Cassidy Stay lost her whole family (Image: Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
One Texas girl answered the door to what appeared to be a FedEx delivery driver – moments later she found herself pleading for her family’s lives.
Cassidy Stay, 15, had no idea the duct-taped pillow the killer was carrying would serve as a makeshift silencer to muffle the sounds of her entire family’s murder.
On 9 July 2014, Cassidy’s aunt Melanie’s bitter ex-husband, Ron Haskell, came seeking revenge. He arrived at the Houston home asking about Cassidy’s parents. She informed him they weren’t in and he left, reports abc7.
The nightmare unfolded when he re-entered the property minutes later, brandishing a gun at Cassidy and her siblings, reports the Mirror.
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Stephen and Katie Stay and four of their children were shot execution-style in their own home (Image: Police Handout)
Cassidy prayed whilst Haskell held her along with Rebecca, Bryan, Zachary and Emily, awaiting the arrival of her mother Katie and father Stephen.
Cassidy told a Texas court that Haskell appeared composed. She said: “I was trying to appeal to his humanity. I didn’t think someone would hurt kids if he knew their names and how old they were.”
Using a 9-mm handgun, Haskell ruthlessly fired at the Stays, killing all four of Cassidy’s brothers and sisters aged between four and 13, along with her parents.
Haskell was found guilty of killing six members of his ex-wife’s family (Image: Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
Despite a bullet striking her head – Cassidy was the only survivor.
She recalled hauntingly: “The room smelled like blood. It tasted sour. It felt heavy and hot. There was no spirit in that room.”
Over 400 people gathered for the “celebration of life” ceremony honouring the Stay family, according to NBC News. Cassidy courageously delivered a tribute to her loved ones.
She said: “I really like ‘Harry Potter’. In ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’, Dumbledore says, ‘Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.'”.
“I know that my mom, dad, Bryan, Emily, Becca, and Zach are in a much better place and that I’ll be able to see them again one day.
“Thank you all for coming and for showing support for me and my family. Stay strong.”
Cassidy at a memorial service for her family (Image: Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
Prosecutors claim the family were victims of Ron Haskell – who required sedation throughout his court proceedings.
Haskell was charged with multiple counts of capital murder. He stood accused of slaughtering the family members in revenge for assisting Melanie in leaving him.
Haskell remained expressionless and showed no reaction to evidence presented during the trial.
Mass shooter Ron Haskell (Image: Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
Ariel Lyon also gave testimony expressing her worries about Haskell’s behaviour towards his children and how she had feared him even prior to the events of 9th July 2014.
Throughout the August 2019 proceedings, jurors were shown horrific photographs of the Stay family following their fatal shootings.
Prosecutors displayed detailed images of ammunition and a homemade silencer designed to suppress the gunfire noise.
Cassidy was the only survivor of the massacre (Image: Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
The jury also viewed numerous photographs of bullet casings, many discovered beside the victims, including Cassidy’s brother, Zachary, her father Stephen, with another found close to Katie. One round was even recovered from Stephen’s wallet.
The jury heard that no firearm was recovered from the property. The defence argued Haskell was insane at the time of the killings.
Defence solicitor Douglas Durham stated: “He’s sedated and he’s an individual that’s been treated for a severe mental illness.
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Cassidy has bravely spoken about her ordeal (Image: Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag)
“Texas has an insanity statute and if this isn’t a case where the evidence, a preponderance of the evidence, is going to show severe mental illness and he couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, I don’t know what case there is.”
On 26 September 2019, Haskell was convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to death by lethal injection on 11 October.