HOUSTON – The trial for the man accused of killing six members of a Spring family and wounded the seventh is expected to begin next month.
Ronald Haskell, 38, of Utah, is charged in connection with the 2014 shooting deaths of Katie and Stephen Stay and their children Bryan, Emily, Rebecca and Zach. Their fifth child, Cassidy, was shot but survived her injuries.
On Thursday, Haskell’s attorney and prosecutors went to court to receive questionnaires from a jury pool of 120 as they prepare to pick the people who will decide his fate when the trial begins Aug. 26.
“We want to know the views of prospective jurors as it relates to the death penalty,” said Haskell’s attorney Doug Durham.
The questionnaire is comprised of about 150 questions. Four pages or so of that questionnaire deal with punishment issues in the case.
“The most important question, or series of questions, is to explain the process in a capital murder (case),” Durham said.
Investigators said Haskell disguised himself as a FedEx driver and forced his way inside the family’s home. Haskell was searching for his ex-wife who left him after a string of domestic violence incidents, investigators said.
Durham said the trial may be pushed to September depending on how much time the jury selection process requires.