Deliberations for Skylar Deleon slated to continue

An Orange County jury adjourned after a full day of deliberations at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the capital murder trial of former child actor Skylar Deleon.

Deliberations are scheduled to reconvene at 9 a.m. today.

The seven-woman, five-man jury must decide whether to recommend death by lethal injection or life in prison without parole for Deleon, who was convicted Oct. 20 for the 2004 slayings of Newport Beach yacht owners Tom and Jackie Hawks and 2003 killing of Anaheim resident John Jarvi.

Deliberations began 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Deleon, 29, who once had a bit part on the television show “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” stole $50,000 from Jarvi in 2003 before slashing his throat in the desert outside of Ensenada, Mexico and leaving him to die.

Deleon also conned Tom and Jackie Hawks into thinking he was interested in buying their 55-foot yacht, the “Well Deserved,” in November 2004 before he and two other men bound and gagged the couple, lashed them to the anchor and tossed them overboard somewhere between Newport Beach and Catalina.

Their bodies were never found.

Defense attorney Gary Pohlson admitted his client’s guilt during opening arguments in the trial, focusing instead on saving Deleon from the death penalty by parading Deleon’s unhappy childhood before the jurors.

Deleon’s family members testified during the penalty phase of the trial that he was beaten and emotionally abused by his drug-dealing father and possibly molested.

— Brianna Bailey