SANTA ANA, Calif. – A jury on Thursday recommended death for a man convicted of murdering a couple by binding them to the anchor of their yacht and throwing them into the ocean off California as they pleaded for their lives.
Skylar Deleon, 29, sat motionless as the jury announced its decision following nearly two days of deliberation in Orange County Superior Court.
"He was disappointed," Deleon's attorney Gary Pohlson said afterward. "He was very hopeful he wouldn't get the death penalty."
Deleon was convicted last month of three counts of first-degree murder for the 2003 slaying of Jon Jarvi, who he met in a work furlough program while serving time for burglary, and the 2004 slayings of Tom and Jackie Hawks aboard their yacht.
During the trial's penalty phase, which took six days, jurors heard statements from victims' relatives, attorneys, Deleon's family members and psychiatrists, who offered differing takes on the role child abuse has on a person's development.


Jury seeks death for man who killed couple at sea - Yahoo! News