SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A young mother facing tens of thousands of dollars in debt used her infant to gain the trust of a retired couple who were later killed for their yacht, a prosecutor told a jury Monday.
Jennifer Deleon, 25, and her husband, Skylar, were more than $87,500 in debt when they joined three others in a scheme to kill Thomas and Jackie Hawks of Prescott, Ariz., after they were forced to sign over the yacht's title and control of more than $1 million in assets, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Matthew Murphy said in his opening statement.
Jennifer Deleon was charged with two counts of murder and special circumstance allegations of committing multiple murders for financial gain. If convicted, she faces life in prison without parole. She has no criminal history, prosecutors said.
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Jennifer Deleon with Attorney |
Her husband and another man, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, face a separate trial scheduled for Jan. 29. They have also been charged with the murders. Both have prior convictions and could face the death penalty.
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