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Skylar Deleon’s Background

Skylar Deleon was named John Julius Jacobson Jr. at birth. As a youth, Skylar starred in commercials and had an uncredited extra role on an episode of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

As an adult, Skylar skipped out on a military commitment and later turned to a life of crime. This eventually led to a conviction for residential burglary in 2003. That should have been a wakeup call to turn things around, but it wasn’t, and just months later, Skylar’s crimes escalated to murder.

Murder of John Jarvi

According to ABCNews, Skylar met John Jarvi while they were both serving time at the City of Seal Beach jail in California. They kept in contact after getting out. Skylar told Jarvi of a plan to make a lot of money. In December 2003, Jarvi got his hands on $50,000, and he and Skylar headed south to Mexico, but there was no deal; it was a setup.

Skylar took the money and left Jarvi dead in Mexico with his throat cut. Authorities in Mexico questioned Skylar, but the case went nowhere.

Murders of Thomas and Jackie Hawks

In October 2000, Thomas and Jackie Hawks purchased a 55-foot fishing boat that had been repurposed into a yacht. In 2001, they made the vessel their permanent home. After spending a couple of years travelling, they decided to sell the yacht and purchase a home so they could be close to their grandchild and other family.

According to the OC District Attorney, they placed an advertisement selling the Yacht for $440,000 in November 2004. Skylar saw the ad and started plotting, even going as far as to stake out the Yacht on November 6th, along with Alonso Machain.

Skylar contacted the Hawks about the yacht and met with them on November 9th, 2004. To build trust with the Hawks, Skylar brought then-pregnant wife, Jennifer Deleon, and their 9-month-old girl along on the visit.

The Hawks trusted Skylar, and they went out for a test drive 6 days later. This time, Jennifer and the baby didn’t tag along. Instead, Skylar brought Machain and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Skylar told the Hawks that Kennedy was his accountant. Once they got out to sea, things went south. The three overpowered the Hawks and forced them to sign documents and transfer ownership of the Yacht over to Skylar.

The trio didn’t want to leave any witnesses, and they handcuffed and tied the Hawk to the anchor and then threw them into the water, where they drowned.

Investigation

According to ABCNews, when family members and friends were unable to contact the couple, they went to Newport Beach and saw the boat docked, but the Hawks and their Honda CR-V were not there. One friend noticed things were out of place, and they knew the couple had been planning to meet a buyer to take the boat out for a test drive.

Tom’s brother, Jim Hawks, left a note on the Yacht with his phone number. Jennifer called him and lied, saying she and Skylar had paid for the boat in cash. Jim contacted the couple’s money manager and learned that the couple hadn’t made any large deposits.

After two weeks, a missing persons report was filed. Investigators learned that Skylar was on probation and lived with Jennifer in a converted garage behind her parents’ home, making it unlikely they could afford a six-figure yacht. While searching the yacht, authorities found a receipt showing bleach and trash bags had recently been purchased.

Jennifer and Skylar were questioned and said they had also been trying to reach the Hawks and were concerned. When they were asked to provide proof of the yacht purchase, they had all the documents ready to hand over.

The questions only got more difficult as authorities wanted to know how the couple could afford to pay for the yacht in cash. Skylar claimed that drug money was used in the transaction. Skylar said after the Hawks got the briefcase full of cash, they handed over the keys, then got in their Honda CR-V and drove away.

A month after the Hawks went missing, their family went to the media. Soon after, someone in Mexico came forward saying they saw the Hawks’ vehicle near his home. Detectives learned that the vehicle’s new owner got the car from Skylar.

Skylar was arrested for money laundering on December 17th, 2004, but with no bodies, the murder investigation progressed slowly. Authorities wanted the case solved, and according to ABCNews, they offered Jennifer immunity to turn on Skylar, but she refused.

The big break came when the notary, Kathleen Harris, admitted that she had never met the Hawks and was paid cash to falsify documents. Next, Machain folded and told the entire story to investigators. Soon after that, all five people involved in the plot were behind bars.

Legal Proceedings

Skylar was tried for the Hawks’ murder and the Jarvi murder. Skylar’s defense team told the jurors the crime was committed to fund a sex change operation.

According to the OC District Attorney, the jury handed down convictions on three felony counts of special circumstances murder for multiple murders and murder for financial gain on October 20th, 2008. The jury recommended the death penalty. The judge upheld their recommendation and sentenced Skylar to death.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was also convicted by a jury of two counts of special circumstances murder for committing multiple murders for financial gain. The jury recommended he receive a death sentence. The judge upheld the jury’s recommendation and sentenced him to death.

Jennifer received a life without parole sentence after being convicted of two felony counts of murder with sentencing enhancement allegations for committing multiple murders for financial gain.

The final two people involved in the plot came out much better in terms of sentencing. According to the OC District Attorney, Alonso Machain pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of robbery. He was sentenced to 20 years and four months in prison. He was given a reduced sentence for cooperating and testifying at the trials of his co-conspirators.

Gardner also cooperated and pleaded guilty to a count of accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 1 year in jail in March 2009. He had already spent 4 years behind bars, so he was released with credit for time served.

Aftermath

Skylar participated in interviews after being convicted and was asked about committing the crimes to get money to pay for a sex change. Skylar told ABCNews a story of attempting castration while in jail and wanting to be a woman.

Many thought Skylar was lying to get off death row, but after several years behind bars, the triple murderer began to transition and can be seen with longer hair and a more feminine look in photos over the years. The 47-year-old remains on death row in California. The state has not executed anyone in twenty years, so Skylar doesn’t have to worry about the sentence being carried out anytime soon.