August 17 CALIFORNIA: Murder Trial Ordered for 3 in Couple's Death----An O.C. judge rules after hearing one suspect's account of the killing at sea of yacht owners Tom and Jackie Hawks. Tom and Jackie Hawks were told that if they cooperated with the men on their yacht, they would live. So with hands cuffed behind their backs and duct tape over their mouths and eyes, the couple agreed to sign power of attorney documents, even as their 55-foot vessel, Well Deserved, motored from Newport Beach to where they would be tied to an anchor and thrown alive into the sea. The account, given to police by one of the accused killers, came Tuesday in the preliminary hearing for three of the suspects in the Hawkses' slayings. At the end of the 2-day hearing, Orange County Superior Court Judge John D. Conley ordered the defendants to stand trial on charges of murder and murder for financial gain. Alonso Machain, who worked at the Seal Beach city jail when he met 26-year-old Skylar DeLeon of Long Beach, admitted to detectives in March that he agreed to participate in the killings after DeLeon promised him several million dollars. As Det. Evan Sailor recounted Machain's version, relatives of Tom, 57, and Jackie, 47, sniffled as they held back tears. DeLeon and his wife, Jennifer, 23, who is also charged, smiled several times throughout the detective's testimony, at times appearing to hold back laughter. Skylar DeLeon had originally told Machain he needed help killing "some bad people" who had angered some unnamed person, Sailor said. "He was supposed to make them disappear." DeLeon showed Machain photos of the Well Deserved, pointing to the lower level bedroom and engine room as possible places to overpower the couple, "so that people couldn't hear them screaming," Sailor said. They went out with the couple Nov. 6 on the pretense of wanting to buy the boat. Instead, they intended to kill the couple and steal the yacht, but DeLeon and Machain aborted the plan. DeLeon later told Machain that Tom Hawks - a former bodybuilder and retired probation officer - was bigger than he expected. They needed a 3rd person. On Nov. 15, Machain and DeLeon picked up a third man at a Long Beach liquor store. Machain remembered the man only as C.T. or J.T., and he was introduced to the Hawkses as DeLeon's accountant. Later, Machain identified the man through a police photo lineup as co-defendant John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 40, whose moniker in the Long Beach Crips gang was C.J. for "Crazy John." Machain, 21, has also been charged with murdering the Hawkses, but his case is being tried separately. Sailor testified that the men armed themselves with stun guns and reviewed the plan: Machain would take care of Jackie, and DeLeon and the other man would overpower Tom. Once the couple were subdued and had signed power of attorney papers, they were handcuffed in the yacht's bedroom as they cruised out to sea for nearly 2 hours, Machain told police. With Catalina Island visible, Machain told police, the yacht's 66-pound anchor was brought aboard. Rope was tied around the couple's waists, then attached to the anchor. The duct tape was tightened. While the rope was being tied, Tom Hawks kicked backward, striking DeLeon in the groin and knocking him to the ground. DeLeon stood up and smiled, Machain told police, before throwing the anchor into the ocean. When the anchor hit the water, the couple were dragged out the port-side door and into the ocean near Catalina. "They were both struggling very hard," Machain told Sailor. Then the men searched for valuables on the boat, finding about $3,000, which DeLeon divided among them. Lawyers for the 3 defendants were skeptical during cross-examination of Machain's statements, as he had lied to police several times. At first, he denied being involved in the Hawkses' disappearance, Sailor acknowledged. Conley acknowledged the potential problems in Machain's testimony but said a jury should determine his credibility. (source: Los Angeles Times) OKLAHOMA: 3 more arrested in quadruple homicide Authorities Tuesday arrested another 3 people in connection with a quadruple homicide in Oklahoma City on Memorial Day. Arrested were: -- 2 unidentified men. -- Daniel Michael Ashcraft, 26, address unknown. Ashcraft had been sought on an accessory to murder warrant. The other 2 were arrested on complaints of 1st-degree murder and conspiracy to commit 1st-degree murder, authorities said. Police Sgt. Charles Phillips said the latest arrests happened in Midwest City at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. He declined to provide the identities of the other 2 men, but did say 2 had been arrested on the murder and consipiracy complaints. Phillips also would not rule out additional arrests. Tuesday's arrests followed 2 others last week. Alvis Earl Sanders Jr., 23, of Midwest City, was arrested Thursday in McAlester on an accessory to murder complaint. Arthur James Wilder, 24, of Midwest City, was jailed Aug. 9 on an accessory complaint. The arrests stem from the Memorial Day shooting deaths of Amy J. Wright, 26; James "Donnie" Swindle Jr. 49; Terry L. Smith, 56; and James D. Alderson, 57. All were found dead outside a complex of trailer homes in a fenced area south of D&L Alignment and Brakes, 1800 SE 29. Oklahoma City police Sgt. Charles Phillips has said police do not think Sanders and Wilder were triggermen in the slayings. Wilder was arrested after a search warrant executed at an unspecified location apparently turned up an assault rifle used in the killings. Court documents indicate Sanders and Ashcraft may have driven a maroon van to Indiana and hidden it. The van, which has since been recovered, is similar to one captured on a surveillance camera leaving the crime scene moments after neighbors heard shots fired. Phillips would not rule out additional arrests. "I don't think this is the end, but I honestly don't know," he said. "It seems like every time we arrest someone related to this case, we gain a little more information." (source: The Oklahoman) NORTH CAROLINA: Jury weighs man's fate in NCSU deaths----Panel deliberates in slayings outside 2004 football home opener In Raleigh, jurors completed their 1st day of deliberations Tuesday in the case of a man accused of killing a Marine and his childhood friend during a fight outside an N.C. State University football game. Timothy Wayne Johnson is charged with 1st-degree murder in the deaths of Chicago businessman Kevin McCann and 2nd Lt. Brett Harman, a Chicago native stationed at Camp Lejeune. McCann and Harman, both 23, tangled with Johnson and his younger brother, Tony, outside the Wolfpack home opener Sept. 4. Prosecutors say Timothy Johnson shot the 2 at point-blank range. Johnson, testifying in his own defense, acknowledged firing his gun, but said he did it to scare away the men and protect his brother, not to kill anyone. Tony Johnson, who will be tried later on 1st-degree murder charges, argued with the victims shortly before the shootings. Judge Osmond Smith told the jurors they can find Timothy Johnson not guilty or convict him of 1st-degree murder, 2nd-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter. The panel began its deliberations about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday and recessed for the day about 5:15 p.m. Johnson could be sentenced to life in prison or execution if convicted of at least one 1st-degree murder charge. In closing statements Monday, prosecutors said Timothy Johnson had time to form the intent to kill McCann and Harman, a necessary element for a 1st-degree murder conviction. Wake County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cruden told the jury that Harman and McCann did nothing to cause their own deaths. Instead, he argued that Johnson acted with malice, premeditation and deliberation. "When he knew that his brother was down on the ground and he decided to pull that gun, he deliberated," Cruden said. "If you can think about it, you deliberated." Defense lawyers argued for a conviction on voluntary manslaughter, saying the victims were drinking alcohol and eager to fight. "Those men -- as fine as my boys, maybe better -- contributed to what happened out there that day," defense attorney Joseph Cheshire said. "They are not blameless." (source: Associated Press)
