In 2004, his parents Tom and Jackie Hawks, a pair of Newport Beach retirees, were murdered for their yacht.
Since the trials wrapped up last year, Hawks said he’s become painfully aware of how few rights victims and their families have as an accused criminal moves through the court system.
On Tuesday, Hawks joined more than 200 others walking from the Orange County district attorney’s office to the Old Courthouse down the block, as part of the second annual Victims’ Rights March.
There, beneath a wreath commemorating victims and their families, marchers laid white roses at the base of the courthouse.
Much of the morning’s speeches focused on the various groups offering services to help victims of sexual violence or families of murder victims.
Costa Mesa Police Officer Eugene Kim, who lost his father to a drunk driver in 2000, led the group of marchers in a moment of silence.
Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle also attended, saying she was there to support law enforcement and the families of victims.
Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III was mentioned throughout Tuesday’s ceremony because he and his mother were the force behind 2008’s Marsy’s Law, which gave victims enumerated rights in the state’s constitution.
Victims and their families are now allowed in courtrooms during trials, which some defense attorneys tried to prohibit through legal maneuvers. Victims, like Ryan Hawks, were also allowed to testify during the trial, letting the depth of a crime’s effects sink in for the jury. Criminals now have between three and 15 years between parole board hearings, which means many will be incarcerated longer than the previous two-year cycle.
“When we join with others and share our passion, we can make a difference,” Hawks said.
