Jesse James Hollywood

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Jesse James Hollywood (born January 28, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is an American drug dealer and former fugitive. He allegedly kidnapped and ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz. Ryan Hoyt, a "posse member" of Jesse James Hollywood, was arrested for the alleged slaying of Markowitz on August 17, 2000. Hoyt reportedly owed Hollywood money for drugs and was offered the opportunity to kill Markowitz as a way of erasing his debt. (Hoyt was convicted of 1st degree murder and was sentenced to death. He currently is on death row at San Quentin State Prison in California.)[1]

Hollywood's drug trade allowed him to acquire a small fortune with which he bought a $200,000 property in the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California and numerous exotic sports cars.

He was profiled on America's Most Wanted (AMW) on June 12, 2004. Upon being captured, AMW showed him again on March 12 and April 2, 2005.[2] Hollywood was found to be living in Saquarema, Brazil. American authorities worked with Brazilian agents and found out that Hollywood was supposed to meet a cousin in a mall. He was arrested by Interpol agents in Saquarema[3] on March 8, 2005, at 11:35am, and was returned to the United States on March 10, 2005.[4]

He is currently awaiting trial in California, starting after 2007. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.[5][6]

[edit] Alpha Dog

Main article: Alpha Dog

In January 2006, the movie Alpha Dog, based on Jesse Hollywood and the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Emile Hirsch (as Hollywood, under the name Johnny Truelove), Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Ben Foster and Harry Dean Stanton. Universal Studios originally set a release date in May 2006, but the film was pushed back to be released on January 12, 2007.

During filming, Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Ronald J. Zonen provided copies of virtually every document in his file and served as an unpaid consultant to the film, citing his desire to have Hollywood captured. Zonen prosecuted Hollywood’s co-defendants and was poised to prosecute Hollywood. This alleged conflict of interest led to the decision by the California Court of Appeal for the Second District, who ruled on October 5, 2006 that, based on Zonen's disclosure of the files—which included confidential information and service as consultant to the film—he should be recused from further involvement in prosecuting Hollywood.[7][8] In doing so, the majority opinion by Justice Kenneth R. Yegan stated:

[W]e should not give our imprimatur to Zonen's conduct or embolden other prosecutors to assist the media in the public vilification of a defendant in a case which is yet to be tried. Perhaps without intending to do so, Zonen has potentially infected the jury pool with his views on the strength of the People's case. Prosecutors should try their cases in courtrooms, not in the newspapers, television, or in the movies.

The concurring opinion by Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert added:

I do not dispute or question the prosecutor's integrity, ability or commitment. His well-intentioned motives are beside the point. It is the consequences of his actions that prompt our decision. His actions allowed "show business" to cast an unseemly shadow over this case. The prosecution of criminal cases and entertainment enterprises are best kept separate.

On December 20, 2006, the California Supreme Court granted review on Hollywood and a factually-unrelated case, Haraguchi v. Superior Court, involving the recusal of another prosecutor from Zonen's office, thus effectively staying the order to recuse Zonen. [9] On May 12, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that neither Zonen nor his colleague in Haraguchi should be recused.[10][11]

NBC's Dateline and Fox Network's America's Most Wanted have been covering this story extensively.[12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Scheeres, Julia. Jesse James Hollywood, drug dealer orders murder and flees. Crime Library. Courtroom Television Network LLC. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
  2. ^ amw.com | Jesse Hollywood - Fugitive
  3. ^ Hollywood v. Superior Court (People)
  4. ^ FBI Los Angeles Division - Press Release - March 10, 2005
  5. ^ Jesse James Case Meets Another Road Block | Santa Barbara's News, Weather, and Sports | KEYT Headlines
  6. ^ The real story behind 'Alpha Dog' - Dateline NBC - MSNBC.com
  7. ^ "Deputy DA removed from Jesse James Hollywood murder case", USA Today, October 5, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-01. 
  8. ^ Hollywood v. Superior Court, 143 Cal. App. 4th 858, 49 Cal. Rptr. 3d 598 (2006).
  9. ^ http://www.sdcba.org/ethics/leq/ethics_quarterly_4q06.htm http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/minutes/documents/SDEC2006.PDF
  10. ^ Hollywood v. Superior Court, ___ Cal.4th ___ (May 12, 2008, S147954).[1]
  11. ^ Haraguchi v. Superior Court, ___ Cal.4th ___ (May 12, 2008, S148207).[2]
  12. ^ Uehlinger, Tim. "The long hunt for Jesse James Hollywood", Dateline, April 12, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-01. 

[edit] External links