Originally released on our Patreon in January of 2022.

In the summer of 2000, a drug debt set off a chain of events that no one could take back.

Ben Markowitz owed money to a local dealer named Jesse James Hollywood. Jesse believed Ben was blowing him off, and what started as frustration quickly turned into something more volatile. Jesse wanted control. He wanted leverage.

Then he saw it.

While driving around with friends, Jesse spotted Ben’s 15 year old brother Nick walking alone. Jesse told the driver to pull over and they grabbed Nick, forced into the van, and drove away.

Instead of being hurt, Nick was taken to Santa Barbara and absorbed into Jesse’s circle. For nearly three days, they partied. Nick was given drugs and alcohol. The atmosphere felt temporary, almost casual.

Everyone believed Nick would eventually be taken home. That this was nothing more than a scare tactic.

They were wrong.

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Sources:
Articles
Wikipedia | Woodland Hills
The Los Angeles Times | The Last Days of Nick Markowitz (Sue Fox)
Fresh Edits | A Stolen Boy: The Real Story Behind the Film Alpha Dog (Noam Heller)

Books
My Stolen Son: The Nick Markowitz Story (Susan Markowitz)

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