Man charged in deaths of missing couple...

Man charged in deaths of missing couple

The fourth suspect arrested in connection with the disappearance

of Tom and Jackie Hawks was formally charged on Monday.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 39, of Long Beach was charged with two

counts of murder, with special-circumstances allegations of multiple

murder and murder for financial gain, said Mark Macaulay, spokesman

for the district attorney’s office.

The other three men arrested on suspicion of the presumed murders

-- Skylar DeLeon, 25, Myron Gardner, 41, both of Long Beach, and

Alonso Machain, 21, of Pico Rivera -- face the same charges.

DeLeon was already in custody on suspicion of grand theft and a

probation violation when he was charged with murder.

Kennedy did not enter a plea, and is scheduled to appear in court

again Friday. Macaulay said prosecutor Matt Murphy would likely

attempt to delay the arraignment until April 15, when the other three

defendants are slated to appear in court. All four men are being held

without bail.

Tom and Jackie Hawks disappeared in November. The couple lived on

the 55-foot cabin cruiser the Well Deserved in Newport Harbor. DeLeon

initially told police he purchased the craft, but police believe the

sale did not happen. The Hawkses’ car was found in Ensenada, Mexico,

and DeLeon is believed to have called the home where the car was

located.

Fire causes $200,000 of damage, none injured

A home on Yacht Grayling in the Seaview Homes Community area of

Newport Beach caught fire Sunday morning.

Thirty Newport Beach firefighters responded to the call at 11:24

a.m. and arrived at the scene to find smoke and flames coming from

the roof of the home and the residents safely waiting outside.

According to Jennifer Schulz, the fire department’s spokeswoman,

the firefighters entered the house to find it free from smoke, but

found a fire burning in the fireplace, which probably started a fire

in the attic. However the cause is still under investigation.

The fire was extinguished by 12:30 p.m. and salvage work continued

until about 3:15 p.m.

Damage estimates are listed at approximately $150,000 in

structural damage and $50,000 for damage to house contents, Schulz

said.

3 taken to hospital after MacArthur car accident

A car accident at MacArthur Boulevard and Bison Avenue sent three

people to the hospital Monday morning.

According to Sgt. Steve Shulman of the Newport Beach Police

Department, 18-year-old Cayla Hall of Escondido, driver of a 2004

Volkswagen Bug, was heading northbound on MacArthur Boulevard when

she ran a red light at 7:31 a.m. She hit a 2000 Nissan Altima, driven

by Jayme Corbin, 24, of Fullerton, who was turning left from Bison

onto MacArthur to head southbound.

Hall had three passengers in her car. Two people were taken to

Hoag Hospital, and one complained of some pain but did not go to the

hospital.

Corbin was taken to Mission Community Hospital, with complaints of

pain.

The two cars suffered major damage and Hall was cited at the

scene, Shulman said.