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Nicholas Samuel "Nick" Markowitz (September 19, 1984 – August 9, 2000) was an American teenager who was kidnapped and murdered at the age of 15 after a feud over drug money between his half-brother Benjamin Markowitz and Jesse James Hollywood. Nicholas Markowitz lived in the West Hills, Los Angeles, California area with his mother Susan and father Jeff. ==Kidnapping and murder== The feud between Benjamin Markowitz, Nicholas's older half-brother, and Jesse James Hollywood, a mid-level drug dealer, began over an alleged $1,200 debt owed to Hollywood by Markowitz. On August 6, 2000, Hollywood, Jesse Rugge, and William Skidmore decided to confront Benjamin. On their way to see him, however, they saw Nicholas Markowitz walking on the side of the road, having run away from home, and Hollywood and his gang decided to abduct Nicholas in order to hold him for ransom in lieu of Benjamin Markowitz's debt. They chased, assaulted, and abducted Nicholas, then escaped in a van. When Hollywood and his gang informed Nicholas of why they were holding him, he allegedly panicked at first. However, after Hollywood offered Nicholas drugs and alcohol, he felt that he was a part of the group. Hollywood and his gang then picked up Brian Affronti (another one of Hollywood's friends) and drove up to Santa Barbara, California where they attended various house parties. Reports indicate that many witnesses — parents and teens alike — saw the group together but did not realize anything was wrong. Although up to 32 witnesses knew he had been kidnapped they did not notify the police, as Nicholas appeared to be safe and having fun. Nicholas and Rugge then traveled to the Lemon Tree Inn in Santa Barbara, California. While at the Inn, the gang held another party in the pool area of the Inn where Nicholas befriended a 19-year-old girl. After the party, members of Jesse's gang allowed Nicholas to believe that he would soon be going home. However, after learning of the legal ramifications they could face for kidnapping, Hollywood called Ryan Hoyt, a crew-member of Jesse's gang who owed him $200,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Jesse James Hollywood, drug dealer orders murder and flees )〕 to kill Nicholas, giving him a TEC-9 semi-automatic fire arm. The decision was made to commit the murder in the Santa Ynez Mountains, close to West Camino Cielo Road, north of Goleta, California. Jesse Rugge bound Nicholas's hands behind his back and covered his mouth with duct tape. Hoyt then hit Nicholas in the back of the head with a shovel, knocking him into a shallow grave, and shot Nicholas nine times with Hollywood's semi-automatic pistol. The members of the gang then tried to hide the gun by placing it between the legs of Nicholas's body and covering the body with dirt and branches. However, the grave was too shallow and close to the popular Lizard's Mouth Trail, and Nicholas's body was found on August 12, 2000. Ryan Hoyt, Jesse Rugge, William Skidmore, and Graham Pressley were all arrested following numerous leads to the sheriff's office following Nicholas's death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Murder of Nicholas Markowitz」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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