Man Convicted Of Tying Yacht Owners To Anchor And Drowning Them Off Shore

It was a terrible way to die. A California jury has found a man guilty of three counts of first degree murder in an especially bizarre case that perhaps could only have unfolded in the Golden State.

What did Skylar Deleon do that brought such terrible accusations against him? The 29-year-old posed as a prospective buyer of a wealthy retired couple’s 55-foot yacht in 2004, and convinced them to take him and two other men out for a test cruise. But once they were out in open waters, Deleon and his accomplices overpowered the unsuspecting duo, took them below deck, handcuffed and duct taped their eyes and mouths, and forced them to sign over ownership of the boat.

But it didn’t end there. As the couple pleaded for their lives, the killers tied them to an anchor and despite their pleas for mercy and the husband issuing a kick that felled his attacker for a moment, they pushed them overboard, where they sank beneath the waves.

The bodies of Tom and Jackie Hawks have never been found.

How did authorities crack the case? They began by investigating how the unemployed and debt-ridden former convict came to be in possession of a vessel he clearly couldn’t afford. After four weeks of cops piling on the pressure, one of his accomplices eventually confessed and the terrible plot was finally exposed.

Deleon’s wife has also been found guilty of the crime, with prosecutors proving she used the couple’s 9-month-old baby to gain the real owners’ trust. She’s serving two life terms without parole.

Others involved in the plot are either awaiting trial or sentencing.

Ex-con Deleon, the man police accused of masterminding the plan, was also found guilty of killing a former cellmate he met in a work furlough program in 2003. In that case, he murdered Jon Jarvi in Mexico, after the victim gave him $50,000.

The seriousness and horrific nature of the crimes caused the Santa Ana jury to find ‘special circumstances’ in the case, leaving Deleon open to the death penalty for his cruel acts. But his lawyer insists it won’t come to that. Gary Polhson intends to use his client’s background in his defence, pointing out the now convicted killer was badly abused by his violent father who later died of AIDS. “He’s had a horrible, horrible life,” the advocate maintains.

There are also questions about the killer’s mental state. Back in July, the suspect somehow got hold of a razor in his cell and attempted to sever his own penis. His life was saved by emergency surgery in hospital and it’s never been clear where he got the blade from.

None of which impresses Ryan Hawks, the son of the victims. He has no sympathy for the man who stole so much from his family. He calls the guilty verdict a “tiny piece of the puzzle” in his quest for justice and expects Deleon to wind up on death row.

He’ll find out if his hopes are realized when a sentencing hearing begins on Wednesday.

Tom and Jackie Hawks Remembrance Page