The Real-Life Murder Behind 'Alpha Dog'

On August 6, 2000, 15-year-oldNick Markowitz snuck out of his homeHe did this to avoid a fight with his parents. Nick walked down West Hills, CA street. Local controlled-substance dealer Jesse James Hollywood and two associates, Jesse Rugge and William Skidmore, saw him. Hollywood and his friends planned to confront Nick's half-brother, Ben, who owed Hollywood money. Seeing Nick changed their plans.

Hollywood, Rugge, and Skidmore pulled over and attacked Nick. They put Nick in their van, taped him with duct tape, and left. At least one neighbor saw the kidnapping andcalled 911Authorities could not find the van.

Ryan Hoyt, Jesse Rugge, and Graham Pressley drove Nick to a party at a motel. They took him to Lizard's Mouth Trail near Santa Barbara in the early morning hours of August 9. Pressley allegedly got orders to dig a grave. Rugge and Hoyt then taped Nick's mouth and hands beforeforcing him through the woodsshot Nick nine times and buried him in a shallow grave.

Hoyt hit Nick in the back of the head.with a shovel and shot him nine times with a TEC-DC9 Hollywood gave him the day before. They tried to bury him with the TEC-DC9, but the grave was only a foot or two deep. They covered him with all the dirt they could, then piled branches on top.

Jesse James Hollywood and his crew held Nick Markowitz for almost three days after the abduction. Many people who came and went in his life—including parents—did not realize something was wrong. Some did notice, for example, one associate,Brian Affronti saw it.Affronti said he got a ride from Hollywood on the day of the kidnapping and saw Nick taped in the back of their van. He spent time with the crew later that day and saw Nick untied sitting on the couch with his captors.

Natasha Adams-Young saw Nick on August 7. She and a friend visited Jesse Rugge's place with Graham Pressley, another member of Hollywood's group. Nick seemed like just another crew member, but later that 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 chose to stay a prisoner for now.She toldLos 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.”

Graham Pressley was another drug dealer in Jesse James Hollywood's crew. On August 8, two days after the abduction, the crew threw a pool party at a local motel. They thought Hollywood would let Nick go and wanted to celebrate. Pressley was with Nick that day and needed a ride to the motel, so he called his mom.

Pressley's mother drove him, Nick, andsome other friends to the motelShe did not know the 15-year-old in her backseat was a victim kidnapped, set to be killed that night.

Hollywood and his friends kidnapped Nick, then drove him 70 miles to Santa Barbara, CA, to plan next steps. The controlled-substance dealers claimed they only held him for ransom until they got the money Ben, his half-brother, owed them.Jesse Rugge.One of the captors told Nick again and again, "I'm taking you home. I'll put you on a Greyhound. I'm going to get you home."

Abductors kept Nick bound for a time. Eventually, they let him play video games and smoke weed. Nick spent most of his captivity at Rugge's father's house in Santa Barbara.

Ryan Hoyt was in poor standing with Jesse James Hollywood's crew. Hoyt was a dealer who often failed to pay. Until he paid his debts, he served the crew. For instance, he picked up after Hollywood's dog and cleaned up after parties. On August 9, Hollywood called Hoyt and told him to go to Santa Barbara.

Hoyt thought he would return Nick to his parents, but when he arrived,Hollywood killed Ryan Hoyt to erase his debts.allegedly told 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 killing Nick, and Hoyt receivedan extra $400 from Hollywood the next day.

Ben Markowitz, Nick's half-brother, owed Jesse James Hollywood money. Reports show the amount ranged from $1,200 to $36,000.Nick's older half-brother, Ben, owed money to Hollywood between $1,200 and $36,000.Ben and Hollywood had a long feud over money and reputation.Some called Hollywood a wannabe kingpin.Hollywood talked more than he acted. Ben had a tougher reputation and backed it up. Hollywood could not bully Ben into backing down like he could with his crew.

Susan Markowitz, Ben's step-mother, said Nick admired his older brother and would not have escalated the conflict with Hollywood.Jeff Markowitz admitted this.he tried to keep the boys separate, not wanting Ben's actions to affect Nick. Ben and Nick shared a father but lacked common ground in personality.Ben faced trouble often, something Jeff and Susan struggled with for years. Nick played school theater. His mother said he was "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."

After holding Nick for two and a half days, Jesse James Hollywood panicked. He began planning how to handle the situation andconsulted a family friend who was an attorney.Hollywood told the lawyer about a hypothetical kidnapping and asked how much trouble those people would face if caught.

The lawyer stated anyone involved in such a kidnappingHollywood allegedly decided to kill Nick after learning about his trouble.Hollywood allegedly decided to eliminate Nick after a conversation.

Slayers buried Nick Markowitz near a popular hiking trail while he lay in the wilderness.Nick's body was found on August 12.After positive identification, Nick's parents learned he was dead.

Once Nick's death became public, many who knew him during captivity came to the police.Natasha Adams-Young was among those who came forward.Police arrested Jesse Rugge, William Skidmore, Ryan Hoyt, and Graham Pressley within a week; Jesse James Hollywood escaped.

Jesse James Hollywood ran for five years before authorities captured him in South America in 2005. Hollywood first fled to Colorado, then spent time in the Mohave Desert and Canada before escaping to Brazil. He used the name Michael Costa Giroux, kept a low profile, and married a woman he later got pregnant with to avoid extradition.

Authorities reportedly found Hollywood while listening to phone calls between him and his father.Hollywood spoke to his father over the phone.While Hollywood was a fugitive, he was indicted for slaying and kidnapping.Hollywood faced trial for these charges after his capture.Hollywood returned to the U.S. in 2005, where he was tried and sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and slaying Nick Markowitz. Several family members testify for him.

Jesse James Hollywood came back to the United States in 2005. He faced trial and got a life sentence for kidnapping and killing Nick Markowitz. Hollywood had several.Hollywood avoided capital punishment because he was found less responsible for Markowitz's death than the person who pulled the trigger.Nick's mother, Susan, noticed her son was missing on August 6 and did not know where he went.Susan and Nick's father, Jeff, thought Nick went to a friend's house but grew worried after a few hours. Susan gave Nick a pager as a birthday gift.The gift came with one rule: Nick had to call home within ten minutes when his mother paged him.

Hollywood avoided the death penalty. The court found Hollywood less responsible for Markowitz's death than the man who pulled the trigger.

Nick's mother, Susan, saw her son was missing on August 6. She had no idea where he went.She and Nick's father, Jeff,thought Nick went to a friend's house. After a few hours, they grew worried. Susan gave Nick a pager as an early birthday gift.Hoyt faces capital punishment and remains in prison as of June 2018.Nick should have called home in ten minutes after his mother paged him.

Susan paged Nick but got no reply. She knew something was wrong. Brian Affronti stated Hollywood and his friends took Nick's pager, wallet, and everything else from his pockets the second they grabbed him.

Ryan Hoyt was found guilty of first-degree homicide for killing Markowitz. Jesse Rugge was convicted of kidnapping but acquitted for his part in the act.Rugge was paroled.Rugge served 11 years before being paroled. Hoyt faces the death penalty and stays in prison as of June 2018.

William Skidmore.Skidmore faced kidnapping charges but settled for a nine-year sentence. Graham Pressley, who was 17 then, was tried twice and sent to a juvenile facility for second-degree homicide in 2002. He left when he turned 25.