Twisted Sister
Tom and Jackie Hawks were living the dream in retirement, sailing their yacht Well Deserved along the California coast. But when the birth of a new grandson called them back to Arizona, they put the boat up for sale. Enter Skylar Deleon and his wife Jennifer, who showed up as prospective buyers—with their baby in tow. What seemed like an innocent deal soon turned into a nightmare.
After a “sea trial,” the Hawks vanished. Police uncovered a sinister plot: the Deleons, drowning in debt, had conspired with accomplices to murder the couple, seize their assets, and fund Skylar’s long-desired gender reassignment surgery. Investigators also linked Skylar to a third homicide, exposing an escalating trail of violence and greed.
In this newly updated edition of her book, Caitlin Rother dives deep into the case’s shocking twists: Skylar’s conviction and death row sentence, her subsequent transition while incarcerated, and the legal battles over taxpayer-funded gender confirmation surgery and a possible prison transfer. With California’s death penalty currently under moratorium, the case continues to stir outrage among the Hawks’ family and community.
