| For Immediate Release July 28, 2006 |
Contact: | Susan Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel (714) 347-8408 Office (714) 323-4486 Cell |
LONG BEACH MAN CHARGED WITH SOLICITING THE MURDER OF HIS OWN FATHER AND ANOTHER WITNESS WHILE IN JAIL ON TWO MURDER CASES
*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, 2005, 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 Kathy Tomlinson at 714-347-8483.
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.
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