By Tori Richards
October 30, 2006
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Crime Library) — Half of a husband and wife team charged with murdering a couple at sea in order to steal their yacht is about to go to trial.
To the prosecution, both child actor Skylar Deleon, 27, and wife Jennifer, 25, are equally culpable in the plot to shanghai the yacht of a retired couple and dispose of their bodies at sea off the coast of Newport Beach, Calif. But in a defense strategy to distance herself from her husband, Jennifer has severed her case and will be tried separately. Jury selection in her case begins this week and opening statements Nov 6.
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| Jennifer (Henderson) Deleon |
"Jennifer didn't know anything about these murders," said her attorney, Michael Molfetta. "If anyone in law enforcement doesn't think Skylar Deleon is the most manipulative human being on the face of this earth, they are dreaming."
Authorities believe Thomas and Jackie Hawks were murdered on Nov. 15, 2004 when they took Skylar and two other accomplices on a test run of their 55-foot yacht "Well Deserved." The Hawkses had listed their vessel for sale and were under the impression that the Deleons were potential buyers because they had visited several times before, said Orange County Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy.
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| The Hawks |
As they cruised toward Catalina Island 25 miles off shore, Skylar Deleon, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Alonso Machain overpowered the Hawkses with a stun gun and forced them to sign over power of attorney, Murphy said. The Hawkses complied, believing that their lives would be spared. But instead, they were gagged with duct tape and tied to an anchor that had been separated from the ship.
The Hawkses were thrown overboard alive with the anchor as Deleon laughed, Murphy said.
Deleon and Kennedy, who is a Crips gang member, face the death penalty when they are tried next year. Both have prior criminal records, unlike Machain who was a jailer when he met Deleon in 2003 as Deleon served a burglary sentence.
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Tom & Jackie Hawks/Skylar Julius Deleon Full Coverage & Breaking News
Discussion Forum: The Killings of Thomas & Jackie Hawks
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