Jesse James Hollywood | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupation | Drug dealer |
Known for | Murder of Nicholas Markowitz |
Criminal status | Incarcerated |
Spouse | Melinda Hollywood (m. 2014) |
Children | 1 |
Motive | Drug dealing |
Criminal charge | Kidnapping and murder with special circumstances |
Penalty | Life imprisonment |
Time at large | 5 years |
Details | |
Victims | 1 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | California |
Weapons | Gun |
Date apprehended | 2005 |
Imprisoned at | Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility |
Jesse James Hollywood (born January 28, 1980) is an American former drug dealer who kidnapped and ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. He was arrested in 2005 and is serving life at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
Jesse James Hollywood was born to Jack and Laurie Hollywood and was raised in West Hills, a neighborhood in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. [1] As a child he was involved in junior baseball league. Hollywood attended Pinecrest Woodland Hills, in Woodland Hills, California, where he excelled in reading and baseball. Here, he also became best friends with another boy from an affluent family and the two of them became a duo, referring to themselves as "The Pros." They were often seen wearing baggy jeans with that moniker spray painted along the legs, as was fashionable at the time. His father moved the family to Colorado in an attempt to run a restaurant in the mid-1990s, but returned to West Hills in 1995.
Hollywood also played baseball when he attended El Camino Real High School. [2]
During his adolescent years he started power lifting and ingesting muscle supplements to help build up his muscle mass. His coach would later describe him as an "emotional kid" who was later expelled for erupting into a violent fit of rage at one of his teachers near the end of his sophomore year. He transferred to Calabasas High School where he played on the varsity baseball team until he injured his back and leg, forcing him to give up the sport. [2]
Investigators believe he started selling illegal drugs a year before he ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz. He recruited his former high school friends William Skidmore, Brian Affronti, Benjamin Markowitz, and Jesse Rugge to dispense narcotics for him and build up a profitable illicit drug operation. He had been a close friend of Benjamin Markowitz, playing on the same junior baseball league and would visit the same Malibu, California gymnasium to exercise together. [3]
On August 6, 2000, Hollywood and some of his crew, including Jesse Rugge and William Skidmore, kidnapped Nicholas Markowitz. Nicholas was half-brother of Ben Markowitz, who owed Hollywood $35,000. The intention was to use Nicholas as leverage to get Ben Markowitz to pay. Nicholas was taken from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, and held for three days. Hollywood became concerned after consulting a lawyer who advised him that anyone convicted of kidnapping would receive a life sentence. Hollywood ordered Ryan Hoyt, one of his subordinates, to kill Markowitz, giving Hoyt a TEC-9 automatic pistol with which to do it. [4]
On August 9, Hoyt and other associates of Hollywood took Markowitz to a rural location in the mountains north of Santa Barbara and killed him, burying his body in a shallow grave. [5] The body was found three days later.
When Ryan Hoyt was arrested, Hollywood fled to Canada and then to Brazil with help from his father, his godfather Richard Dispenza (who was unaware he was a fugitive at the time) and his girlfriend. [6] [7] Law enforcement agencies and the Markowitz family offered a reward of US$ 30,000 for information leading to Hollywood's capture, [8] an amount which was later raised to US$ 50,000. [9] Hollywood lived on Copacabana Beach, where he assumed the identity of "Michael Costa Giroux". He claimed to be a native of Rio de Janeiro, and later on, of Saquarema. [2]
To blend in, Hollywood learned Portuguese. He earned money by putting up posters advertising a nightclub and later got jobs giving private English classes and as a dog walker. Yet the bulk of the money he lived on came from a US$ 1,200 monthly stipend from his father. [10]
He was profiled on America's Most Wanted in September 2000 and June 2004, and twice in 2005 after he was captured, as well as Unsolved Mysteries in August 2001. The story was also featured on NBC's Dateline. [2] [5]
He developed a relationship with Marcia Reis, and in November 2004 she got pregnant. Hollywood thought her pregnancy would prevent him from being extradited to the United States, as he believed Brazilian law included a provision that protected the father of a native Brazilian from extradition. This had been true, but the law was changed after the international controversy involving fugitive criminal Ronnie Biggs. [2] Additionally, since he had arrived in the country with a false passport he was an illegal immigrant, which meant he could be deported regardless of his fathering a child with a native Brazilian.
United States authorities worked with Brazilian agents and discovered that Hollywood was planning to meet a cousin at a mall. [11] He was arrested by Brazilian authorities in Saquarema in March 2005. [2] In July 2005 Reis gave birth to Hollywood's son, named John Paul Hollywood-Reis. [12]
In 2005, on the same day that Jesse James Hollywood was arrested in Brazil, his father was arrested for manufacturing the illicit narcotic GHB, [13] but the charge was later thrown out of court. Jack Hollywood remained in custody on an outstanding 2002 warrant for a marijuana-related charge and later received 18 months in an Arizona prison. [14]
In their South America-based book of correspondence Five Years, Christian Kracht and David Woodard frequently discuss Jesse James Hollywood's predicament between the years 2004 and 2006. [15] [16] : 205–206
While Hollywood had been in Brazil, all of the other participants in the murder were arrested and tried. Ryan Hoyt was on death row at San Quentin State Prison when his sentence was commuted to life in prison in January 2024. [17] Graham Pressley was released from the California Youth Authority Facility in 2007. By July 2, 2013, Jesse Rugge had been granted parole. William Skidmore was released in April 2009 after serving 9 years behind bars for the kidnapping. [18]
In 2006, the movie Alpha Dog , based on Jesse Hollywood and the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz, premiered. During filming, Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Ronald J. "Ron" Zonen provided copies of many documents on the case 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. James Blatt, Hollywood's defense attorney, claimed there was a conflict of interest, and the California Court of Appeal for the Second District ruled on October 5, 2006, that, based on Zonen's disclosure of the files and consultant service he should be recused from further involvement in prosecuting Hollywood. [19] [20] On December 20, 2006, the California Supreme Court granted review on the case effectively staying the order to recuse Zonen. [21]
On May 12, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that Zonen need not be recused. Nonetheless, Zonen was replaced with Joshua Lynn, who was serving as lead prosecution attorney. While in jail, Hollywood began signing his mail as "Alpha Dog" and had mentioned an "Alpha Dog World Tour." [22]
After the Court review, in June 2008 his trial date was set to begin February 19, 2009, but it was delayed. Three months later the murder trial officially started on Friday, May 15. The defense's opening statements stated that Hollywood was not involved with the murder. [23] In his opening statement, Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Joshua Lynn described Hollywood as "a ruthless coward." [24]
On Monday, May 18, witnesses called to the stand included Jeff Markowitz (the victim's father), Pauline Mahoney (who was driving with her sons when she saw a group of men attacking Markowitz), and Brian Affonti (a one time friend of Hollywood's who was picked up after the kidnapping). [25] Affonti told the jury that he knew about Hollywood's gun, a TEC-9, which is the alleged murder weapon. [25] Chas Salsbury, Hollywood's getaway driver, testified at trial that following the murder "Hollywood seemed remorseful, depressed, and at some points even suicidal." [26]
Saulsbury continued on the fifth day with Kelly Carpenter discussing the actions of Rugge and Pressley's mother. [27] The following day saw testimony from Rugge's childhood friend, Richard Hoeflinger, who spoke about what he witnessed. [28] Subsequently, several Santa Barbara residents told the jury about events leading to Nick Markowitz's murder. [29]
At the start of the second week Michelle Lasher, Hollywood's former girlfriend, testified that she still loved Hollywood and was hostile to the prosecution. [30] Lasher also admitted to lying to police because she did not want Hollywood to be caught. [31] The Hollywood family friend, attorney Stephen Hogg, told the jury about "a tense conversation in the attorney's Simi Valley backyard" wherein Hogg told Hollywood "that kidnapping can carry a life sentence." [32] [33] Graham Pressley's testimony about the events followed Hogg's appearance. [34] Pressley testified that Rugge "told me that Jesse Hollywood offered him $2,000 to kill Nick, but [Rugge said] that that was crazy, [Hollywood] was crazy." [35] Pressley's testimony, important for the prosecution, continued Friday and early into the third week. [36] During this time, Ben Markowitz took the stand. [37] After that, witness Casey Sheehan stated that, while he and his longtime friend, Hollywood, dined at an Outback Steakhouse, Hollywood told him that the situation "had been taken care of." [38] [39] In the following days, various medical experts and law enforcement officials testified. At this point, the prosecution rested their case on Wednesday of the third week. [40]
Hollywood's defense began on the Monday of the third week. Hollywood took the stand on the first day of the defense, denying any role in the murder and saying that he was angry when Hoyt told him about the murder at a birthday party. [41] Hollywood recounted the kidnapping, the events that led up to it, and discussed his life on the run. [42] Hollywood's testimony lasted four days with the prosecution cross-examining Hollywood about making threats, closing bank accounts, withdrawing money, and selling his home. [22] Hollywood spent much of his time on the stand denying the testimony of previous witnesses. [43] The last witness the defense called was District Attorney investigator Paul Kimes, who was questioned by co-counsel Alex Kessel about phone records. [22] Closing arguments began on Tuesday and Wednesday of the fourth week, after which the case went to the jury. [44] During closing statements, the defense said that Hollywood's associates lied, [45] while the prosecution called Hollywood "a child killer." [46] The jury considered three different charges, with penalties ranging from 8 years in prison to the death penalty. [47]
On July 8, 2009, following three days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict. [48] [49] The jury found Hollywood guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder with special circumstances, for which he could face the death penalty. [50] On Monday July 13, the jury began the penalty phase of the trial. The mothers of the defendant and of the victim took the stand, [51] as did brothers of the defendant and the victim. Closing arguments began during the second day of the penalty phase. [52] On July 15, 2009, Hollywood was sentenced according to the jury's recommendation of life in prison. [53]
Hollywood has continued to file for motions of appeal for both his trial and sentencing in various courts since his initial judgement. On February 5, 2010, the judge upheld Hollywood's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [54] On February 12, 2012, an appellate court upheld the conviction and denied a motion for a new trial. Hollywood's defense alleged he was not guilty because Markowitz could have left at any time of his own will and chose not to do so, ending Hollywood's responsibility at the time he last saw Markowitz. [55]
On January 19, 2014, Hollywood married Melinda Enos, a woman who began writing to him after his sentencing. The ceremony was held in the visitor's room. [56] With the release of Rugge in October 2013, Hollywood and Hoyt are the only two still serving prison sentences for the crimes related to Markowitz's kidnapping and death.
In the 2006 film Alpha Dog the character of Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) was inspired by Hollywood.
Patricia Campbell Hearst is a member of the Hearst family and granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found and arrested 19 months after being abducted, by which time she was a fugitive wanted for serious crimes committed with members of the group. She was held in custody, and there was speculation before trial that her family's resources would enable her to avoid time in prison.
Dominique Ellen Dunne was an American actress. Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, she made her on-screen debut with the television film Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker (1979), and thereafter played the recurring roles of Erica on the drama series Family (1980), and Paulina Bornstein on the comedy series Breaking Away (1980–1981). Her breakthrough came with the starring role of Dana Freeling in the horror film Poltergeist (1982). She went on to headline the western film The Shadow Riders (1982), and portray Amy Kent on the crime series CHiPs (1982).
Susan Denise Atkins was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969. Known within the Manson family as Sadie, Sadie Glutz, Sadie Mae Glutz or Sexy Sadie, Atkins was convicted for her participation in eight of these killings, including the most notorious, the Tate murders in 1969. She was sentenced to death, which was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment when the California Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences issued prior to 1972. Atkins was incarcerated until her death in 2009. At the time of her death, she was California's longest-serving female inmate, long since surpassed by fellow Manson family members Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel.
Alpha Dog is a 2006 American crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes. It is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Emile Hirsch, Christopher Marquette, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, and Bruce Willis.
Christian Devi Brando was an American actor who was one of the eleven children of actor Marlon Brando, and the only one Brando had with his first wife, former actress Anna Kashfi.
Mississippi Cold Case is a 2007 feature documentary produced by David Ridgen of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about the Ku Klux Klan murders of two 19-year-old black men, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, in Southwest Mississippi in May 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Summer. It also explores the 21st-century quest for justice by the brother of Moore. The documentary won numerous awards as a documentary and for its investigative journalism.
Nicholas Samuel Markowitz was an American teenager who was kidnapped and murdered at the age of 15 after a feud over drug money between his half-brother Benjamin Markowitz and Jesse James Hollywood.
Ryan James Hoyt is a former associate of Jesse James Hollywood who was convicted of the murder of Nicholas Markowitz on August 9, 2000. He reportedly owed Hollywood money for drugs and was offered the opportunity to kill Markowitz as a way of erasing his debt.
Anthony Wayne Smith is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League and convicted murderer. He was drafted by the Raiders 11th overall in the 1990 NFL draft. He played college football in Arizona and Alabama.
The Wineville Chicken Coop murders, also known as the Wineville Chicken murders, were a series of abductions and murders of young boys that occurred in the city of Los Angeles and in Riverside County, California, United States between 1926 and 1928. The murders were perpetrated by Gordon Stewart Northcott, a 19-year-old farmer who had moved to the U.S. from Canada two years earlier, as well as his mother, Sarah Louise Northcott, and his nephew, Sanford Clark.
The Black Widow Murders were a colloquial name for a pair of murders committed by two pensioners in California, United States: on April 18, 2008, Helen Golay, 78, formerly of Santa Monica, California, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, formerly of Hollywood, California, were convicted of the murders of two vagrants—Paul Vados in 1999 and Kenneth McDavid in 2005. According to reports, Golay and Rutterschmidt staged Vados and McDavid's deaths to appear as hit and run incidents in order to collect on multimillion-dollar life insurance policies they had taken out on the men.
Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter is a German convicted murderer and impostor. Born in West Germany, he is currently serving a prison sentence in the U.S. state of California. After moving to the U.S. in his late teens, Gerhartsreiter lived under a succession of aliases while variously claiming to be an actor, a director, an art collector, a physicist, a ship's captain, a negotiator of international debt agreements, and an English aristocrat.
Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) is a California state prison in unincorporated southern San Diego County, California, near San Diego. It is a part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The facility sits on 780 acres (320 ha). It is the only state prison in San Diego County.
Kush is a 2007 independent action-thriller film directed by York Shackleton, starring Nick Annunziata, William Atherton, Michael Bellisario, Matthew Carey, James DeBello, Alex Feldman, Lin Shaye, and James Duval. Kush is distributed by Maverick Entertainment Group.
The Reversal is the 22nd novel by American author Michael Connelly and features the third major appearance of Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael "Mickey" Haller. Connelly introduced Haller in his bestselling 2005 novel The Lincoln Lawyer and then paired him with LAPD detective Harry Bosch, his half-brother, in 2008's The Brass Verdict. In 2009's 9 Dragons, Haller was a secondary character as Bosch's personal lawyer. The Reversal was published in the United States on October 5, 2010.
Joshua Eric Lynn was the Chief Trial Deputy of Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara, California from 2008 to 2010. He was the lead prosecuting attorney in the trial of Jesse James Hollywood, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on February 5, 2010. He was terminated after his loss in an election in 2010.
Michael Thomas Gargiulo is a convicted American serial killer. He moved to Southern California in the 1990s and gained the nickname The Hollywood Ripper. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on July 16, 2021. He is currently incarcerated in California Health Care Facility.
Larissa Schuster is an American convicted murderer who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2008 for committing the July 2003 murder of her estranged husband Timothy Schuster by submerging his body in hydrochloric acid. Due to the unusual manner in which she committed the murder, Larissa's case made national headlines. She has been dubbed "the Acid Lady" by various media outlets.
The California Innocence Project is a non-profit based at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California, United States, which provides pro bono legal services to individuals who maintain their factual innocence of crime(s) for which they have been convicted. It is an independent chapter of the Innocence Project. Its mission is to exonerate wrongly convicted inmates through the use of DNA and other evidences.
On Tuesday, October 3, 1995, the verdict in the O. J. Simpson murder case was announced and Simpson was acquitted on both counts of murder. Although the nation observed the same evidence presented at trial, a division along racial lines emerged in observers' opinion of the verdict, which the media dubbed the "racial gap". Immediately following the trial, polling showed that most African Americans believed Simpson was innocent and justice had been served, while most White Americans felt he was guilty and the verdict was a racially motivated jury nullification by a mostly African-American jury. Current polling shows the gap has narrowed since the trial, with the majority of black respondents in 2016 stating they believed Simpson was guilty.
{{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help)