SANTA BARBARA - Earlier today Judge Brian Hill sentenced Jesse James Hollywood to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the kidnapping and murder of 15-year Nicholas Markowitz in August, 2000.

The SBSO has been involved in the case for virtually a decade; from the initial investigation by Sheriff’s detective’s that led to the conviction of four of Hollywood’s cohorts, through the nearly five year search and eventual arrest of Hollywood in South America, to the five years Hollywood was housed at the Santa Barbara County Jail during his subsequent trial.

“Today’s sentence finally concludes a long and very tragic case,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. “We hope it brings some measure of closure to the Markowitz family. I extend my gratitude to the dozens of people in the Sheriff’s Department, allied law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney’s office who worked diligently over the last decade to ensure that those who killed Nicholas Markowitz were brought to justice.”