Jesse James Hollywood's Arraignment Postponed
Facing Charges Of Kidnapping And Murder
Mar 11, 2005 4:43 pm US/Pacific
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) Jesse James Hollywood, the homicide fugitive who was arrested this week in Brazil and returned to California, made his first appearance in court Friday, but his arraignment was postponed.
Hollywood, 25, is accused of orchestrating a plot to kidnap and kill 15-year-old Nick Markowitz in August 2000 because of bad blood with Markowitz's half brother, who allegedly owed Hollywood $1,200 in drug debt.
Hollywood's arraignment was postponed to April 4.
A grand jury indicted Hollywood on charges of murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Four people were convicted of kidnapping or murder in the case, but Hollywood fled and was the subject of a nationwide manhunt.
Markowitz was abducted on Aug. 6, 2000, as he walked near his San Fernando Valley home. He spent two days partying with his captors before they killed him, according to grand jury testimony.
Markowitz was forced to walk a mile into Los Padres National Forest before being shot nine times and buried in a shallow grave, authorities said. His body was discovered four days later by hikers.
"The critical issue is did he participate in the instructions concerning the murder of Mr. Markowitz," said Hollywood's defense attorney, James Blatt, on Friday.
Hollywood was arrested earlier this week at a shopping mall in the coastal town of Saquarema, about 60 miles east of Rio de Janeiro. He was teaching English and living with a young woman in a fashionable beach district, Brazilian authorities said. His girlfriend in Brazil is pregnant with their child, Blatt said.
http://kcal9.com/topstories/topstoriesla_story_070114640.html
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. )
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Jesse James Hollywood Captured
Will Face Charges In The Kidnapping And Murder Of A Southland Teen
Mar 10, 2005 4:21 pm US/Pacific
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) After eluding authorities for five years, Jesse James Hollywood was captured in Brazil and returned Thursday to California, where he faces charges of kidnapping and killing a 15-year-old boy.
Hollywood, 25, was arrested in the coastal town of Saquarema about 62 miles east of Rio de Janeiro after authorities found him carrying fake identity documents during a traffic stop, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson said.
Authorities wouldn't discuss how Hollywood escaped capture for five years. He apparently was living a good life.
He taught English, lived with a young woman in a fashionable beach district, and paid his expenses with $1,200 he received each month from his parents, Brazilian authorities said.
Hollywood was an alleged drug dealer who authorities said orchestrated a cold-blooded plot to kidnap and kill Nick Markowitz because of bad blood with Markowitz's half-brother.
Markowitz's parents were glad to see the alleged mastermind behind bars.
"Nothing will ever bring Nick back to us, but we can rest easy now knowing that all five of Nick's perpetrators are being held accountable for their horrific actions," said Jeff Markowitz, the victim's father.
Hollywood was returned to Santa Barbara and booked, and was expected to be arraigned Friday. He has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy and could face the death penalty if convicted.
The kidnap-murder plan was conceived by Hollywood, who claimed Markowitz's half-brother worked for him as a dealer and owed him about $1,200 for drugs, prosecutors said.
Markowitz was abducted on Aug. 6, 2000 as he walked near his San Fernando Valley home. He spent two days partying with his captors before they killed him, according to grand jury testimony.
Markowitz was made to walk a mile into Los Padres National Forest before being shot nine times with a high-powered assault rifle and buried in a shallow grave, authorities said. His body was discovered four days later by hikers.
Authorities believe Markowitz was killed after Hollywood consulted with an attorney, learned the penalty for aggravated kidnapping was life in prison, and decided to get rid of the boy instead of releasing him.
Four other defendants have been tried and convicted in the case.
Days after the murder, Hollywood traveled to Las Vegas and Colorado, staying with a relative who was later arrested for investigation of harboring a fugitive.
Authorities believe he may have returned to Los Angeles at some point. Investigators staked out his hangouts and searched the homes of his friends and family, trying to determine if they were aiding the fugitive.
Hollywood became the subject of an international manhunt. His mugshot was plastered on the FBI's Web site and his case was featured on TV's "America's Most Wanted." Hundreds of tips poured in, putting him in different locations such as Palm Springs, British Columbia and beyond.
Even the entertainment industry took notice. An upcoming film titled "Alpha Dog," starring Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone, is based on the case.
Brazilian authorities had been told by U.S. officials that Hollywood might be in the country.
"It was not dumb luck," said Richard Garcia, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office.
Authorities were still trying to determine how long Hollywood was in Brazil and his previous whereabouts. Federal police in that country said Hollywood used fake papers that identified him as Michael Costa Giroux, a native of Rio de Janeiro. He claimed they had the wrong man.
Brazilian authorities deported him as an illegal alien. Brazil does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
Hollywood is small in stature -- standing only 5 feet, 5 inches tall -- but is big on bravado. He drove a luxury car and bought a house in the San Fernando Valley with what authorities believe were proceeds from drug sales.
Hollywood is his real last name. His family said his first name was not derived from the famous outlaw who led a gang of bank and train robbers in the 1800s but from an uncle who passed away.
Hollywood grew up with three of the other defendants playing on a Little League team coached by Hollywood's father, John Michael Hollywood.
The 50-year-old father was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of drug possession, but Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges, district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
He was being held on a separate fugitive from justice warrant. Authorities wouldn't elaborate on that case.
John Hollywood told The Associated Press in 2001 that he last heard from his son before he went to Colorado.
Jesse James Hollywood and two co-defendants have been ordered to pay $11.2 million to the victim's parents, who sued the suspect and 31 others over their son's death. The couple later settled with at least 14 defendants.
Sheriff's officials wouldn't say if anyone would receive the $50,000 reward offered by the department. But on its Web site, which has displayed a picture of Hollywood since he vanished, one word was written at the top: Captured.
http://kcal9.com/localnews/localnewsla_story_069113322.html
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. )
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