And he was like the center of the universe. They punched him and kicked him and threw him in the van. He immediately blamed himself for Nick’s death. And I left them on windshields. Pulls out this Tech 9, one squeeze of the trigger, nine bullets shoot out. And he was probably the only member of that crew that didn’t cow tow to Jesse James Hollywood. Jesse James Hollywood had been on his … At a small watering hole just 50 yards from his house, the crowd knew Mike as a guy who started talking as soon as he started drinking. I know that. And in fact, two years after the Markowitz murder, police got a tip that Jesse James Hollywood was hiding in, of all places, a monastery. It turns out, Reis was six months pregnant with Jesse James Hollywood’s baby. Katz: On that final day, Jesse James met with Ryan Hoyt, and he handed him a duffel bag that had a Tech 9 in it. According to court testimony, Jesse James Hollywood  left Nick Markowitz with his cohorts in Santa Barbara. It was also difficult facing accused triggerman Ryan Hoyt. Nick was 15 when Jesse James Hollywood and a group of illicit-substance dealers abducted the teen in retaliation … For the most part, they’re playing video games. In the idyllic resort city of Santa Barbara, California, 15-year-old Nick Markowitz had been held captive for two days by the posse of reputed drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood. References Like just why? Jeff Markowitz: I think a lot of the kids involved in Nick’s murder were at that crossroads where they could have made a choice and listen to their heart, and I don’t think they did. An entire city was shocked when these same kids stood accused of an unspeakable crime. Jesse Katz, Los Angeles Magazine senior writer: This is like one of those bad true crime tales come to life. But the grave was too shallow. alpha dog entertainment is always looking for a few good men and women to become part of our team. The feature film Alpha Dog, based on the events leading up to the murder of Nicholas Markowitz and directed by Nick Cassavetes, was released in 2006. Either way, two of Hollywood’s crew scoped out the scenic mountains above Santa Barbara for the perfect place to commit cold-blooded murder. None of the other kids would stand up to him. He transferred to a nearby school two years later and graduated. But the more I saw him, the more I realized that I did miss him. He then came back to the San Fernando Valley to meet with an attorney who was a family friend. In an era where all dog products/brands look and sound the same, we create our own path (as an Alpha … The film had an elaborate star cast, but it failed to impress the audience and critics. But her personal pursuit continued, plastering the Los Angeles area with wanted posters and asking everyone she met to help. The film is set in November 1999. And they had in fact discussed, you know, the potential for escape. The Markowitzes say they tried everything to help Ben. To the Markowitz’s family, their little son Nick had grown up so fast, right before their eyes. She was Brazilian federal agent Kelly Bernardo: Bernardo, in Portuguese: He was surprised as I approached him and as the authorities told him he was under arrest, he kept saying he was someone else, Michael Giroux. Jack Hollywood has not  been charged connection with the case. Nick seemed oblivious to the real danger he might be facing. Katz: Jesse James Hollywood went to the attorney’s home and said, “You know, there’s this situation. And the ones that came up short became almost like indentured servants to Jesse James Hollywood. Unlike so many of his classmates, Jesse Hollywood didn’t go to college. And he ended up in Rio de Janeiro. He was always with me, kissing my feet, my hands. Around $1,200 dollars at one point. Jesse James Hollywood’s trial is expected to begin in the next few months. I mean they were living this extended spring break. Nick Markowitz is bound with duct tape. Katz: It does seem that parents kind of wandered in and out of the picture almost like ghosts, never really asking these inconvenient questions. Katz: If Ben was in trouble, you Nick wasn’t gonna do anything to exacerbate that. Hollywood’s attorney, James Blatt, says he was especially concerned because the prosecutor also cooperated with the film makers: Blatt: We are deeply concerned that Mr. Hollywood receive a fair trial, and by the prosecutor developing, producing, creating a motion picture, prior to trial, it puts us in the position where this particular jury, in all probability, will see that version of events, and we’re deeply concerned about it. This has finally reached its end. The people around him were basically lost souls. His name is John Paul Hollywood-Reis. Back in California, Susan Markowitz had finally gotten her wish. “Alpha” is your basic “boy and his dog” story, except this time the dog is a wolf and the story takes place twenty-thousand years ago. In Los Angeles, it’s a story that caused bewilderment disbelief and has now inspired a new movie, “Alpha Dog.”  It has provocative new roles for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars like Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone. Commander Bruce Correll: We know that he went to Colorado Springs. Apr 5, 2020 - We compare the Alpha Dog movie to the true story of the real Johnny Truelove, Frankie Ballenbacher and Zack Mazursky. It would have been so easy to signal for help. But Ben Markowitz’s relationship with Jesse James Hollywood was different. One day in March, 2005, Marcia said, the man she knew as “mike” got a phone call from a family member. But, the film is believed to be based on a true story. The judge wrote “the prosecution of criminal cases and entertainment enterprises are best kept separate.”. So, suddenly, Nick is almost part of the party. Hansen: And how difficult was it for you to try to insulate Nick from all of this?Susan Markowitz: It was doing double time. It’s titled “Alpha Dog” and has an all-star cast including Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone. Something was definitely wrong. He didn’t talk much, but he seemed to love his two dogs—and he worked out with weights that he kept on the front patio. Zonen declined dateline’s request for an on-camera interview. But according to police, Jesse James Hollywood was determined to teach Ben Markowitz a lesson. Commander Bruce Correll, SBCSD: Within a few days the body was discovered by some young people. Why cant you compel them to tell you where this fugitive is?Cmdr. Two others got lighter sentences for their part in the crime. Another posse member got life in prison for kidnapping. In 2006, the movie Alpha Dog, based on Jesse Hollywood and the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz, premiered. He’s now 17 months old. And just off the beach, behind these tall wooden gates, it was home to a man who locals knew as a young Canadian named “Michael Costa Giroux.”. Ryan Hoyt … Don’t wait a second. Santa Barbara county chief deputy sheriff Bruce Correll told us then this was one of the toughest kinds of cases. Now, the Jesse James Hollywood case is the basis for a controversial new Hollywood movie. It’s a bad feeling.Hansen: Shot him nine times?Susan Markowitz: His words were, “All I did was shoot him.”Hansen: “All I did was shoot him?”Susan Markowitz: Yes. The only reason the gun didn’t keep on shooting is that it jammed. At some point, Nick was told he was being held because of his half brother’s debt. Of it being all over. Beyond the tragic demise of a teenager, this story stands out for the three days Nick spent as a "prisoner" of Hollywood and his crew. Hansen: Where do you think he is right now? Katz:  It was a real scene. Kelly Bernardo, Brazilian agent, (translated from Portuguese): At first when I approached him, he got up as if he knew me. We found his bullet-riddled body.”Hansen: How do you even process something like that?Jeff Markowitz: You don’t.Susan Markowitz: I remember sitting down, feeling like I was going to be sick. Hansen: Where does the trail go? Susan was a homemaker. Jesse James was kind of the center of their universe. Rugge and Hoyt then duct-taped Nick's mouth and hands before marching him through the woods to the grave. He probably asked, how big trouble are they in. He just had so much energy. Back home in West Hills, Nick’s parents were panic stricken. Aftermath. They tried to bury him with the TEC-DC9, but the grave was only a foot or two deep. It changes names and places, but for Susan and Jeff Markowitz there can be no doubt where the inspiration came from. He falls into this grave that had been dug for him, they tuck the gun under Nick’s knees, and now try to bury him. And they used whatever neighborhood connections they had to sell it. Sony Pictures . Hansen: Ben was a troublemaker.Jeff Markowitz: No, not really a troublemaker; but he was always there when there was trouble. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: This has, in many ways, been a mother’s quest. Pressley was with Nick on that day and needed a ride to the motel, so he called his mom. Susan Markowitz: It’ll never be over. According to Brazilian authorities, Hollywood told them after his capture that he had been advised to take a cue from train robber Ronnie Biggs to father a child to avoid deportation. He had nothing to do with his half-brother Ben’s drug debt. Destination: Santa Barbara, about 70 miles away. But this time it was no joyride, this time he was bound and gagged. Middle-class kids, in their 20s, talk trash, wave guns, hang out in a pack. Hansen: Was he a tough kid to have around?Susan Markowitz: Definitely—and I think, as a parent, I made some very poor choices. He was arrested but then escaped. They included encouraging dog owners to force their pets to watch the owner eat before allowing the dog is fed. According to police, the 5’4 former star Little Leaguer had become a marijuana dealer—and he brought a few long-time friends into the business. A local law protected him because he fathered a child in Brazil. Nick collapses. In the meantime, though, back in West Hills, Nick’s mother and father were frantic. But on December 21st, the California Supreme Court announced it will look at another aspect of the case... the prosecutor. Susan Markowitz: Right. alpha dog is a family-owned, family … None whatsoever. In April, 2005, Jesse James Hollywood was arraigned in Santa Barbara. But in the last year, they have repaired their relationship with jeff’s son, Ben, who now has a job and a family: Susan Markowitz: Ben is really in his own hell. Hansen: You weren’t gonna let this thing go.Susan Markowitz: No. Even though that seemed the most logical thing.Hansen: Well, you try not to overreact.Jeff Markowitz: Exactly right, but I’m telling you—as a parent, right now—overreact. Nick was 15 when Jesse James Hollywood and a group of illicit-substance dealers abducted the teen in retaliation for Nick's half-brother's debts. Jeff eventually gave Ben an ultimatum: obey the rules or move out. On the morning of August 6, 2000, Nick Markowitz, knowing he was in trouble with his parents, snuck out of the house... and never came home. Hollywood had his own house. Hansen: Is the quest over now? Instead,  police say,  he eventually went into business for himself. The Markowitzes attended each of their trials almost every day and saw the gruesome crime scene photos of their murdered son. Alpha Dog is a 2006 American crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The girl went to the Santa Barbara county sheriff’s department, where leads were already pouring in. However, conversations from Jack Hollywood that have been relayed to us indicate that it is highly likely that he knows exactly where his son is. Reis: I’m having a lot of problems getting my visa. He’s dead. In one videotape, Hollywood is seen apparently demanding payment on a debt from one of his childhood friends, by now a posse member. But despite their misgivings, Jeff and Susan Markowitz cooperated with director Nick Cassavettes and the “Alpha Dog” cast, including Sharon Stone, who plays a character based on Susan. As a 3-year-old, he was reciting a nursery rhyme, with his older half-sister and  half-brother Nick had a privileged upbringing in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. Cars, girls, music, booze. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: Do you worry about the movie? James Blatt, defense attorney: To me, it’s unprecedented. I hadn’t cried in a long, long time. Earlier, an appeals court removed Zonen for cooperating with the “Alpha Dog” filmmakers. Hollywood and his friends were on their way to confront Nick's half-brother, Ben, who owed Hollywood money. Susan Markowitz: The funniest person on earth. Until?Katz: Until—it was about—four or five days after Nick’s body was found. Hansen: Did a day go by where you didn’t do something to try to help find Jesse James Hollywood?Susan Markowitz: On the days that I was trying to kill myself, I wasn’t trying to find him.Hansen: But other than that?Susan Markowitz: Yeah, I pretty much focused on him. But even though he was not the shooter, or even present for Nick Markowitz’s murder, he could face the death penalty. Neighbors called him “Mike”. Some kids are in trouble. They have since moved, but back in the 1990s they were living the good life. Back in California, though, another family will never have a chance to see their son. And  I think I was thinking of crying but wouldn’t allow myself. Finally, two years after the murder, police got a tip that Jesse James Hollywood had headed south—all the way to Brazil, a country with a  reputation as a safe haven for international fugitives—like one Ronny Biggs. It was tough. This can’t be!”. I had the pleasure of chatting to Royce last week about his experience starting and running Alpha Dog Food. Hansen: So this kid’s thinking, “Alright, I’m in trouble here but once all this gets settled, I’m gonna be ok. They’re gonna let me go.” Bruce Correll, then-deputy sheriff: At one time, young Nick made the comment that “This will be a story I can tell my grandchildren.”. We’ll get you back home. Susan Markowitz: I’ve been in the hospital, I think, 12--Hansen: 12 times?Susan Markowitz: 12-- something like that. Hoyt was known as the posse whipping boy and was deeply in debt to Hollywood. Next 31 results. And Ryan wanted to do it right. Some observers say as tough as Jesse James Hollywood supposedly was, he was actually fearful of Ben Markowitz and saw him as a threat. In fact, it’s a story set not far from Hollywood itself. The trial for Jesse James Hollywood is expected to begin sometime in 2007. Hansen: Where do you think he went after he left California? But earlier, Zonen said he cooperated with the filmmakers because he felt the movie might help lead to the capture of Jesse James Hollywood, who was still a fugitive when the movie was being made. The fugitive himself even sounds like he was created by a screenwriter: His name is “Jesse James Hollywood.”. Get to the bottom of it, now. Investigators say in the week after Nick’s body was found, Hollywood had  also traveled with his girlfriend to Las Vegas, staying at the luxurious Bellagio hotel on the Strip. And it was just off a popular hiking trail. Hansen: Do you remember what the detectives said to you?Susan Markowitz: “I’m sorry. It’s a decision he regrets to this day. A $50,000 reward was offered to anyone who could provide information leading to Hollywood’s capture. Ben worked with his dad for a time, but he continued to get into trouble at home and into scrapes with the law. After Nick's body turned up and police pieced together what happened, a manhunt for Jesse James Hollywood began, and it took nearly five years for the search to come to a close. Back in West Hills, after a week and a half of anguish, Nick’s parents got the devastating news. Zonen denies any misconduct and was not paid for his help to the filmmakers. He then headed back towards the San Fernando Valley. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Anton Yelchin, Christopher Marquette, Olivia Wilde, and Amanda Seyfried with Harry Dean Stanton, Sharon Stone, and Bruce Willis. It’s just the type of place American law enforcement officials believed would attract Jesse James Hollywood. But from day one, Susan Markowitz focused on finding Jesse James Hollywood: Susan Markowitz: I was always looking over my shoulder, or handing out wanted posters or cards. One leads to a street in Rio de Janeiro, where another innocent life has entered the story. For the first few hours, they thought Nick might be at a friend’s house. As soon as you feel something wrong in your heart, do something about it, follow it up. It had been four agonizing years since their son’s murder, when one day in late 2004 undercover Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies paid a visit to Susan and Jeff Markowitz: Jeff Markowitz: They said, “We are going to find Jesse  Hollywood.”Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: “We are going to...”Jeff Markowitz: “We are.”Hansen: Not “try to find…”Jeff Markowitz: They said, “It’s not if. Katz: Ben was dangerous to Jesse James Hollywood. The true crime movie takes some liberties in how it fills in the gaps of Nicholas Markowitz's kidnapping and slaying, but the skeleton of the story is true. He had had a lot to drink. He was going along with it.”. 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. And a few months later it turned out that having followed these roads 65 miles from Rio, investigators blazed a trail to new leads: The FBI and other law enforcement agencies obtained intelligence that brought the international search for Jesse James Hollywood to this windswept beach resort on the eastern coast of Brazil called Saquerema. But apparently, not allthe time. A female cousin he hadn’t seen in  years would be visiting brazil...and the couple came to this little cafe in Saquerema to meet her. Now, Marcia hopes to be able to bring John Paul, who is eligible for American citizenship because his father is an American, to the United States. West Hills was a great place to bring up their kids— a daughter and son from Jeff’s former marriage, and their own 15-year-old son Nick. Earlier in December, Blatt failed in an attempt to stop “Alpha Dog” from being released, and is now appealing that decision. Susan and Jeff Markowitz’s lives will never be the same. He wouldn’t have been involved in, maybe, some of the other things that he got involved in. Bruce Correll, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s dept: We believe that Hollywood is so ruthless and so dangerous that anyone involved with him or would be in his company could be at risk. It’s a story about a very well-to-do part of Los Angeles that lost its way.

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