On November 15, 2004, the Well-Deserved pushed away from its Newport Beach slip toward the open waters near Santa Catalina Island. Tom Hawks was wary of the young buyer. To put the couple at ease, Deleon had brought along his pregnant wife, Jennifer Henderson, to earlier meetings as a disarming prop. For the sea run itself, however, Deleon recruited outside muscle: Long Beach acquaintance Alonso Machain and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, an affiliate of the Crips street gang recruited specifically to overpower the physically imposing Tom Hawks.
Once miles off the coast, the dynamic turned violent. Deleon, Kennedy, and Machain subdued the couple with stun guns and handcuffs. Deleon shoved Tom and Jackie into the cabin, forcing them to sign over ownership paperwork, clear titles to the yacht, and authorization forms granting power of attorney. The assailants then hauled the couple back onto the stern. They handcuffed Tom and Jackie back-to-back, chained them to a heavy concrete-reinforced anchor, and shoved the anchor into the Pacific. The couple was dragged alive down to the sea floor. Search and rescue crews never recovered their remains.
