. A 15-year-old daughter survived the attack, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities said he went to the Stay home looking for his former wife, who is related to the victims, and held the children at gunpoint until their parents returned. He then brought all seven family members into a room and shot them, killing all except the teenage girl, police said.

The suspect's former wife did not live at the house and was not harmed in the incident.

FedEx said in a statement that Haskell was once employed by a contractor used by the shipping company but had not worked for that company since January.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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