Deleon Found Guilty

On Monday, the seven-woman, five-man jury in Skylar Deleon’s triple-murder trial took two hours to find Deleon guilty of the 2004 murders of cruisers Tom and Jackie Hawks, as well as another man in an unrelated 2003 incident. Two hours may seem like a quick verdict until you find out that Deleon’s attorney admitted his client’s guilt in his opening statement!

The verdicts of multiple murders for financial gain make Deleon, 26, more than eligible for the death penalty, and prosecutor Matt Murphy has made no secret that he intends to ask for it. Deleon’s attorney, Gary Pohlson, hopes to save his life by proving Deleon is no more guilty than others involved with the murders who will not face the death penalty.

Prosecutors contend that Deleon was the ringleader in the plan to murder the Hawkses, and therefore deserves to die. They say he and Jennifer gained the trust of the couple, who were trying to sell their trawler so they could move closer to their first grandchild. During a test sail on November 15, 2004, Deleon, Machain and another accomplice overpowered the Hawkses, forced them to sign financial documents, tied them to a 66-lb anchor, and threw them overboard.

The penalty phase of the trial began on Wednesday, and will likely go on much longer than the abbreviated trial that lasted just five days.