Where Is John Julius Jacobson Jr. Today? Answers on His Sentence, Identity, and Case Status
By Sophia Al-Mansoor
In late 2004, Thomas and Jackie Hawks placed their beloved 55-foot boat, Well Deserved, on the market for $435,000. After years of sailing throughout the Gulf of California, the couple wanted to settle permanently on land to spend time with their newborn grandchild. Deleon contacted them under the guise of a wealthy prospective buyer with offshore financial backing.
On November 15, 2004, Deleon arranged a sea trial from Newport Beach harbor, bringing along two accomplices: Alonso Machain, an acquaintance working as a private jailer, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, an associate affiliated with the Long Beach Crips. The Hawks welcomed the group aboard without suspicion. Once the vessel cleared the coastline into open Pacific waters, the trio struck. Kennedy physically overpowered Tom Hawks, an athletic former commercial diver, while Machain and Deleon neutralized Jackie Hawks.
The attackers dragged the couple into the ship's stateroom, gagged them with duct tape, and handcuffed them. Deleon forced the terrified owners to sign legal documents transferring ownership of the yacht and granting complete access to their bank balances. Once the paperwork was secured, the perpetrators dragged the couple back to the deck, handcuffed them back-to-back to the yacht’s 66-pound concrete-and-steel anchor, and shoved the heavy iron over the stern. The anchor pulled Tom and Jackie Hawks into deep ocean waters alive. Despite extensive searches by the Coast Guard and private salvage crews, their bodies were never found.
Sophia analyzes international trade, startup ecosystems, retail transformation, and supply chain logistics for modern digital publications.
