The Real-Life Murder That Inspired 'Alpha Dog'
Hollywood Abducted Nick Markowitz In Broad Daylight
On August 6, 2000, 15-year-old Nick Markowitz had snuck out of his home to avoid an argument with his parents. Nick happened to be walking down the street in West Hills, CA, when local controlled-substance dealer Jesse James Hollywood and two of his associates, Jesse Rugge and William Skidmore, saw him. Hollywood and his friends were on their way to confront Nick's half-brother, Ben, who owed Hollywood money. When they saw Nick, they changed their plans.
Hollywood, Rugge, and Skidmore pulled over and lunged at Nick. They put Nick in their van, tied him up with duct tape, and took off. At least one neighbor witnessed the abduction and called 911, but authorities were unable to find the van.
Nick Was Shot Nine Times And Buried In A Shallow Grave
After taking Nick to a party at a motel, Ryan Hoyt, Jesse Rugge, and Graham Pressley drove him out to Lizard's Mouth Trail near Santa Barbara in the early morning hours on August 9. Pressley was allegedly ordered to go dig a grave. Rugge and Hoyt then duct-taped Nick's mouth and hands before marching him through the woods to the grave.
Hoyt hit Nick in the back of the head with a shovel and then shot him nine times with a TEC-DC9 that Hollywood had given him the day before. They tried to bury him with the TEC-DC9, but the grave was only a foot or two deep. The covered him with as much dirt as they could, then finished things off by piling branches on top of him.
Dozens Of People Saw Nick While He Was Kidnapped, But They Didn't Do Anything About It
Photo: Alpha Dog/Universal PicturesAfter Jesse James Hollywood and his associates abducted Nick Markowitz, they held him for almost three days. During that time, many people that came in and out of his orbit - including parents - and most of them never realized something was wrong. Many did, however - for example, one associate, Brian Affronti, testified he got a ride from Hollywood on the day of the abduction and saw Nick duct-taped in the back of their van. He spent some time with the crew later that day and saw Nick unbound and sitting on the couch with his captors.
Natasha Adams-Young saw Nick on August 7 when she and a friend visited Jesse Rugge's place with another member of Hollywood's outfit, Graham Pressley. Nick seemed like just another member of the crew, but later in the day, he explained the situation to her. She gave Nick a ride later and could have taken him to the police or safety, but he was content to stay a prisoner for the time being. She told Los Angeles magazine, “He told me that it was okay because he was doing it for his brother, and that as long as his brother was okay, he was okay. He was going along with it.”
Nick Got A Ride From An Illicit-Substance Dealer's Mom
Graham Pressley was another illicit-substance dealer in Jesse James Hollywood's crew. On August 8, two days after the abduction, the crew decided to throw a pool party at a local motel. They believed Hollywood was about to release Nick and wanted to celebrate. Pressley was with Nick on that day and needed a ride to the motel, so he called his mom.
Pressley's mother drove him, Nick, and some other friends to the motel. She had no idea the 15-year-old in her backseat was a kidnapped victim who would be slain later that night.
While Kidnapped, Nick Partied And Played Video Games With His Captors
After Hollywood and his friends kidnapped Nick, they drove him 70 miles away to Santa Barbara, CA, to figure out what to do next. The controlled-substance dealers assured him they were only holding him for ransom until they could get the money his half-brother Ben owed them. Jesse Rugge, one of the captors, told Nick repeatedly, "I'm going to take you home. I'll put you on a Greyhound. I'm going to get you home."
Nick was kept bound for a while, but his abductors eventually cut him loose, letting him play video games and smoke weed with them. Nick spent most of his time as a captive staying at Rugge's father's house in Santa Barbara.
Hollywood Had Ryan Hoyt Slay Nick To Erase His Debts
Ryan Hoyt was a member in poor standing with Jesse James Hollywood's crew. Hoyt was a dealer who repeatedly came up short on payments, so until he paid off his debts, he was basically a servant for the crew. For example, he was tasked with picking up after Hollywood's dog and cleaning up after parties. On August 9, Hollywood called Hoyt and told him to get to Santa Barbara.
Hoyt believed he was going to return Nick to his parents but, when he arrived, Hollywood allegedly said to Hoyt, "We got a little situation. You’re gonna take care of it for me. And that’s how you’re gonna clear your debt.” He then gave Hoyt a bag with a TEC-DC9 inside. After executing Nick, Hoyt received an additional $400 from Hollywood the next day.
Nick's Older Half-Brother, Ben, Owed Money To Hollywood
Ben Markowitz, Nick's half-brother, owed Jesse James Hollywood money. Reports vary, but it was perhaps anywhere between $1,200 and $36,000. There was a long-running feud between Ben and Hollywood, one fueled by reputation as much as money. Some described Hollywood as a wanna-be kingpin who was more talk than action, while Ben had a harder reputation and would back it up. Hollywood couldn't simply bully Ben into backing down like he could with the rest of his crew.
According to Susan Markowitz, Ben's step-mother, Nick idolized his older brother and wouldn't have done anything to escalate the situation with Hollywood. Jeff Markowitz admitted he'd tried to keep the boys apart, not wanting Ben's activities to influence Nick. Ben and Nick shared a father but had little in common when it came to their personalities. Ben was in trouble a lot, something Jeff and Susan had struggled with for years. Nick did school theater, and his mother described him as "the funniest person on Earth. He just had so much energy. I don’t know what was going on in his head but he would do anything to make us laugh."
Hollywood Allegedly Decided To Have Nick Slain After Learning How Much Trouble He Was Already In
Photo: Universal PicturesAfter two and a half days of holding Nick, Jesse James Hollywood panicked. He'd already started to plan how he'd handle the situation and consulted with a family friend who was an attorney. Hollywood told the lawyer about a hypothetical situation involving a kidnapping and asked how much trouble the people would be in if caught.
The lawyer told him anyone involved in a kidnapping like that would go to prison. After the conversation, Hollywood allegedly decided he had to get rid of Nick.
Hikers Found Nick's Body Three Days After He Was Slain
While he was buried in the wilderness, Nick Markowitz's slayers left his remains close to a popular hiking trail. On August 12, Nick's body was found and, after a positive identification was made, his parents were notified of his passing.
Once it became public knowledge that Nick had passed, many of the people who had spent time with him during his captivity, including Natasha Adams-Young, came forward to the police. Jesse Rugge, William Skidmore, Ryan Hoyt, and Graham Pressley were arrested within a week, but Jesse James Hollywood fled.
Hollywood Went On The Run And Wasn't Caught For Five Years
Jesse James Hollywood went on the run for five years before being captured in South America in 2005. Hollywood first fled to Colorado, then spent some time in the Mohave Desert and Canada before escaping to Brazil. He was known as Michael Costa Giroux, kept a low profile, and married a woman he eventually got pregnant in hopes of avoiding extradition.
He was reportedly found by authorities who were listening in on phone calls between Hollywood and his father. While Hollywood was a fugitive, he was indicted on slaying and kidnapping charges which he stood trial for after his capture.
Hollywood Got A Life Sentence For His Transgressions
Jesse James Hollywood returned to the United States in 2005 where he was tried and sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and slaying of Nick Markowitz. Hollywood had several family members testify on his behalf, portraying a drastically different individual to the jury than what Alpha Dog or earlier testimony had presented.
Hollywood escaped capital punishment because he was ultimately found to be less responsible for Markowitz's demise than the man who had actually pulled the trigger.
Nick's Mother Knew Something Was Wrong When She Couldn't Get A Hold Of Her Son
Nick's mother, Susan, noticed her son was gone on August 6 and had no idea where he would have gone. She and Nick's father, Jeff, thought Nick had gone to a friend's house but, after a few hours, they became worried. Susan had just given Nick a pager as an early birthday present. The gift came with one rule: Nick was supposed to call home within 10 minutes when his mother paged him.
Susan paged Nick but got no response and knew something was wrong. According to Brian Affronti, Hollywood and his friends took Nick's pager, wallet, and all of the other contents from his pockets as soon as they grabbed him.
All Were Sentenced To Prison, Though Some Are Now Free
Ryan Hoyt was convicted of first-degree homicide for slaying Markowitz, and Jesse Rugge was convicted of kidnapping but acquitted for his role in the transgression. Rugge was paroled after serving 11 years of a life sentence. Hoyt will face capital punishment and remains in prison as of June 2018.
William Skidmore was charged with kidnapping, but plea-bargained down to a nine-year sentence. Graham Pressley, 17 at the time, was tried twice and sentenced to a juvenile facility for second-degree homicide in 2002. He was released when he turned 25.
