Ryan James Hoyt (born August 10, 1979) is a former associate of Jesse James Hollywood who was convicted of the murder of Nicholas Markowitz on August 9, 2000.[1] He reportedly owed Hollywood money for drugs and was offered the opportunity to kill Markowitz as a way of erasing his debt.[2]
Ryan Hoyt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ryan James Hoyt August 10, 1979 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Known for | Murder of Nicholas Markowitz |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder with special circumstances |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
During his trial, Hoyt took the stand and told the court he did not remember confessing to killing Markowitz.[3][4] In November 2001, Hoyt was convicted of first-degree murder[5] and was sentenced to death.[6] In January 2024, Hoyt had his death sentence commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[7]
In the film Alpha Dog, the character Elvis Schmidt was modeled after Hoyt. The role was played by actor Shawn Hatosy.[8]
Background
editOn August 6th, 2000, 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz was abducted by Jesse James Hollywood, Jesse Rugge and William Skidmore. Markowitz was held for three days in various locations around Santa Barbara for ransom until his older half-brother Ben Markowitz paid off a large debt he owed to Hollywood. Eventually, Hollywood ordered Markowitz to be killed after learning he could face life in prison for kidnapping and demanding ransom. [9] Hoyt, who was also in debt to Hollywood, agreed to carry out the murder to erase his debt. After Markowitz was led into the Santa Ynez Mountains, Hoyt knocked Markowitz into a shallow grave dug earlier in the day before shooting him nine times with a TEC-9 handgun provided by Hollywood. Hoyt was arrested days later.[10]
Legal proceedings
editAfter his arrest, Hoyt confessed to the murder in a videotaped confession with detectives. However, On November 9, 2001, Hoyt testified to jurors that he did not recall the interview or ever confessing to the crime. Hoyt stated that his only role in the crime was accidentally giving a duffel bag containing the handgun, which he believed to contain only marijuana, to Jesse Rugge.[11] Michael Kania, a psychologist hired for Hoyt's defense, described him as "a man who's never really succeeded at anything" and said Hoyt had trouble finding a job and girlfriend, as well as untreated depression. Several other expert witnesses also stated Hoyt had a personality disorder with "avoidant" and "dependant" behavior. Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen, who assisted with the production of Alpha Dog, called an expert psychiatric witness, who testified that Hoyt's complete memory loss of the murder and subsequent confession is very rare, and contrasted Hoyt's sharp recall of other events.
Hoyt's defense attorney Cheri Owen hoped to use Hoyt's youth, troubled family background, and lack of criminal record to persuade jurors, but in November 2001 Hoyt was convicted of first-degree murder, [12] and the jury delivered a death sentence in February 2003. Superior court judge William L. Gordon stated that Hoyt refuted several chances to walk away from the crime before going through with the murder, and that “any feelings of sympathy for the defendant ... are substantially outweighed by the circumstances of the crime”. Hoyt remained on death row at San Quentin State Prison until January 2024 when his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Superior Court Judge Brian Hill granted Hoyt's motion to vacate the death sentence, indicating he was swayed that Hoyt's inexperienced attorney Owen was deficient during the penalty phase of the trial, and that he was a "youthful offender" with "mental deficits" that made execution inappropriate. Hoyt was subsequently transferred to the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo to serve his life sentence.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Scheeres, Julia. "Jesse James Hollywood, drug dealer orders murder and flees". Crime Library. Courtroom Television Network LLC. Archived from the original on 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ Fox, Sue (Oct 30, 2001). "Los Angeles; Confession in Killing Was a Lie, Lawyer Says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ Fox, Sue (Nov 10, 2001). "Murder Suspect Claims He Cannot Recall Confessing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ "Graham Pressley Testimony Continues". The Santa Barbara Independent. June 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- ^ "Jurors Convict 1st Defendant in Kidnap-Slaying of Valley Teen; Court: Ryan Hoyt, 22, is found guilty after eight hours of deliberation". Los Angeles Times. Nov 21, 2001. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ Wilson, Tracy (Nov 21, 2001). "Jury Returns With Death Verdict for Killer of West Hills". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ "Gunman in 'Alpha Dog' Murder Granted Death Penalty Reprieve". Noozhawk. January 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Uehlinger, Tim (April 12, 2006). "The long hunt for Jesse James Hollywood". Dateline. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ Scheeres, Julia. "Jesse James Hollywood, drug dealer orders murder and flees". Crime Library. Courtroom Television Network LLC. Archived from the original on 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ Fox, Sue (Nov 10, 2001). "Murder Suspect Claims He Cannot Recall Confessing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ Fox, Sue (Oct 30, 2001). "Los Angeles; Confession in Killing Was a Lie, Lawyer Says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ "Jurors Convict 1st Defendant in Kidnap-Slaying of Valley Teen; Court: Ryan Hoyt, 22, is found guilty after eight hours of deliberation". Los Angeles Times. Nov 21, 2001. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- ^ "Gunman in 'Alpha Dog' Murder Granted Death Penalty Reprieve". Noozhawk. January 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
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