*Skylar Deleon is in jail awaiting trial on the Hawks murder and Jarvi murder
NEWPORT BEACH – Skylar Deleon, who changed his name from John Jacobson Jr.,
26, Long Beach, was charged with soliciting the murder of his own father and another
witness while he was in custody for two different murder cases. The new charge will
add eleven years to what he is facing in two separate murder cases. As to the Jackie
and Thomas Hawks special circumstances murder case, the District Attorney will decide
after a hearing whether he will seek the death penalty. There will be no bail set on this
case. Deleon will be in court Monday at 10 a.m., H-2, Harbor Justice Center, in
Newport Beach, to be arraigned on the new charges.
On January 24, 2004, Deleon is accused of asking a fellow inmate in jail to murder his
father John Jacobson Sr., with the intent the murder be carried out. On July 26, 2006,
Deleon is accused of asking a fellow inmate in jail to murder Mike Lewis with the intent
the murder be carried out. Jacobson Sr. and Lewis are witnesses.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy in the Homicide Unit will prosecute all three
cases. The Newport Beach Police Department is continuing to investigate this case.
They have conducted over 100 witness interviews, reviewed thousands of documents,
and collected and analyzed hundreds of items of evidence. Anyone with information
about this case, the Hawks murder or the Jarvi murder should contact District Attorney
Investigator Larry Montgomery at 714-347-8490.
HAWKS CASE
In November 2004, the Hawks placed an advertisement for their 55-foot boat named
“Well Deserved” for $440,000. They wanted to spend more time with their new
grandchild in Arizona. Skylar Deleon, his wife Jennifer Deleon, 24, Long Beach,
Alonso Machain, 22, Pico Rivera, Myron Gardner Sr., 33, Long Beach, and John
Fitzgerald Kennedy, 40, Long Beach, are accused of participating in the murder of the
Hawks to take their boat and life savings.
Skylar Deleon and Machain are accused of staking out the boat and the victims on
November 6th. Jennifer Deleon is accused of gaining the trust of the Hawks by bringing
her 9-month old baby to meet the Hawks on November 9th. Gardner is accused of
recruiting Kennedy, a well documented, hard-core, Los Angeles gang member. On
November 15th, Skylar Deleon, Machain, and Kennedy are accused of taking the boat
out of the harbor, overpowering the Hawks, forcing them to sign the transfer of title
documents, handcuffing and tying them to the anchor, and drowning them. Skylar and
Jennifer are accused of communicating frequently by cell phone while the boat was out.
Skylar and Jennifer Deleon are accused of cleaning the boat with bleach and destroying
evidence and personal items belonging to the Hawks. The Deleons are accused of
getting papers signed by the Hawks notarized with backdates. The Deleons are
accused of trying to take money out of the Hawks bank account in Arizona and placing it
in a bank account in Mexico. The Deleons and Machain are accused of trying to create
evidence the Hawks were moving to Mexico after they were murdered.
On January 16, 2005, Skylar Deleon was arrested while he was trying to leave for
Mexico. Machain was arrested on March 2, 2005, Gardner was arrested the next day,
Kennedy was arrested a week later, and Jennifer Deleon was arrested on April 8, 2005.
The four have been charged with special circumstances murder on multiple victim and
financial gain allegations. Skylar Deleon was charged with a “Strike” from a 2003
residential burglary case. Kennedy was charged with a “Strike” from a 1988 attempted
murder case. During the preliminary examination held in 2005, defendant Jennifer
Deleon laughed during the hearing while the grieving Hawks family watched.
JARVI CASE
On August 19, 2005, Skylar Deleon was charged with special circumstances murder for
financial gain of John Jarvi, 45, of Anaheim. Jennifer Deleon and his first cousin Michael
William Lewis, Jr., 25, of Arizona, were charged with helping Skylar Deleon conceal the
murder. If convicted, Skylar Deleon could receive life without the possibility of parole.
Jennifer Deleon and Lewis face three years in state prison for the Jarvi murder plot.
Jarvi met Skylar Deleon while they were serving a work furlough program at a private
jail in Seal Beach in 2003. Skylar Deleon was unemployed supporting his pregnant wife
Jennifer and the two were heavily in debt.
On December 26, 2003, Jarvi went to his bank in Laguna Beach and cashed two
$25,000 checks and immediately called Skylar Deleon. Two hours after the call, Skylar
Deleon is accused of spending $18,000 in new $100 bills at a boatyard and depositing
$21,000 into the couple’s joint account.
On December 27, 2003, Jarvi called Skylar Deleon in the morning. Skylar Deleon and
Lewis are accused of driving down to Mexico that day. The two were in frequent
communication with each other on both December 26 and 27th. Jarvi’s body with his
throat slashed was found about 4 p.m. next to the northbound lane near Ensenada.
Skylar Deleon’s car crossed the U.S. border around two hours later. A week later, the
Deleons are accused of getting rid of Jarvi’s car.
Fifth Suspect Arrested in Murder of
Thomas and Jackie Hawks
ARRESTEE: Jennifer Henderson-DeLeon
Age: 23 years
Resident of Long Beach
At approximately 1:50 p.m. today
Jennifer DeLeon was taken into custody and charged with the murder
of Thomas and Jackie Hawks. She joins four others, including her
husband, arrested in connection with the murder of the Hawks.
Detectives arrested Jennifer DeLeon after they obtained an arrest
warrant for her and took her into custody when she arrived at
the Orange County Jail to visit her husband, Skylar DeLeon. Skylar
DeLeon has been in custody since Newport Beach Police Detectives
arrested him on December 17, 2004.
An investigation into the missing
couple began in late November 2004. Thomas Hawks and his wife
Jackie were reported missing by family members after the couple
reportedly sold the boat on which they had been living. Thomas
Hawks, a retired Arizona Probation Officer, and his wife, spent
much of their time traveling on their boat between Newport Beach,
San Diego and San Carlos, Mexico. The couple reportedly sold their
55’ boat in mid-November [2004] for an amount described
by Skylar DeLeon to be in excess of $400,000 cash. Detectives
have since concluded that the sale was fraudulent and in fact,
never took place.
According to Skylar Deleon he
last saw the Hawks on November 14, 2004 after “purchasing”
the Hawks boat and observed the couple drive away in their 1998
Silver Honda CRV with Arizona license plates. That vehicle had
been missing since their disappearance but located in Ensenada,
Mexico on December 16, 2004 after a media campaign was launched
requesting the public’s assistance in locating the vehicle.
The bodies of the Hawks have never been located.
On March 2, 2005 Alonso Machain,
21 years old, was arrested in connection with the Hawks murder
and on the following day 41 year-old, Myron Gardner was also arrested
in connection with the murder.
On March 10, 2005 Newport Beach
Police announced they had arrested a fourth suspect by the name
of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a resident of Long Beach in connection
with the murder of the Hawks. Kennedy is 39 years of age. All
five suspects are now in custody and being held without bail.
For further information, please contact:
Name: Sgt. Steve Shulman Telephone: (949) 644.3662
E-mail: SShulman@nbpd.org
Date of Release: March 10, 2005 Time of Release: 4:00 pm
Fourth Suspect Arrested In Murder of Thomas and
Jackie Hawks
ARRESTEE: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
DOB: 08-13-65
Resident of: Long Beach - Unemployed
At 11:30 a.m. today Newport Beach Police Detectives
arrested a fourth suspect in the murder of Thomas and Jackie Hawks.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for John Fitzgerald Kennedy
for two counts of murder. Kennedy was taken into custody after
he was stopped driving a 1988 yellow Cadillac at the intersection
of Long Beach Blvd. and 23rd Street in Long Beach today. Kennedy
is a resident of Long Beach and he was booked into the Newport
Beach City Jail with no bail.
Long Beach Police Department’s Gang Unit
assisted Newport Beach Police Detectives in the identification
and arrest of Kennedy.
Details surrounding Kennedy’s role in
this case are not being revealed at this time as this continues
to be an on-going police investigation.
Last Friday (March 4, 2005) the Newport Beach Police Department
announced that murder charges were filed against Skylar DeLeon,
Alonso Machain, and Myron Gardner. DeLeon had been in custody
for a probation violation related to an earlier arrest for Grand
Theft. Machain was arrested on March 2, 2005 and Gardner was arrested
on March 3, 3005. All three remain in custody in Orange County
Jail.
For further information, please contact:
Name: Sgt. Steve Shulman Telephone: (949) 644.3662
E-mail: SShulman@nbpd.org
Date of Release: March 4, 2005 Time of Release: 12:00 pm
DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO FILE MURDER CHARGES IN HAWKS CASE TODAY
TWO OTHERS ARRESTED FOR HAWKS MURDER
ARRESTEE: ALONSO MACHAIN DOB: 9-19-83 21 years
Resident of Pico Rivera
MYRON GARDNER DOB: 5-25-63 41 years Resident of Long Beach
The District Attorney’s Office will file
murder charges today on Skylar Deleon at the Harbor Justice Center.
In addition, two other people have been arrested in recent days
for their involvement in the murder of Thomas and Jackie Hawks
who were reported missing after the sale of their boat November
15, 2004.
DeLeon, when initially interviewed by Newport
Beach Police Detectives, told them he consummated the purchase
of the Hawks boat on November 15, 2004 and that Thomas and Jackie
were present during the sale. He also said Alonso Machain was
present during his purchase of the Hawks boat.
In an interview with police Machain stated
he was present during the purchase with DeLeon, but he later recanted
that statement. Subsequent investigation determined that the sale
of the boat by the Hawks to DeLeon never took place.
No one has seen the Hawks since November 15,
2004. The family reported the Hawks missing days after DeLeon
reported he purchased the Hawks boat.
An extensive media campaign took place in an
attempt to locate the Hawks and their vehicle. The vehicle was
located in Ensenada, Mexico on December 16, 2004. Subsequent investigation
revealed that DeLeon delivered the Hawks vehicle to a location
in Ensenada, Mexico on November 26, 2004, the same location it
was found, December 16, 2004.
Further investigative leads resulted in the
arrest of Myron Gardner who detectives believe played a role in
the murder of the Hawks but are not prepared to discuss the leads
surrounding his arrest.
This investigation is continuing and Detectives
anticipate additional arrests will be made in the future.
Below is a time line of some of the events
related to this case:
