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. They have since moved, but back in the 1990s they were living the good life. She is awaiting a visa. He was always with me, kissing my feet, my hands. Katz: Moments after he was abducted and thrown in the van, they let him take a Valium and fire up a joint. When one drug dealer crosses another, a hasty kidnapping leads to a shocking conclusion in this powerful and controversial film starring Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake and Bruce Willis. Unlike so many of his classmates, Jesse Hollywood didn’t go to college. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: He’s got no interest at all in coming back. Hansen: You weren’t gonna let this thing go.Susan Markowitz: No. Katz: Jesse James Hollywood was a businessman. He was running a dope-dealing crew. And this is like gun that had been modified into a fully automatic assault rifle.Hansen: But it was Jesse James Hollywood who gave the bag—Katz: Who gave the bag to Ryan Hoyt, said, “We got a little situation. 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. In Colorado Springs, where his family once lived,  Hollywood visited an old family friend. A local law protected him because he fathered a child in Brazil. August, 2000. But a young life that seemed so full of promise had begun to take a very different path. The fugitive himself even sounds like he was created by a screenwriter: His name is “Jesse James Hollywood.”. In the meantime, though, back in West Hills, Nick’s mother and father were frantic. It was just so final. The Markowitz family is hoping that the coming year will bring justice. Katz:  It was a real scene. It’s a decision he regrets to this day. Where does it go cold? Hansen: Did Jesse James Hollywood really have such a svengali hold on these other kids in this posse that he could say, “Kill this kid”?Katz: He seems to have. Markowitz: I broke down. Katz: Jack was savvy enough that he knew how to blend into the L.A. suburbia. I mean that’s why he really wasn’t being held captive in the traditional sense. She had no idea the 15-year-old in her backseat was a kidnapped victim who would be slain later that night. Jesse James Hollywood would tell him, “You owe me money.”  Ben Markowitz says, “Screw you.”. Or, maybe I did but it was so hysterically spontaneous—for just a second. FREE GROUND SHIPPING ON ORDERS $150+ Sign in/Register Log in. A reputed West Hills pot dealer, Jesse James Hollywood and Nick’s half brother, Ben Markowitz reportedly were at war over a $1,200 dollar debt. In the West Hills section, there are million dollar homes. The people around him were basically lost souls. It’s when.”. He spent some time with the crew later that day and saw Nick unbound and sitting on the couch with his captors. Hansen: Is the quest over now? Now, the Jesse James Hollywood case is the basis for a controversial new Hollywood movie. A photo obtained by Dateline, taken at a photo studio in Vancouver, British Columbia,  appears to confirm that he was in Canada part of the time. But the accused ring leader got away for six years. Jesse Katz, senior writer, Los Angeles Magazine: It triggered this kind of tit-for-tat back-and-forth taunting between the two of them, which could have been sort of innocent trash-talking, or could have been very menacing. It was a decision Jeff Markowitz will always regret. Bruce Correll: ...the death penalty...exactly. He’s now 17 months old. She collapsed in tears. Susan Markowitz, Nick Markowitz’s mother: When I was paging him, and he wasn’t answering I knew something was definitely wrong. The film had an elaborate star cast, but it failed to impress the audience and critics. A group of seemingly nice kids had become caught up in a lifestyle where life itself was cheap. In April, 2005, Jesse James Hollywood was arraigned in Santa Barbara. And some of them would bring back the money that they earned. And these kids were smoking so much of his dope that they almost all fell into debt to him. Royce Reed has taken his passion for healthy pets and harnessed the power of WooCommerce to build his pet food subscription business, Alpha Dog Food. Everything I wanted he would get. Marcia told Dateline he would get in bar fights at times, but that he treated her very well. He transferred to a nearby school two years later and graduated. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: How did you get through those nights?Susan Markowitz: I slept on the couch with the window open, hoping to hear him or see him first. Hollywood allegedly ruled with an iron hand and ordered those in his debt to clean up after his dogs and pick up empty beer cans around his house. The caring, loving man she thought she knew was accused in a murder thousands of miles away. 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. Jeff Markowitz: And when we knew that Nicholas hadn’t contacted Ben that’s when I realized “We got a real problem.”. Hansen: Take me inside the Jesse James Hollywood posse.Katz:  He would give them a certain amount of pot to sell. These were kids without were smoking a lot of pot and drinking a lot of beer. alpha dog is a family-owned, family … Hansen: Nine bullets. There are latest twists and turns in this story of a fugitive’s odyssey—including the birth of a child, and the release of a controversial new film based on the case. The Markowitzes attended each of their trials almost every day and saw the gruesome crime scene photos of their murdered son. Why cant you compel them to tell you where this fugitive is?Cmdr. And sitting in the dog’s bed to show him he doesn’t get the best sleeping places. The prosecutor says “Alpha Dog” will not affect the case at all, because any potential juror who might happen to have seen the film would be excused from this case. He is a victim.Hansen: You’ve been through a lot. Katz:  And Jesse James Hollywood seemed to be very agitated by that news and stormed out of the lawyer’s house. At least one neighbor witnessed the abduction and called 911, but authorities were unable to find the van. It was Jesse James Hollywood. He immediately blamed himself for Nick’s death. Eight months after Hollywood fled, investigators suspected that his parents knew where he was hiding. And  I think I was thinking of crying but wouldn’t allow myself. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: Do you worry about the movie? It’s still a mystery. Wonderful. None of the other kids would stand up to him. He was very caring, attentive. I’m mostly surprised Alpha got made. It tells the story of Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch), a young drug dealer in Claremont, California and his circle of friends, which includes Frankie Ballenbacher (Justin Timberlake), Tiko "TKO" Martinez (Fernando Vargas) and Elvis Schmidt (Shawn Hatosy). Now, the baby’s mother says,  young John Paul is another victim. This question has bugged several movie buffs who watched the movie Alpha Dog that released back in 2007. Nick even stayed at three houses in Santa Barbara. Ben reportedly broke a window at Jesse Hollywood’s house. Destination: Santa Barbara, about 70 miles away. Hollywood had his own house. You know, he will never be the same because of his brother’s death. Hollywood, Rugge, and Skidmore pulled over and lunged at Nick. And investigators soon hit a dead end. Katz: Ben was dangerous to Jesse James Hollywood. Fads go in and out but life it doesn’t come back once it’s gone. Hollywood allegedly told Ryan Hoyt to do the shooting. Are you bitter? Bar patron: We kidded him, “Are you Mike like in Mike Tyson?” He joked “No, Mike Tyson uses his fists to defeat his opponents, I use a baseball bat to defeat mine.” Neighbor: I always mentioned to my neighbors that this boy was needing some help. must always show up when scheduled, have reliable transportation, strong work ethic, and have the drive to want to succeed and go and do greater things. 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. Some kids are in trouble. Today's video is about the murder of Nicholas Markowitz. And Jesse James Hollywood began to become something of a legend. 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. 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. Apparently none of them had information about Hollywood’s whereabouts. 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. Susan was a homemaker. Jesse Katz, Los Angeles Magazine senior writer: Up to that point, Nick  believed he was going home. Shipping heavy bags of food must have its complications; what’s the largest obstacle you’ve had to overcome? Alpha Dog is based on events that took place in 2000 and characters are given fictional names. Nick seemed oblivious to the real danger he might be facing. Authorities say Hollywood was told that anyone directly involved in Nick’s kidnapping could go to prison for life. And it was just off a popular hiking trail. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: And why did they take Nick, if they were looking for Ben?Katz: I think he was just convenient...Hansen: Wrong place at the wrong time?Katz: It was a moment, an opportunity, and they seized it.Hansen: Once they grabbed Nick Markowitz, what did they do?Katz: In the very beginning, they did hit him. They grew up playing Little League together, coached by Jesse’s dad, Jack Hollywood, on the ball fields of West Hills. "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. That’s what I knew. By then, of course, Nick was 70 miles away. Katz: Jesse James Hollywood was clever and shrewd enough to know that they’d done something pretty major. Official Alpha Industries® bombers jackets, military flight jackets, field coats and parkas for men and women. When I met him, I thought he was very young. IE 11 is not supported. He probably asked, how big trouble are they in. Apr 5, 2020 - We compare the Alpha Dog movie to the true story of the real Johnny Truelove, Frankie Ballenbacher and Zack Mazursky. We can only guess.Hansen: You gave him a pager— and said "If I call this pager, you better return the call. Hollywood lived a few blocks away from the Markowitz family, and soon Ben and Jesse became friends. 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. Don’t wait. 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. During that time, many people that came in and out of his orbit - including parents - and most of them never realized something was wrong. alpha dog entertainment is always looking for a few good men and women to become part of our team. He wouldn’t have been involved in, maybe, some of the other things that he got involved in. And, the things escalated from there a lot of times. As Hollywood allegedly grew angrier about Ben’s debt, there was a teenager in West Hills who had no idea he was about to become a pawn in the feud. ok so i went recently went 2 see this movie alpha dogs and it seemed like a true story can any1 tell me if it is? 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. Marcia says she named him John Paul in memory of Pope John Paul the second. They lied to me.”. At the time they believed his father, Jack, was the key. The high court will decide whether prosecutor Ron Zonen or the Santa Barbara County prosecutors office should be permanently taken off the case. Susan and Jeff Markowitz’s lives will never be the same. Eventually, Nick  was brought by his captors to a Santa Barbara area motel for—of all things—a pool party. He left immediately. Alpha dog training involved strategies believed to be used by wolves and wild dogs to maintain their position as alpha. And then it’s like I went into shock. According to police, Ben Markowitz owed Jesse James Hollywood money too. I’m deeply hurt because I was left on my own with a baby. Rugge and Hoyt then duct-taped Nick's mouth and hands before marching him through the woods to the grave. After that the trail went cold. 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. As they sat down for coffee, ‘Mike Giroux’ had no idea police back in California had been secretly tracking his movements, and funneling information to authorities here in Brazil. About a day and half after the kidnapping Hollywood allegedly made a call to posse member Ryan Hoyt. 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. I know that. Hansen: Do you remember what the detectives said to you?Susan Markowitz: “I’m sorry. Jeff Markowitz: He’d been in the ground for eight days, shallow, in 110 degree weather, I believe. Jeff Markowitz: You know when anybody does a movie it’s usually sensationalizing the bad guy. Soon, what had seemed like an amateurish abduction would take a shocking turn. Pressley's mother drove him, Nick, and some other friends to the motel. He was very sweet, tender. And the ones that came up short became almost like indentured servants to Jesse James Hollywood. Jesse either read in the Los Angeles Times that a body had been found here or was contacted by someone who read the paper that a body had been found  that Jesse was gone. James Blatt, defense attorney: It’s clear that Mr. Hollywood was not the shooter, he was not present at the scene, so the key determination is whether he gave the instructions for this unfortunate murder. The law had changed, having entered Brazil on a false Canadian passport, Hollywood was extradited immediately. Don’t wait a second. They’ve held somebody hostage.”  I’m not sure he revealed all the details. 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. They say it’s incredibly sad the young people involved were more  worried about preserving their lifestyle and currying favor with Jesse James Hollywood than in protecting Nick. So, suddenly, Nick is almost part of the party. Commander Bruce Correll: We know that he went to Colorado Springs. One day in March, 2005, Marcia said, the man she knew as “mike” got a phone call from a family member. They couldn’t find Ben. But by the time he was 15, in the summer of 2000, Nick was about to become entangled in a bizarre series of events. Hansen: What was the relationship between Jesse James Hollywood and Ben Markowitz?Katz: That was a really complex relationship. And he ended up in Rio de Janeiro.