By Tori Richards

(Continued)

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The Hawkses disappeared on Nov. 15, 2004 when they were taking Skylar out on a cruise off the coast of Southern California. He was posing as a buyer for their 55-foot vessel, the "Well Deserved." Although a Jennifer wasn't on board at the time, she lulled the victims into a false sense of security by meeting them with Skylar a week earlier while pregnant and with her infant daughter in tow.

Her defense attorney claimed during trial that Jennifer didn't know Skylar was going to kill the Hawkses and thought the yacht was a gift.

"Jennifer Deleon is just as guilty as Skylar — she might as well have pushed them off the boat herself," Murphy said. "She went on that boat on purpose, brought that baby that melted Jackie Hawks' heart and was responsible. Why on earth would Thomas Hawks, a former probation officer, go out to sea with three thugs? The answer is Jennifer Deleon."

During the trial Murphy presented undisputable evidence: records of dozens of cell phone calls between the Deleons and the other suspects the day of the visit and the day of the fateful cruise. Murphy also showed a paper trail of illegal transactions by the Deleons — a backdated notarized bill of sale, an effort to withdraw funds from the Hawks' bank account and a power of attorney that Jackie signed "Hawk" instead of Hawks.

Murphy told jurors in his closing argument that Jackie knew she was about to die and purposely signed her name wrong so police would have a clue. Her husband fought back in his own way by kicking Skylar as he was being bound and gagged with duct tape.

Angry, Deleon lassoed the pair together and tied them to a disengaged anchor that was thrown overboard. Jackie's head slammed into the side of the boat before they sank to their deaths. Skylar laughed, Machain testified, in outlining chilling details leading up to the Hawkses deaths as their family members cried.     

Jennifer's attorney, Michael Molfetta, said she didn't know about Skylar's murderous ways and even feared him. Molfetta compared Skylar to Charles Manson and attempted to switch the jury's focus to the one-time child actor who appeared in the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" television series.

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Contact Tori Richards at NewsWriter2@aol.com

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