Plot to Kill Witness Is Alleged in Yacht Case

The chilling case of a retired couple believed murdered while selling their Newport Beach yacht last fall took another twist Friday when the prosecutor said that some of the jailed suspects were plotting to kill a witness.

At issue are the deaths of Thomas and Jackie Hawks, a couple from Prescott, Ariz., who had moored the Well Deserved in Newport Harbor after spending 1 1/2 years boating around Mexico.

They were killed on a sunny November day during a test run of their 55-foot vessel, police said.

Authorities say they believe people posing as potential buyers overpowered the couple, handcuffed them to an anchor and threw them overboard alive. Their bodies have not been found.

Last week, five defendants -- each charged with two counts of murder -- pleaded not guilty.

Skylar James Deleon, 25, and his wife, Jennifer Henderson-Deleon, 23, Myron Gardner, 41, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 39, all of Long Beach; and Alonso Machain, 21, of Pico Rivera are being held without bail in Orange County Jail.

They are charged with killing the Hawkses to steal the yacht and loot their bank accounts. A preliminary hearing has been set for late May or early June.

Friday, during a pretrial hearing in Orange County Superior Court, Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Murphy said there was at least one plot by some of the suspects to kill a witness, but offered few details.

In an interview, he said not all of the five suspects were involved in the plot. He would not say how the plan was discovered, nor would he identify the witness. He said additional charges were possible.

Michael A. Molfetta, the attorney for Jennifer Henderson-Deleon, said Murphy’s statements caught him by surprise. “It was very melodramatic, very theatrical,” he said.

“It was full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

Thomas Hawks, 57, was a retired deputy probation officer in Arizona. After sailing down Baja California, around Cabo San Lucas and into the Sea of Cortez, he and Jackie, 47, lived on their yacht in Newport Beach.

They wanted to sell the boat, buy a smaller one and property in Baja, and spend more time in Prescott.