SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Jesse James Hollywood has been sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the kidnap-murder of a 15-year-old boy that inspired the 2007 movie "Alpha Dog."
Superior Court Judge Brian Hill on Friday sentenced Hollywood to a life sentence without the possibility of parole in a Santa Barbara courtroom after denying a defense motion for a new trial.
Hollywood had faced the death penalty but jurors recommended a life sentence after finding him guilty of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Hollywood ordered the killing of Nicholas Markowitz in August 2000 over a drug debt owed by his half-brother.
Four others also were convicted in the teen's killing, including the gunman who was sentenced to death.
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