Instead, police say, he eventually went into business for himself. Unlike so many of his classmates, Jesse Hollywood didn’t go to college. Hollywood lived a few blocks away from the Markowitz family, and soon Ben and Jesse became friends. Jesse James Hollywood: It’s his real name listed on his birth certificate. Hansen: Perhaps wouldn’t have met Jesse James Hollywood?Jeff Markowitz: He probably wouldn’t have met Jesse James Hollywood. He wouldn’t have been involved in, maybe, some of the other things that he got involved in. Jeff Markowitz: If I would have held onto Ben and kept him in my household, he wouldn’t have been on the street. Jeff eventually gave Ben an ultimatum: obey the rules or move out. Hansen: And how difficult was it for you to try to insulate Nick from all of this?Susan Markowitz: It was doing double time. Susan was frightened that Nick, who idolized his older half-brother, would soon be led into trouble too. Ben worked with his dad for a time, but he continued to get into trouble at home and into scrapes with the law.
The Markowitzes say they tried everything to help Ben. Hansen: Was he a tough kid to have around?Susan Markowitz: Definitely-and I think, as a parent, I made some very poor choices. And, the things escalated from there a lot of times. Hansen: Ben was a troublemaker.Jeff Markowitz: No, not really a troublemaker but he was always there when there was trouble. But that wasn’t the case with his older half-brother, Ben. His parents say Nick, who liked sports and theatre, was a typical, fun-loving 15-year-old. I don’t know what was going on in his head but he would do anything to make us laugh. Hansen: How would you describe Nick to someone who never met him? Susan Markowitz: The funniest person on earth. West Hills was a great place to bring up their kids- a daughter and son from Jeff’s former marriage, and their own 15-year-old son Nick. Jeff’s family company produced aviation components. They have since moved, but back in the 1990s they were living the good life.
Susan and Jeff Markowitz’s lives will never be the same. It’s a story about a very well-to-do part of Los Angeles that lost its way. Katz: It would be almost comical, or absurd, if it wasn’t so tragic. Los Angeles Magazine senior writer Jesse Katz wrote an in-depth cover story about the tragedy that began here amidst the expensive homes. Jesse Katz, Los Angeles Magazine senior writer: This is like one of those bad true crime tales come to life. The fugitive himself even sounds like he was created by a screenwriter: His name is “Jesse James Hollywood.” 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. But eventually, authorities came to the hills of Brazil, half a world away. Her quest for justice began in West Hills. Hansen: Is the quest over now? Susan Markowitz: It’ll never be over. But Susan Markowitz never gave up on bringing him to justice.Ĭhris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: This has, in many ways, been a mother’s quest.
An entire city was shocked when these same kids stood accused of an unspeakable crime.īut the accused ring leader got away for six years. A group of seemingly nice kids had become caught up in a lifestyle where life itself was cheap. Like the stream of expensive cars cruising down the Boulevard, a dark undercurrent had been flowing beneath West Hills’ glossy views. Susan Markowitz, Nick Markowitz’s mother: When I was paging him, and he wasn’t answering I knew something was definitely wrong. But amidst the swimming pools and tidy lawns of this well-kept neighborhood, a devoted mother got the worst possible news. In the West Hills section, there are million dollar homes.
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