Verdict In: Hollywood Guilty of Murder and Kidnapping

Verdict Means Death Penalty Still on the Table

Jeff, Susan, and Ben Markowitz share a hug outside the Santa Barbara courthouse where Jesse James Hollywood was convicted of murder and kidnapping Wednesday afternoon.

Jesse James Hollywood was found by a Santa Barbara jury Wednesday afternoon to be guilty of first degree murder with a special circumstance that could give him the death penalty. The verdict comes almost nine years after the gruesome murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz near Lizard’s Mouth.

The jury also found Hollywood guilty of simple kidnapping, a lesser conviction that adds up to three to eight years in prison.

Check here later tonight for a full recap and analysis of the jury’s decision and the family’s response.