Seal of the Superior Court of California, Orange County

It has been three years since Thomas and Jackie Hawks met their gruesome deaths and the wheels of justice are turning slowly. A trial date has been set for Jan. 28 in Orange County, but prosecutor Matt Murphy doesn't have high hopes.

chapter continues

advertisement

"I've been ready for a year," he says. "We're waiting on L.A." What he means is that Fitzgerald's attorney has repeatedly said he needs more time to prepare his case. Both Fitzgerald and Skylar, who each have prior felony convictions, face the death penalty. Machain and Gardner have cooperated with police and are expected to plead guilty without a trial. Jennifer went to trial in 2006 and was convicted of all counts. She was sentenced to two life terms in prison and will never be paroled.

"She didn't have so much as a traffic ticket back then. If Jennifer had never met Skylar, none of this would've come into her life," said her attorney, Michael Molfetta, who blames Skylar for the couple's woes. "She had no idea what he was up to, no idea that he was into killing the Hawkses."

But if you ask the prosecutor, he'll say that Jennifer ran the show and was the driving force behind everything. "She was the dominant one in the relationship, she wore the pants," Murphy said.

Jennifer DeLeon with her attorney

Jennifer has since divorced Skylar and a friend of hers from jail said she wants nothing more to do with him. This is in marked contrast to her frequent visits to him in jail, pledging her love, before she herself was charged.

For Ryan Hawks and his family, he just wants to get the trial over with so he can move on with his life. He expects to be there every day of the expected two-month proceeding. "I have to do this; it's the least I could do for my dad," he said. "I just want this to be done with."

He and his brother Matt continue to write on www.tomandjackiehawks.com, a web site initially set up to help find their parents. Matt posted this note on Father's Day:

Tom and Jackie Hawks

Happy fathers day DAD. They don't make words that can explain how great of dad you truly are. I am so thankfull to have been raised by someone who taught me so much. I thank you for all the wonderful years we had, and the time spent with us. I promise dad that I will be the father to your grandson Jace that you were to me. I know that Jace will never get to meet you or mom again, but know that he will know all about you and the legacy you leave behind. I love you both so very much. Happy fathers day. Matt Hawks

email print