| For Immediate Release August 19th, 2005 |
Contact: | Mark Macaulay Media Relations Spokesperson (714) 347-8405 |
HUSBAND AND WIFE YACHT MURDER DEFENDANTS CHARGED WITH CRIMES IN NEW MURDER PLOT
NEWPORT BEACH – Skylar James Deleon, 26, was charged Thursday with special circumstances murder of John Jarvi, 45, of Anaheim. Skylar Deleon’s wife Jennifer Deleon, 24, and his first cousin Michael William Lewis, Jr., 24, of Arizona, were charged with helping Skylar Deleon conceal the murder. The Deleons are in custody awaiting trial for also murdering Jackie and Thomas Hawks, owners of a boat called “Well Deserved,” for financial gain. If convicted, Skylar Deleon could receive life without the possibility of parole. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas is considering seeking the death penalty. 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 told his mother he was going to Mexico on a “no lose” business deal. Jarvi then 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. Soon after that, the Deleons were seen buying a $2,200 wedding band for Jennifer Deleon.
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 12/26 and 12/27. Jarvi’s body with his throat slashed was found at 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 which was seen parked outside their home.
Newport Beach detectives arrested Lewis in Arizona yesterday. Lewis will face a magistrate in Arizona today and will be extradited to Orange County. The Deleons will be arraigned on Monday August 22, 2005 at 9 a.m. at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, California. Both the Hawks and Jarvi murders were investigated by the Newport Beach Police Department. Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy in the Homicide Unit will prosecute both cases.
During the preliminary examination held last week on the Hawks case, defendant Jennifer Deleon laughed during the hearing while the grieving Hawks family watched. In the Hawks murder case, the couple and gang-member, co-defendant John F. Kennedy are charged with murdering the Hawks to profit off their boat and bank accounts. The three are charged with tying the Hawks to an anchor and throwing them off the “Well-Deserved” in November, 2004. Deleons and Kennedy in the Hawks murder case will appear in court on August 30, 2005 in Department 5, in the Central Justice Center, in Santa Ana.
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