Nicholas Markowitz
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[edit] Life
Nicholas Samuel Markowitz was born on September 19, 1984 and died on August 8, 2000. He lived in the West Hills Section of Los Angeles, California with his mom, Susan, and dad, Jeff. Nicholas was described as always very funny and fun to be around and he also had a lot of energy. Nicholas was also involved in sports and theater at school.
[edit] Kidnapping
Nicholas's older half brother, Benjamin Markowitz, had gotten into trouble with Jesse James Hollywood, a mid-level drug dealer. Benjamin allegedly owed Hollywood $1,200 for drugs and other items. On August 6th, 2000 Hollywood and a few of his gang decided to confront Benjamin but on their way to see him they saw Nicolas on the side of the road. Hollywood and his gang then decided to abduct Nicholas, in broad daylight, for ransom so that Benjamin would pay what he owed Hollywood. They chased Nicholas down and kicked and hit him, they then threw him into the van in which Hollywood and his gang were driving and sped away.
Hollywood and his gang then told Nicholas why they were holding him and he freaked out but when Hollywood offered Nicholas drugs and a joint he took them and felt that he was a part of the group. Hollywood and his gang then drove their van up to Santa Barbra, California and bounced around to different houses partying. Reports indicate that parents saw the group partying at the houses but didn't realize anything was going wrong because it appeared to them that Nicholas was having fun.
Nicholas, Hollywood and his gang then traveled to a motel in Santa Barbra, California called the Lemon Tree Inn. While at the Inn the gang held another party in the pool of the Inn. Nicholas became involved with one of the 17 year-old girls at the party. After the party members of Jesse's gang allowed Nicholas to believe that he was heading home soon. Hollywood called Ryan Hoyt, a crew-member of Jesse's gang and deeply in debt to him, to take care of a little problem and give him a Tec-9. Two members of the crew decided to commit the murder in the mountains above Santa Barbara, California. The two dug a shallow grave and returned to the hotel to pick up Nicholas and drive him to the mountains.
Hoyt and another member of the gang bound Nicholas's hands behind his back with duct tape and put tape over his mouth as well. Hoyt then knocked Nicolas into the grave by hitting over the back of the head with the shovel used to dig the shallow grave. Hoyt then shot Nicholas 9 times with the Tec-9. The members of the gang then tried to hide the gun by placing it between the legs of Nicholas's body and then covering the body with dirt and branches. The grave, however, was too shallow and close to a popular trail and Nicholas's body was found on August 12, 2000. Ryan Hoyt, Jesse Rugge, William Skidmore, Graham Pressely were all soon arrested following numerous leads to the sheriff's office following the death of Nicholas Markowitz.
[edit] Capture
Ryan Hoyt, age 21, was charged with 1st degree murder and will receive the death penalty. His trial started October 2001 and ended February 2003. He is currently on Death Row.
Jesse Rugge, age 20, was charged with aiding in the kidnap and execution of Nicholas Markowitz. Rugge was the gang member who bound Nicholas hands together and put tape over his mouth moments before the execution. His trial started in April of 2002 and ended in September of 2002.
William Skidmore, age 20, was charged with kidnapping and robbery and is serving nine years in a state prison as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced in September of 2002 and has the opportunity for parole.
Graham Pressely, age 17, was tried twice as an adult July 2002 and October 2002 but was charged as a youth. Pressely was the member of the gang that dug the shallow grave for Nicholas. Pressely will be incarcerated at a California Youth Authority facility until he turns the age of 25 with no possibility of parole.
Jesse James Hollywood immediately skipped town and was on the run for quite some time, being shown on America's Most Wanted June 12th 2004 and also April 2 and March 12, 2005. Hollywood was then found to be living in Saquarema, Brazil. There he met Marcia Reis and they started to talk about creating a family. Brazilian authorities told American agents that it would be very hard to get Hollywood back to the United States if he fathered a baby in Brazil. American authorities worked with Brazilian agents and found out that Hollywood was supposed to meet a cousin in a mall. He was arrested there and kicked out of the country by Brazilian authorities. Jesse James Hollywood was returned to the United States on March 10, 2005. Hollywood is currently awaiting trial.
[edit] Alpha Dog
In January 2007 the movie Alpha Dog by Nick Cassavetes, based on the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz, was released in the US.
