Stolen Boy: The True Story that Inspired "Alpha Dog"

It all stared out as a joke, but ended in a murder. In August 2000, a group of friends fell under the spell of a corrupted leader. They engaged in actions that would lead to the murder of an innocent boy and incite a four-year manhunt. This is the true story that inspired the 2006 motion picture, Alpha Dog.

August 6, 2000 - It was a scorching day in Southern California when 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz was wandering down a street in West Hills. He had an altercation with his parents the previous night and he was not in the best of moods. That night, Nick returned home with a suspicious object in his pocket. His parents were very concerned. They had caught him using drugs before and demanded to see what was in his pocket. Before they could get any answers, Nick darted out the door. Unbeknownst to his parents, it would be the last time that they saw their son. The concerned couple heard Nick return home a couple of hours later, and agreed that they would talk with him in the morning. At 11 a.m., Susan Markowitz found her son's bedroom empty. Nick did not know where he was going on that hot day in August. As he walked down the street, all he knew was that he wanted to be anywhere but home.

Benjamin Markowitz, 22 (Nick's half-brother), and Jesse James Hollywood, 20, grew up together. They were friends as children and remained friends as adults. Their friendship quickly soured when Ben refused to pay Jesse money that he owed him. Ben had purchased $1,200 worth of drugs from Jesse. Soon after, Ben decided to go straight, but that did not change the fact that he owed Jesse money. To exacerbate the situation, Ben sabotaged Jesse's auto insurance scam: in an attempt to collect money, Jesse falsely reported one of his cars stolen and tipped off the authorities. The combination of the aforementioned events sparked a retaliatory feud that would continue for months. The two exchanged threatening voicemails and damaged each other's property. Jesse was furious at Ben and would do anything to get his money.

On August 6, Jesse and three of his friends were cruising the streets in a white van in search of Ben; instead, they spotted his brother, Nick. The van screeched to a sudden stop and the four youths jumped out of the vehicle and began beating Nick. They pushed Nick into the van and sped off. Jesse Rugge, 20, was driving and William Skidmore, 20, watched as Hollywood took Nick's pager and wallet. The pager was beeping constantly; Nick's mother was frantically trying to reach him. The van soon stopped to pick up another member of the crew, Brian Affronti, 20. Brian later testified to knowing that Nick was a reluctant passenger after overhearing Hollywood threaten the boy.

A woman named Pauline Ann Mahoney was on her way home from church with her children that day. She witnessed the four youths beat and kidnap the teenage boy. Her and her children memorized the license plate number of the van and she contacted the police when she got home. The police received a second call reporting the kidnapping, but did not properly investigate either report. They failed to track down the vehicle until one month later. By then, it was too late.

The white van stopped at the home of one of the boys' friends and Nick was taken to an empty bedroom. There, he was gagged and bound. Several people passed in and out of the room during the course of the day and spotted the restrained boy. They were shocked at the sight of the 15-year-old captive, but chose to ignore the situation. Jesse James and his buddies had explosively violent tempers and no one wanted to cross them.

The original plan was for Jesse and his friends to hold Nick captive until Ben handed over the money that he owed. Several hours after kidnapping Nick, Jesse contacted his lawyer and discovered that the maximum penalty for abduction with extortion in California was life imprisonment. Jesse was very disturbed by the news and began panicking.

Over the course of the next two days, Nick was heavily drugged by his captors in an attempt to keep him calm. He was taken from one house to another by the corrupted youths, but spent a majority of the time at the home of Jesse Rugge. Many people passed in and out of the house and saw/conversed with Nick. They nicknamed him "stolen boy" and did not think anything of his situation. The fact that he willingly took drugs and was free to roam about the house made it seem as if he was not in any real danger. He did not act like he was in trouble; he flirted with the girls, drank and used drugs. He acted more like a guest than a reluctant prisoner. At no time did he try to escape. In fact, when one of the youths offered to let him run, he refused. He watched television and enjoyed the time away from his parents. Perhaps he was trying to delay the confrontation that would await him if he returned home. He believed that his captors were his friends and that his brother would pay Jesse James the money and he would be released, no harm done. Until then, he enjoyed the new luxuries that were afforded to him.

The Markowitzs were worried sick about their son. Jeff searched the neighborhood for Nick, while Susan made phone calls to his friend's and acquaintances. Jesse's lawyer contacted his father, Jack Hollywood, and informed him of the suspicious phone call that Jesse had placed. Jack tried to find out where Nick was being held, but Jesse offered no information. Jack tried to convince Jesse to release Nick, but he was not interested. Jeff and Susan Markowitz filed a missing person's report, ironically several hours before their son would be killed.

On the night of August 8, Nick was taken to the Lemon Tree Inn. He swam in the hotel's luxurious pool and visited with the pretty girls. He enjoyed being the center of attention. Nick returned to his hotel room; soon after, there was a knock at the door. Ryan Hoyt, 21, entered the room and was introduced to Nick. Ryan had a $1,000 drug debt and Hollywood made a proposition: he would waive the debt if Ryan agreed to kill Nick. Ryan eagerly accepted.

Nick was heavily drugged on the night of his murder. He was driven to Los Padres National Forest by Jesse Rugge, Ryan Hoyt and Graham Pressley, another member of the crew. That was not the first time that Graham was visiting the said location; he was there earlier that day to dig a hole ... a hole that would soon become Nicholas Markowitz's gravesite. Rugge and Hoyt duct taped the young boy. Hoyt stood over the cowering boy and mercilessly shot him multiple times with a TEC-9 automatic. Nick was buried with dirt and leaves. Rugge vomited shortly after the killing. Contrariwise, Hoyt was completely indifferent.

Four days after the murder, a group of hikers noticed an odd stench and clothing articles in the Los Padres National Forest. They contacted the police and the body was identified as Nicholas Markowitz. Four suspects, not including Jesse James, were arrested on August 16. According to California State law, a participant in an abduction that ends in a murder can be tried for murder. They all pleaded not guilty to the murder of Nicholas Markowitz.

Many of the youths had already experienced run-ins with the law at the time of their arrest for the kidnapping/murder of Nick Markowitz. Prior to his involvement in the Markowitz tragedy, William Skidmore was charged with two counts of using a controlled substance and one count of resisting arrest. For his part in the killing, he received a nine-year prison sentence. Jesse Rugge had twice been convicted of felonies: one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one DUI. For his part in the murder, he received a life sentence with the possibility of parole in 2005. Unlike the others, Graham Pressley did not have any criminal record. As he was a minor, he was sentenced to a term at the California Youth Authority facility. He remains there today and will be released on his twenty-fifth birthday. Ryan Hoyt, the man who actually killed Nick, was tried for and convicted of first-degree murder. Today, he remains on Death Row at the San Quentin Correctional Facility. He is awaiting his death by legal injection.

It is likely that Hoyt will remain there for some time, since the state of California has not executed anyone since 1967. In 1972, the Supreme Court of California ruled that capital punishment violated the Constitution and was a form of cruel and unusual punishment; 107 convicts' sentences were changed from death to life imprisonment. Nine months later, the California electorate overruled the Supreme Court. Legislation was passed in California in 1973, mandating the death penalty under certain conditions. Among these conditions was kidnapping that ends in the death of the victim. In 1976, capital punishment was once again declared unconstitutional and the sentences of 70 prisoners were altered. The following year, the death penalty was reinstated, but only under specific circumstances.

Officers Donovan Lyon and Brent Rygh of the LAPD were reprimanded and punished for their failure to properly investigate the two 911 calls that reported the kidnapping.

Jesse James Hollywood, the man who ordered Nick Markowitz's death, was still on the loose. Police actively searched the area for the leader of the corrupted posse. Little did they know that it would be another four years before Jesse would be apprehended and brought to justice. Soon after Nick was murdered, Hollywood was seen leaving his home with luggage. He withdrew $25,000 from one of his bank accounts and purchased a car in which he and his girlfriend fled California. Records indicate that the couple was staying in a hotel in Las Vegas on August 15, 2000. The following day, he visited his godfather in Colorado. His girlfriend returned to California and he stayed with his godfather for one night. The next morning, he was driven to an inn, where he would remain for the next three days.

Meanwhile, back in California, there was a huge turnout for the memorial service for Nick. It was held at Eden Memorial Park and over 300 mourners attended; Benjamin Markowitz was not among them. He felt guilty over the fact that his brother was killed by people that he once considered to be his friends because of a debt that he owed. He did not attend the funeral out of respect for his stepmother, Susan.

Susan and Nick had been very close and she was indescribably devastated by his death. She described herself as a "stay-at-home mom whose job had been taken away." Her grief skyrocketed when she discovered that over two dozen people knew that her son had been kidnapped and did not alert the authorities. She became despondent and made two failed attempts at suicide. She experienced crippling back pain and gained 65 pounds. Her home was turned into a shrine to her late son. She developed an uncontrollable resentment towards her stepson. Of Benjamin, she said, "Nick died for his brother Ben. He did nothing to escape, because he felt that his brother would come and save him. In my opinion, Ben has done nothing in memory of that."

Jesse James' case was aired on "America's Most Wanted" and "Unsolved Mysteries" in an attempt to solicit tips from the public as to Jesse's whereabouts. They received hundreds of calls, but all of them led nowhere.

In March 2005, the police followed a lead and learned that Hollywood's cousin was planning to visit him in Brazil. Many fugitives chose Brazil as a hideout because of the insufficient extradition laws and the low cost of living. The police discovered that Jesse was using the alias "Michael Costa Giroux." Photographs of Jesse were sent to the authorities in Brazil. He was apprehended by an undercover policewoman while sitting at an outdoor table with his girlfriend, who was 7-months pregnant at the time. Authorities also discovered that Hollywood's father had been sending him money each month. Ironically, Jack Hollywood was arrested on the same day as his son for the suspected manufacturing of GHB, the date-rape drug. Jesse arrived in Los Angeles on March 10, 2005 and was driven to the Santa Barbara County Jail. The following day, he pleaded not guilty to the charges of kidnapping and murder.

The story of Jesse James Hollywood and the murder of Nicholas Markowitz was adapted for the motion picture, Alpha Dog. The film was directed by Nick Cassavetes, who became interested in the incident because his daughter was a high school classmate of Jesse's. The film was released on DVD in May 2007 and stars Justin Timberlake, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis.