Suspect is charged with third murder

A Long Beach man and his wife, who will stand trial for the killing

of a missing Newport Beach couple, were charged in a third murder

case late Thursday.

Skylar Deleon, 26, is accused of murdering John Jarvi, a

45-year-old Anaheim man, for financial gain. Jarvi was found with his

throat slashed in December 2003 in Mexico. Deleon’s wife, Jennifer

Henderson-Deleon, 24, and Skylar Deleon’s first cousin, Michael

William Lewis Jr., 24, have been charged with accessory to the

murder.

Newport Beach detectives arrested Lewis on Thursday at his home in

Oatman, Ariz., with assistance from the Mohave County Sheriff’s

Department, said Trish Carter, Mohave County sheriff’s spokeswoman.

The Deleons are already in custody and are awaiting trial. They

are charged with the murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks, a retired couple

who police believe were handcuffed to the anchor of their yacht and

thrown overboard while alive in November. Their bodies haven’t been

found.

“In the course of events, there was a nexus to the city of Newport

Beach, and that’s the reason why we’ve taken an interest in the

[other murder] case,” Newport Beach Sgt. Dale Johnson said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Murphy, prosecutor in the case against the

Deleons in the Hawkses’ killing, said Friday that he could not

comment on any connection or similarity between the two cases.

Skylar Deleon and Jarvi met while they were both serving time in a

work-release program at the Seal Beach Jail in December 2003, Murphy

said.

After Jarvi was released, he took out a second mortgage on his

condo and told his mother he was going to Mexico on a “no lose”

business deal, according to a statement released by the Orange County

district attorney’s office.

On Dec. 26, Jarvi reportedly went to his bank in Laguna Beach and

cashed two $25,000 checks; afterward, he immediately telephoned

Skylar Deleon, according to the statement.

Hours later, Skylar Deleon allegedly spent $18,000 in new $100

bills at a boatyard and deposited $21,000 into the Deleons’ joint

account. The Deleons were also seen buying a $2,200 wedding band, the

statement said.

Jarvi made a phone call to Skylar Deleon on Dec. 27, the same day

Deleon and his cousin Lewis allegedly drove to Mexico. Jarvi’s body

was found at 4 p.m. on a highway near Ensenada. Skylar Deleon’s car

crossed the U.S.-Mexico border approximately two hours later, the

statement said.

The day of the murder, Deleon was still serving work-release time

at the Seal Beach jail, Murphy said. Jail records indicate that

Alonso Machain, a jailer at the Seal Beach jail, allowed Deleon into

the jail that night, much later than he was supposed to return,

Murphy said.

Machain, 21, of Pico Rivera, is one of the five defendants charged

in the murder of the Hawkses. Machain, along with co-defendant Myron

Gardner, 42, of Long Beach, will be tried separately from the Deleons

and John Kennedy, 40, of Long Beach, also charged in the Hawkses’

murders.

Machain has not been charged in connection with Jarvi’s murder,

and charges are not likely, Murphy said.

“We don’t believe Machain had anything to do with that murder,”

Murphy said.

Michael Molfetta, the attorney representing Henderson-Deleon in

the Hawkses’ murder trial, said Friday that he knew the charges were

being sought for Skylar Deleon and would likely be placed against his

client.

“I knew it was coming,” Molfetta said.

After a two-day preliminary hearing, a judge Tuesday decided that

the Deleons and Kennedy will stand trial for the murder of the

Hawkses.

The three will be arraigned Aug. 30 in Central Court in Santa Ana.

Gardner and Machain are set to appear in court Oct. 7 for a

preliminary hearing.

Lewis waived extradition Friday and was transported to Orange

County Jail. A date for Lewis’ arraignment has not been set.

Skylar Deleon and Jennifer Henderson-Deleon will be arraigned on

the new charges at 9 a.m. Monday in Harbor Justice Center in Newport

Beach.