Jennifer Deleon

Infobox Criminal


subject_name = Jennifer Deleon
image_size =
image_caption =
date_of_birth =
place_of_birth = Long Beach, CA
date_of_death =
place_of_death =
alias =
charge = First Degree Murder (2 Counts)
penalty = Life without parole
status = In Prison
occupation = Hairdresser
spouse = Skylar Deleon (Divorced)
parents = Lana Henderson
children = Two

Jennifer Deleon is a convicted murderer currently serving two life sentences.

Crime

On November 9, 2004, Jennifer convinced Jackie and Tom Hawks that she and her husband, Skylar, were interested in buying the Hawks' convert|55|ft|m|sing=on yacht. The yacht, named "Well Deserved," was advertised for $440,000. The Hawks agreed to take Skylar and two of his associates on a test voyage.

On November 15, 2004, the Hawks and Deleon met on a Los Angeles harbor and set sail with Deleon and her two co-conspirators. At some point during the voyage, the Hawks were attacked and forced to sign their yacht over to Deleon, on the promise that their lives would be spared if they cooperated. Instead, Deleon and her associates tied the Hawks to an anchor and tossed them overboard. Reportedly, the couple was still alive when they were thrown into the water.

Alonso Machain, 22, Myron Gardner Sr., 33, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 40, are accused of participating in the murder.

The circumstances of the murder are similar to that committed by the convicted killer Oba Chandler.

Investigation

The investigation started in late November when the family of the Hawks reported them missing. The case has received international attention as well as extensive coverage in the United States. Investigators discovered that, a few days after the murders, Jennifer Deleon withdrew large sums of money from the deceased couple's bank accounts; the money was transferred to a bank account in Mexico. Jennifer Deleon was arrested on April 8, 2005.

Conviction and Sentence

Jennifer, mother of two, turned down prosecutors’ offer of immunity in exchange for testifying against her husband, Skylar Deleon. She and her husband are now divorced.

She went to trial and was found guilty. She was sentenced on October 4, 2007, to two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole for the murders of the Hawks.

Jennifer is the first of the four to receive her sentence for the crime.

Personal life

Jennifer has since divorced Skylar and now goes by her maiden name, Jennifer Henderson. Her two children currently live with their maternal grandmother, Lana Henderson.

Sources

* [http://www.eham.net/articles/15295 Jennifer Deleon guilty of Hawks murder]
* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/1106/1501_hawks_deleon.html Crime library story]
* [http://www.tomandjackiehawks.com/timeline.htm Tom and Jackie Hawks site]
*http://www.knbc.com/news/10347753/detail.html