The Well Deserved: The Chilling True Story of Tom and Jackie Hawks
How a couple’s dream retirement turned into a deadly yacht-sale trap
In November 2004, Tom and Jackie Hawks were preparing for a fresh chapter in their lives. After spending years raising a family and enjoying retirement on the Pacific Ocean, they had decided to sell their beloved yacht and move closer to their growing family. Their first grandchild had given them a new reason to return to life on land.
They believed they were making a sensible decision. They had found potential buyers, arranged the sale of their boat and were looking forward to the future.
But the couple would never make it home.
What appeared to be an ordinary yacht transaction became the beginning of a carefully planned crime. Investigators would eventually uncover a scheme involving deception, financial greed and several accomplices. The case became one of the most disturbing murder-for-profit investigations in Southern California.
This is the story of Tom and Jackie Hawks and the tragic fate of their yacht, the Well Deserved.
A Couple Who Built a Life Together
In 1986, Thomas Hawks was a divorced father raising two teenage sons in Newport Beach, California. His life changed when he met Jackie at a local community event.
Tom was 39, while Jackie was 29. Their meeting developed into a relationship, and the couple eventually married in 1989.
Jackie became an important part of the family. Although Tom's sons already had a mother, they grew close to Jackie and came to regard her as another parental figure. She devoted herself to family life and helped raise the boys with affection and care.
Jackie had experienced a serious motorcycle accident when she was younger. According to the account presented in the case, the injuries left her unable to have children of her own. Becoming a stepmother therefore held particular meaning for her.
Over the years, Tom and Jackie built a close family life. They worked, saved money and raised the boys together. Eventually, the children grew up and began independent lives of their own.
For Tom and Jackie, this marked the beginning of a new opportunity: retirement.
Their Dream Retirement at Sea
Rather than settling into a conventional retirement, Tom and Jackie wanted to spend their time travelling along the California and Mexican coastlines.
They had been saving for years, carefully managing their finances so they could afford a boat and live on it. They were not wealthy people, but they were disciplined with money and had a clear plan.
In 2002, after their sons had moved out, the couple sold their Newport Beach home and purchased a modest yacht. They named it Well Deserved.
The boat was not a luxurious vessel, but it became their home. They moved their belongings aboard, cleaned and improved the interior, and gradually made the yacht comfortable.
For the next two years, they enjoyed the lifestyle they had worked so hard to achieve. They travelled along the coast, watched sunsets over the water and spent time together away from the pressures of everyday life.
Their retirement seemed to be going exactly as planned.
Then, in 2004, they received news that changed their priorities.
One of their sons was expecting a child. Tom and Jackie were delighted about becoming grandparents, especially Jackie, who had always wanted the experience of raising a child of her own.
They began considering a move back to land so they could spend more time with their family. The yacht that had once represented their dream retirement would now help finance their next chapter.
The Yacht That Attracted the Wrong Buyers
In November 2004, the Hawks advertised their 55-foot yacht, Well Deserved, for approximately $440,000.
A buyer soon appeared: Skylar Deleon.
At first, the arrangement seemed like a normal business transaction. Deleon expressed interest in purchasing the yacht, and discussions moved forward.
But investigators would later establish that the apparent sale was part of a much darker plan.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's account, Deleon and his associates had planned to gain the couple's confidence before taking control of their property and money. His then-wife, Jennifer Deleon, was also involved in the scheme.
One important part of the plan was to make the Hawks feel comfortable around the prospective buyers. Jennifer and their young child were brought into the interaction, helping create the appearance of an ordinary family interested in purchasing a boat.
For Tom and Jackie, this was not simply a financial transaction. They wanted someone who would appreciate the yacht and look after it as they had.
The buyers appeared to be offering exactly that opportunity.
The couple had no idea what was being planned behind the scenes.
When the Family Could No Longer Reach Them
On November 15, 2004, Tom and Jackie went out aboard Well Deserved with the prospective buyers for what was presented as a sea trial.
A sea trial is a practical test run that allows a potential buyer to examine a boat before completing a purchase.
The couple expected an ordinary trip. Instead, it became the last time they were seen alive.
After the Hawks disappeared, their family began trying to contact them. Calls went unanswered, which was highly unusual for a couple who normally kept in touch with their relatives.
Concern grew as more time passed.
Tom's brother, Jim, a retired police chief, decided to travel to Newport Beach and check the yacht himself. When he reached the dock, he noticed several things that did not seem right.
Some equipment and lines appeared to have been left in an untidy condition. Other details suggested that the yacht was no longer being maintained in the careful way Tom was known for.
Jim initially wondered whether the sale had been completed and the new owners were responsible for the changes. He left his contact details and asked anyone connected with the boat to get in touch.
Soon afterward, he received a call from Jennifer Deleon, who confirmed that she and her husband had purchased the yacht. She also said that she had been trying to contact Tom and Jackie because some of their belongings had been left behind.
Her explanation did not resolve the family's concerns.
Jim contacted a woman who had helped the Hawks manage financial matters while they were living aboard the yacht. He wanted to know whether the couple had deposited the money from the sale.
There was no record of the expected payment.
With the couple missing and the financial details unclear, Jim reported their disappearance to Newport Beach police.
A Police Investigation Begins
Investigators quickly focused on the people who had most recently been in contact with the Hawks.
Skylar Deleon attracted particular attention because of his criminal history. Police also began examining the circumstances surrounding the yacht's sale and the explanations given by the people connected with the transaction.
During an inspection of Well Deserved, investigators noticed something that initially appeared suspicious. A mark inside the boat looked as though it could be a bloody handprint.
A search of the yacht followed, but the mark turned out to be rust. The inspection did not immediately provide the breakthrough detectives needed.
Deleon was questioned and gave investigators an account of the supposed sale. He claimed that Tom and Jackie had completed the transaction, received their money and driven away.
Other people connected with the meeting appeared to support parts of his explanation.
However, the story began to unravel as investigators continued checking the evidence.
The Car in Mexico Raises New Questions
A major development came when authorities circulated information about the missing couple and their vehicle.
People in Mexico eventually reported seeing the Hawks' SUV. When authorities located it, the vehicle was not with Tom or Jackie. It had come into the possession of another person who had no clear explanation for the couple's disappearance.
This discovery raised serious doubts about Deleon's account.
If Tom and Jackie had simply driven away after selling their yacht, why had their vehicle ended up elsewhere?
Investigators began looking more closely at Deleon's statements and the people around him. A search connected with the investigation also uncovered personal property belonging to the Hawks.
The case was no longer being treated as a routine missing-person investigation.
Police suspected that the yacht sale had been used to conceal a violent crime.
The Witness Who Helped Reveal the Truth
One of the most important developments came from Alonso Machain, a former city jail employee who had become involved with Deleon.
Machain eventually provided investigators with information about what had happened aboard Well Deserved. His testimony became central to the prosecution's case.
According to the account he gave, the planned meeting on November 15 was not a genuine attempt to purchase the yacht. The men had intended to overpower the couple, obtain control of their property and take their money.
The Hawks were persuaded to leave the safety of the harbour for a sea trial. Once the boat was far from shore, the situation changed.
Tom and Jackie were restrained, and the men forced them to sign documents transferring control of the yacht and granting access to their financial affairs.
One detail from the testimony became especially memorable. Jackie reportedly misspelled her own surname on a document, leaving out a letter. Prosecutors viewed this as a possible attempt to signal that the paperwork had not been signed voluntarily.
The couple were then taken to the rear of the yacht and attached to an anchor.
They were thrown into the ocean.
Their bodies were never recovered.
The details of the crime emerged through testimony and the investigation, rather than from the discovery of the victims themselves. <sup>1</sup>
The People Behind the Crime
The investigation established that the attack involved more than one person.
Skylar Deleon was identified as the central figure in the plot. His wife, Jennifer, had helped create the appearance of a trustworthy family connection, and prosecutors presented evidence of her involvement in the scheme.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Alonso Machain were also involved in the events aboard the yacht. Another associate, Myron Gardner, was connected to the wider conspiracy.
The case revealed how an apparently ordinary sale could be manipulated into an opportunity for robbery and murder.
The involvement of multiple people also made the investigation more complicated. Detectives had to compare accounts, examine physical evidence and determine who had played which role.
Machain's cooperation was particularly significant because it helped prosecutors establish what had happened during the final trip.
Justice for Tom and Jackie Hawks
The legal proceedings resulted in convictions and prison sentences for the people involved.
Jennifer Deleon was convicted in 2006 of the murders of Tom and Jackie Hawks. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Skylar Deleon was found guilty in October 2008 of the murders of Tom and Jackie Hawks, as well as a separate murder. A jury recommended the death penalty, and he was sentenced to death in April 2009.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was also convicted in connection with the Hawks murders and sentenced to death.
Alonso Machain pleaded guilty to charges including voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping and robbery. In June 2009, he received a sentence of 20 years and four months in prison after cooperating with prosecutors.
Myron Gardner pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and received a one-year jail sentence.
These outcomes were announced by the Orange County District Attorney's Office in 2009. <sup>2</sup>
A Retirement Dream That Ended in Tragedy
Tom and Jackie Hawks had spent years building a life around family, hard work and a shared dream of retirement.
Their yacht was more than a possession. It represented the freedom they had earned after raising their children and saving for the future.
When they decided to sell it, they were preparing to become more involved in the life of their first grandchild. They had every reason to believe that the transaction would be the beginning of another happy chapter.
Instead, their trust was exploited by people who wanted their property and money.
The case remains a disturbing reminder that appearances can hide carefully planned crimes. A friendly introduction, a family connection and an apparently legitimate business deal can sometimes be used to lower someone's guard.
For the Hawks family, the promised future of family gatherings and time with a new grandchild never arrived.
The Well Deserved had been named to reflect the retirement Tom and Jackie had worked so hard to enjoy. Its name would become associated with a tragedy that took away the very future they had been preparing to share.
Sources and further reading
Los Angeles Times, Murder Trial Ordered for 3 in Couple's Death (August 17, 2005).
Orange County District Attorney, case announcements and sentencing releases (2008–2009).
CBS News / Associated Press, Man Sentenced In Drowning Of Yacht Owners (April 11, 2009).
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