Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast - This Child Actor Turned Evil // The Skylar Deleon Murder Story

Episode Date: July 6, 2026

Skylar Preciosa Deleon is an American convicted murderer and former child actor who was sentenced to death for the 2004 murder-for-profit killings of Thomas and Jackie Hawks.

So why did this former Power Rangers actor go crazy and try and cut off his own B-eck? Yes, this really happened. And it all starts with this guy, Skyler. And Skyler is around 25 when all this begins, and he's living in Long Beach, California. And Skyler, he's a former child actor. He did a couple of commercials. He had a few lines on the original Power Rangers series. You can see him right here.

He was still a kid. If I had to practice, I wouldn't even be captain as a team. But now, Skyler is growing. up and he's no longer in the entertainment business and he's become kind of a turd. Like he's unemployed with a history of criminal behavior, he's been in and out of jail for various crimes. But none of that is actually Skyler's problem. See, Skyler's problem is that he's trans and he wants to fully transition and have the full gender confirmation surgery. But he can't do that because that surgery is expensive and Skylar is broke. But then,

one day in 2004, he finally gets the opportunity to make some money to pay for it. Because he's reading a boating magazine and he sees an ad for this 55-foot yacht that's for sale, that's around $440,000. And he starts thinking, man, if I had that kind of cash, I could be out of debt and I could get that surgery. And that is when Skyler gets an idea. What if he could just steal the yacht and sell it and make a bunch of money? So he goes to his wife, because I guess he's married, and he tells her about his plan to steal this boat so that he can sell it and get his surgery.

And I guess she's like, great idea, babe, and so now she's involved. Then he enlists a couple of goons that he knows to help him out. And so Skyler hits up the sellers of this yacht, and they're a married couple named Tom and Jackie. So he hits up Tom and Jackie, and they set up a time to meet and take the boat for a test drive. And so Skyler and the goons, they show up to the carlars. harbor in Newport Beach to meet up with these two, Tom and Jackie, and they all take the boat out. The name of the boat is actually well-deserved, by the way. And so everything is going like a normal boat sale would.

Well-deserved is sailing nicely, and everyone is chatting and having a good time, and the owners are probably excited that they might make a sale today. But then, suddenly, bang, Skyler and one of the goons overpowers Tom, and the other goon pulls out a stun gun, and he points it at Jackie. Then they handcuff both of them, and they drag Jackie to the kitchen. And Skyler threatens her with a gun, and they force her to sign some documents that give power of attorney over to Skyler. They also force her to sign a transfer of title to the yacht. Then they bring Tom, and they force him to do the same thing. So now, not only does Skyler and his wife have complete control over the yacht, but they have complete control of this couple's money and all their assets.

After that, one of the goons grabs a bunch of rope that's attached to the boat's anchor, and they wrap it around the couple several times so that they really can't go anywhere. And eventually, the goon pushes them overboard, and Skyler throws the anchor in after them. And unfortunately, Tom and Jackie, of course, don't survive this, and they drown. Then Skyler and the goons sail back to the harbor, and they dock the boat in its normal spot, and they all go their separate ways and they go back to living their normal lives. Here's the thing, though. Before they all went on that test sale,

the couple told a bunch of family and friends that they were taking the yacht out. Well, hours later, none of their family or friends have heard from them. So some of them start to realize something is very wrong. So a family member of Tom's, Tom's brother, heads down to the harbor, and he finds the well-deserved docked in its usual spot, But something feels off. Like it isn't tied up properly and nothing on the boat is in its usual place. So he leaves a note on the boat asking whoever bought the yacht to call him.

Later, Skyler's wife is on the boat, and she finds this note, and so she calls him. And of course, she makes up a whole bullshit story acting all innocent. She says she saw Tom and Jackie drive away and that she hasn't heard from them since. And so about two weeks go by, and no one has heard. from Tom or Jackie. So at this point, Tom's brother goes and he files a missing person's report. So now the police are involved

and they start investigating. And what little evidence they have keeps leading them back to Skylar. The person who supposedly bought the boat from them. The person who they supposedly transferred all their assets to right before they disappeared. So they bring him in and they question him.

But, Skyler just lies and he tells them that he bought the boat in cash. That's why there's no record of payment for it, and that after the sale, he hasn't seen them. So now, police are at a dead end with their investigation, because they've got no real evidence against Skyler or anyone. So it looks like he might have just gotten away with a double homicide. This spring, denim gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg, a new fit that moves with you. It's everything you want denim to feel like for summer. Easy, breathable, and effortlessly.

cool. With a fit that creates natural movement and a wide leg that feels modern, not overwhelming. Plus, that signature, wait, for this price, moment. Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg. On two. A few weeks later, police

brings Skyler back in to question him again. Because a lot of things in his story just aren't adding up. So they start pushing back on some of the plot holes he's been leaving them. But their biggest question is, how How does a turd like Skyler? Someone broke, someone unemployed, someone who has to live in a converted garage because he can't afford a real apartment? How does someone like that suddenly have $440,000

in cash to buy a luxury yacht? So Skyler makes up a very elaborate lie, and he claims that he was heavily involved in an out-of-state drug trafficking ring, a gig that was very lucrative for him, and that's how he got the cash. It was illegally laundered drug money. Now, since, Since this crime that he just totally made up is a major felony, bam, police arrest Schuyler. Here's the thing though, back when Schuyler and the goons forced Tom and Jackie to sign all that power of attorney paperwork, one of the goons signed his own name as a witness. Because you know, you need a witness to sign to complete the paperwork. So police are like, who the hell is this guy who signed this? And they start looking for him.

Well, knowing the heat is on him, this goon eventually goes and he turns himself in. Not only that, but once he's in the interrogation room, he tells them everything. About their whole plot to pretend to want to buy the yacht so that they could steal assets from Tom and Jackie, and of course, about the murder. And so, bam, they arrest the goon. Here's his mugshot. Also, bam, they arrest the other goon. Here's his. Also, bam, they arrest Skyler.

Here's his mugshot. Also, bam, they arrest Jennifer. Here's his mugshot. The prosecutor is called Schuyler Delion the best con man he's ever met. He and his wife were able to fool both veteran cops and the prosecutor, but only for a while. And ultimately, the goon who cooperated gets sentenced to 20 years in prison, the other goon is sentenced to death, Skyler's wife is sentenced to life in prison, while Skyler is also sentenced to death.

But there's more. While Skyler was in jail waiting for his trial, he still never got that gender reassignment surgery that he always wanted. And he still wants it real bad. So one day, he gets access to a smuggled-in razor blade, and he tries to do the surgery himself in jail by cutting off his own junk. And so anyway, he's rushed to the hospital and they reattach it. But years later, in 2023, while in prison, he is finally able to get a lot of it.

that surgery. And so now she is still in prison and she is living her best life, I guess, while still on death row.