FUGITIVE FLED TO COLORADO, POLICE BELIEVE.Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff WriterWEST HILLS - Jesse James Hollywood Jesse James Hollywood (born January 28, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) was a drug dealer and fugitive. He allegedly kidnapped and ordered the murder of Nicholas Markowitz. , a fugitive wanted in connection with the brutal slaying of a 15-year-old West Hills boy, fled to Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, city (1990 pop. 281,140), seat of El Paso co., central Colo., on Monument and Fountain creeks, at the foot of Pikes Peak; inc. 1886. It is a year-round resort and a booming military, technological, and commercial city. , Colo., where he is still hiding out, police said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Hollywood's father said Tuesday in a brief interview that he doesn't believe the accusations outlined by police about his son. ``We're very devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. and we don't believe what it says in the papers about our son,'' said Hollywood's father, John, as he stood on the doorstep of his family's West Hills home. Twenty-year-old Jesse James Hollywood is one of five suspects police say were involved in the kidnapping kidnapping, in law, the taking away of a person by force, threat, or deceit, with intent to cause him to be detained against his will. Kidnapping may be done for ransom or for political or other purposes. and brutal slaying of Nicholas Markowitz. Investigators say Nicholas was kidnapped because his older halrother, Benjamin, owed Hollywood $36,000 in drug money. Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. County sheriff's Lt. Mike Burridge said Hollywood was last seen in Colorado on Saturday, the day after Markowitz's funeral. ``He's probably still in the area. Apparently he has quite a few friends there.'' Investigators said Hollywood has a considerable amount of cash with him and is still believed to be armed with a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun. Four other suspects are in custody and charged with kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and murder. They are: William Skidmore, 20, of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. ; Jesse Taylor Rugge, 20, of Santa Barbara; Graham Pressley, 17, of Goleta; and Ryan James Ryan James may refer to:
Authorities said Nicholas was kidnapped by Hollywood, Rugge and Skidmore on Aug. 6. The threesome took him to Rugge's home on Casiano Street in Santa Barbara, where he was kept under the influence of marijuana and Valium for about two days. During the teen's stay at Rugge's home, investigators said his parents were home, apparently unaware that he was a captive. Four to five other juveniles who visited the home during that time were aware that Nick had been kidnapped and even referred to him as the ``stolen kid,'' officials said. At no time did anyone contact Benjamin or Nick's family to ask for ransom, authorities said. Two days after kidnapping him, Rugge and Pressley took Nick to a hotel on State Street in Santa Barbara, police said, where they were later joined by Hoyt. Police said Hoyt and Pressley dug a grave at a park site known as Lizard's Mouth. Later, Hoyt, Rugge and Pressley took Nick to the grave site, where Rugge and Hoyt placed duct tape duct tape n. A usually silver adhesive tape made of cloth mesh coated with a waterproof material, originally designed for sealing heating and air-conditioning ducts. Noun 1. over his mouth and hands. Nick was then placed in the grave and shot nine times with a semiautomatic gun. On Aug. 12, two hikers found the grave and authorities were contacted. Detectives pieced together what happened after receiving a call from the attorney of one of the four juveniles who visited Rugge's home while Nick was there, Burridge said. Authorities said Hollywood fled the West Valley area Aug. 15 after learning about the investigation into Nick's death. They said Hollywood drove to Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , spent Tuesday night at the Bellagio Hotel and Resort, and drove Wednesday to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he spent the next few days at various friends' homes. Hollywood apparently lived in the Colorado Springs area in the mid-1990s while he attended high school and still has many friends in the area, authorities said. Hollywood gave one of his Colorado friends a 12-gauge shotgun and an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to hold because ``the cops are after him,'' investigators said. Santa Barbara investigators were assisted by authorities in Colorado Springs, who recovered a car Hollywood was driving, a silver 2000 Lincoln LS The Lincoln LS (for "Luxury Sport") was a mid-size, rear wheel drive entry-level luxury car from Lincoln. It shared the Ford DEW98 platform with the Jaguar S-Type and Ford Thunderbird. Sedan, near a friend's home. No weapons were found inside the car. Detectives said they learned that Hollywood stayed at the Loft House Hotel in Woodland Park, Colo., and the Ramada ra·ma·da n. Southwestern U.S. 1. a. An open or semienclosed shelter roofed with brush or branches, designed especially to provide shade. b. An open porch or breezeway. 2. hotel in Colorado Springs. He last checked out of the Ramada on Saturday morning. Burridge said he was confident Hollywood would eventually be caught. ``Eventually he'll make a mistake . . . somebody is going to turn him in who doesn't want him around.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: HOLLYWOOD |
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