Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman has pulled the community back to one of its darkest days, posting crime scene photos Wednesday on his office's Facebook page from the 2014 massacre that wiped out a Spring family and left one teenager alive. The images and Herman's brief write-up have resurfaced across local feeds, highlighting details from inside the home at 711 Leaflet Lane and reminding north Harris County residents that the case is still very much a presence in their lives as legal battles and family recovery continue.
Constable Shares Photos and Firsthand Recollection
In the Facebook post, Herman recounts that Precinct 4 deputies were dispatched to 711 Leaflet Lane and that he arrived as the second unit on scene. He says deputies found Stephen and Katie Stay and four of their children, Bryan, Emily, Rebecca (Becky) and Zachary, dead inside the home, while Cassidy Stay was discovered shot in the head but still alive after she had "played dead" until the gunman left. Herman also notes that the constable's office remains in contact with Cassidy and mentions her engagement to her fiancé, Jarin, according to the Precinct 4 Facebook post.
The Killings in July 2014
On July 9, 2014, deputies were called to the Leaflet Lane home in Spring and found six members of the Stay family dead and 15-year-old Cassidy critically wounded, according to a timeline by ABC13. Prosecutors say Ronald Lee Haskell got into the house by posing as a FedEx delivery driver, bound family members and shot them execution style. After surviving her injuries, Cassidy later called 911 and identified Haskell, a detail that became central to the case. The killings drew intense local media attention and led to a high profile prosecution that zeroed in on motive and Haskell's mental health defenses.
Conviction, Death Sentence and Legal Fallout
Haskell was tried and convicted, and in October 2019 a jury sentenced him to death, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. Since that sentencing, the case has generated a flood of post conviction motions and hearings, including contested filings that triggered scrutiny of a judge's conduct and a formal recusal process. Those disputes have kept the case active in Harris County courtrooms and regularly pushed it back into local news coverage.
Where the Case Stands Now
Haskell remains on death row while his attorneys pursue appeals and post conviction relief. Recent legal filings have raised issues over judicial involvement and sealed records, according to ABC13. Herman's newly shared photos and recollections underscore how the Leaflet Lane killings still echo for survivors and neighbors in north Harris County, nearly a decade after the crime.
