Former 'Power Rangers' Actor Skylar Deleon Was Deep in Debt Before a Dark Plot Over a Luxury Yacht – His Later Interview Had Viewers Asking Why He Was 'Trying to Hold Back a Smile'

Years after the case ended in a murder conviction, the actor spoke on television about his actions and state of mind. A clip from that interview later resurfaced and prompted a wave of reactions — and readers can find the video at the end of this article.

Skylar Deleon had once pursued a career in entertainment, appearing in commercials and landing a minor role connected to "Power Rangers." But acting did not provide the success he had hoped for.

After a brief period in the Marine Corps ended with his discharge, he moved between jobs while trying to support his growing family. By 2003 and 2004, however, his life had taken a far darker turn, culminating in three murders and a case centered on money, deception, and a yacht called the Well-Deserved.

At home in Long Beach, California, Deleon and his then-wife, Jennifer Henderson, were deep in debt and living in a small garage in her parents' house. The couple already had a daughter and another child on the way, while their living space did not have its own kitchen or bathroom.

This left them dependent on the main house for both, and Deleon later told ABC News that he remembered his wife being unhappy with their home and that the couple wanted something better.

Elsewhere in California, former parole officer Tom Hawks, 57, and his wife, Jackie Hawks, 47, were preparing to give up a home of a very different kind — the 55-foot yacht on which they had spent two years enjoying the retirement they had worked toward for much of their lives.

The former parole officer had lived frugally enough to retire early, according to his son, Ryan Hawks. Once they had saved up enough, the 57-year-old and his wife left the conventional working world behind.

The couple traveled through Mexico aboard the Well-Deserved, a mostly wooden yacht with teak decks and brass rails that was not simply their boat but their home. Their son later said of the vessel:

"It still smelled like my stepmom's cooking. It still had my dad's movies on VHS — favorite movies. The only difference is, it was floating and had a name."

After two years, the couple's priorities changed when their other son, Matt Hawks, had a child. With a new grandson waiting on land, they decided to end their life on the water and put the Well-Deserved up for sale, creating an opening that would bring their lives into contact with Deleon's.

The actor responded to the yacht advertisement as though he were interested in buying it, but prosecutors would later tell a jury that his interest concealed a plan to obtain the vessel without paying for it.

In November 2004, the Hawkses took Deleon and others aboard for what they believed would be a test cruise for a prospective buyer. However, once they were out on the water, the purpose of the trip changed.

Prosecutors said Deleon and two other men overpowered the Hawkses and forced them to sign documents transferring ownership of the yacht before restraining them and tying them to its anchor. They were then thrown overboard into the Pacific Ocean, and their bodies were never recovered.

As investigators pieced together what had happened aboard the Well-Deserved, another killing from the previous year also became part of the case against Deleon.

He had met Jon Jarvi, of Anaheim, through a work furlough program while serving jail time for burglary, and prosecutors said Jarvi gave him $50,000 before the actor killed him in Mexico in 2003.

Eleven years later, a clip from the conversation gained traction online in 2020, during which viewers began focusing not only on what the convicted murderer was saying but also on how he appeared while saying it.

By the time Deleon went on trial in 2008, his attorney, Gary Pohlson, did not ask jurors to decide whether his client had committed the murders.

Pohlson conceded Deleon's guilt from the outset and instead focused on trying to prevent a death sentence, preparing to present testimony about a childhood in which Deleon had been abused by his father. "He's had a horrible, horrible life," Pohlson told reporters.

On October 20, 2008, an Orange County jury found the 29-year-old guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, along with special circumstances for financial gain and multiple victims. The jury subsequently voted for the death penalty as well.

Meanwhile, Henderson, who had been convicted two years earlier, was serving life in prison without parole. The court proceedings provided detailed accounts of the crimes, including testimony from accomplice Alonso Machain about the plan involving the Well-Deserved and the Hawkses' final moments aboard it.

Deleon himself would speak publicly about what he had done several months after his conviction, when he sat down with ABC News correspondent Jim Avila for his first network television interview.

During the 2009 conversation, Deleon admitted his guilt and said he was "absolutely sorry" to the Hawks family. When Avila questioned him about the murders, however, Deleon described the state of mind he remembered in terms of indifference rather than feeling that he was evil. He shared:

"I've never really felt evil. I felt more of, 'I don't care. I don't care about my life. I don't care about what happens to you.'"

Eleven years later, a clip from the conversation gained traction online in 2020, during which viewers began focusing not only on what the convicted murderer was saying but also on how he appeared while saying it.

One person questioned whether his expression matched the apology he had offered, commenting, "If hes really apologetic and he regrets that decision why is he trying to hold back a smile so badly for somebody who killed people so callously I didn't see any signs of honest remorse in his facial expressions or his eyes [sic]."

"Remember true sociopath do not know how to show emotions And somebody who sincere about their regret for actions would show more sympathy then the compulsion to smile repressed [sic]," they continued.

Another viewer was similarly unsettled by the short segment, sharing, "I haven't seen the whole show or know the details but by looking at this shirt clip. This guy should never see the light of day. He's a true psychopath . My hair stood up on end. God help us that this kind is in our world [sic]."

Other reactions were much shorter but centered on the same unease over his appearance during the interview. One netizen typed, "He is empty. Look in his eyes...they are empty," while another commented, "Sociopath he has zero remorse for what he did [sic]." A fifth person simply said, "He looks disturbed."

Deleon's 2009 interview offered his own account years after the financial struggles that preceded the murders and months after a jury convicted him of killing three people.

When part of that conversation resurfaced in 2020, the case found a new audience, with his words and demeanor prompting the reactions above. The video that had netizens talking, along with photos related to the story, can be found below.

Photos From Skylar Deleon's Case

Skylar Deleon's 2009 Interview That Resurfaced Years Later and Sparked Reactions