Jesse James Hollywood goes on trial. Also: terrorists, a Playboy playmate, Norman Hsu and Phil Spector
Runners-up for top story of the month:
Jesse James Hollywood, accused of ordering the murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz in 2000 and finally standing trial in a Santa Barbara, California courtroom. In a classic case replete with addicts, Hollywood allegedly kidnapped Markowitz in August, 2000, in revenge over a $1,200 drug debt owed by his older half-brother, Ben Markowitz. According to prosecutors, after learning from his family’s lawyer that kidnapping can carry a life sentence, Hollywood gave his friend Ryan Hoyt a gun and car and told him to drive to Santa Barbara and “take care of business.” Hoyt was convicted of being the shooter and sentenced to death for the murder. In a truly bizarre case of distorted perceptions or gross naiveté, the younger Markowitz was allegedly held captive for three days, sometimes bound with duct tape and at other times allowed to smoke dope and drink with Hollywood’s friends, with plenty of opportunities for escape. In the meantime, Hollywood, then 20, went on the lam and was arrested five years later in Brazil.
One might ask, “What took so long to get this to trial?” The answer is another Hollywood, where film producer Nick Cassavetes became intrigued by the dark side of the suburbs (all of the participants lived in the L.A. suburbs of the San Fernando Valley). He obtained confidential case files from Santa Barbara prosecutor Ron Zonen, who later explained he was thinking he might help ferret out the fugitive with a bit of movie publicity. Zonen’s cooperation with Cassavetes resulted in years of litigation from Jesse Hollywood’s attorney, James Blatt, who tried unsuccessfully to block the release of the film (“Alpha Dog,” released in 2007) and have Zonen and the entire Santa Barbara district attorney’s office booted off the case. (There’s more on “Alpha Dog,” this month’s “Review of the Month,” below.)
Terror plot suspects James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, accused of plotting to bomb New York City synagogues and shoot down military airplanes with missiles. The first three have histories of drug convictions. Payen is on medication for schizophrenia, which is often triggered by methamphetamine addiction. Cromitie smoked pot the day he planned to blow up the temples. While pot isn’t quite hashish, recall that the root of the word “assassin” comes from a terrorist group founded by Hasan ibn al-Sabbah in 1090 who trained followers as killers by drugging them. Because of the heavy use of hashish in their intoxication, these early terrorists became known as “Hashishiyn,” from the Arabic “user of hashish” and, later, “Assassins.” (Those interested in early thoughts on terrorism and addiction may find the piece here if interested, as well as the later TAR Top Stories at issues 24 and 13.)
Playboy’s May 2009 Playmate of the Month Crystal McCahill, refusing to answer reporters’ questions about her DUI arrest and instead urging them to attend her Playboy autograph-signing event at Club Crescendo (Chicago) later that day. Her blood alcohol level was over .16 percent when she ran a red light in January. Being able to drive at a .16 percent is an almost certain indication of alcoholism. Beauty, after money, is the addict’s greatest enabler. Hef? Are you paying attention?
Former Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, pleading guilty on charges of swindling investors out of $60 million via a Ponzi scheme and, a few weeks later, found guilty on four counts of campaign-finance fraud. His rags-to-riches story, accomplished by turning the riches of others to rags, was told in the October 2007 issue of TAR under runner-up for top story.
Music producer Phil Spector, sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison for second-degree murder. Spector earned top story rights in the June 2007 edition of TAR, in which his Jekyll and Hyde, grandiose and just plain crazy behaviors are linked to obvious longstanding alcoholism.