What was the Verdict on the crimes of Jesse James Hollywood?”
Jurors on Wednesday convicted Jesse James Hollywood of first-degree murder and kidnapping for masterminding the 2000 slaying of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz. The Santa Barbara County Superior Court jurors began their deliberations July 1 after the six-week trial. Markowitz’s older half-brother, Ben Markowitz, dealt drugs with Hollywood; in the months before the killing, Markowitz had refused to settle a $1,200 drug debt with Hollywood, leading Hollywood and his associates to allegedly kidnap the San Fernando Valley teenager. Hollywood allegedly ordered him killed later. Hollywood, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, could face the death penalty. The crime was the basis for the 2007 movie Alpha Dog.