Ryan Hoyt
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August 10, 1979
Ryan Hoyt | |
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| Born | Ryan James Hoyt August 10, 1979 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Known for | Murder of Nicholas Markowitz |
| Conviction | First degree murder with special circumstances |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
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]
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 reduced to life in prison without parole.[7]
In the film Alpha Dog, the character Elvis Schmidt was modeled after Hoyt. The role was played by actor Shawn Hatosy.[8]
On August 6, 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]