It appears now that justice may finally be served in the Jesse James Hollywood case. He was convicted for a crime in a trial in which he never really stood a chance. And now comes the next dose of this heavy real-life drama: the sentencing trial.
Beginning this Monday the prosecution and the defense will trade the swords of guilt or innocence in for new weapons of mass destruction. They will be trying to influence the jury into making the decision for life or death of a young man who made terrible mistakes so long ago. Below, please find a piece that ran in the Ventura County Star that I believe is more poignant and relevant today than it was back then regarding my thoughts when this case reached this stage.
The piece was written by the multi-talented Bill Locey and ran Thursday, July 19, 2007.
Mehas’ ‘Stolen Boy’ tale of boys gone bad
For Ventura novelist Michael Mehas, the hard part is over.
He endured and enjoyed the laborious process necessary to write a book and now all he has to do is write his name, which he will do multiple times at several local book signings, the first being Saturday at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Ventura, at 10:30 a.m.
It’s all a thinly veiled attempt to sell a few million copies of his debut effort, “Stolen Boy,” a fictional account about a real crime involving the guy with the cool name in that place where the great state of California pays your rent.
Now, research and common sense have proved that boys, stolen or otherwise, are clearly annoying, so who’d want to steal one? Read and learn.
By now you may know that Mehas’ book is about Jesse James Hollywood and several of his pals, who murdered 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz in the summer of 2000.
It’s a tale of boys gone bad to the level of “The Last Detail” meets “Lord of the Flies,” Santa Barbara style. All involved are in jail — the trigger man is on death row — and Hollywood, the guy, awaits trial in Santa Barbara, the place.
Briefly, the story so far: After the murder, all the usual suspects were rounded up, especially those responsible, except the alleged mastermind, Hollywood, who skedaddled to South America.
Now prosecutor Ron Zonen wanted Hollywood, not just for his own legacy but also for the family of the victim. To that end, he gave unprecedented access of his files to Mehas, who along with his childhood pal Nick Cassavetes co-wrote the screenplay for the recent movie “Alpha Dog” — and now Mehas has the book.
Zonen hoped the movie would help catch Hollywood as some sort of a global wanted poster.
Now, whether Mehas sells a single copy of “Stolen Boy,” it’s already a hit with two target audiences. The prosecution as well as the defense both want it for different reasons. (You can have it for yourself for any reason involving $19.95, according to the author.)
“One side wants the book; the other side wants the notes. One costs $19.95; the other is priceless,” Mehas said in an interview this week. “The book is based on my 239-page story chronology based on my unprecedented research and access to confidential case files and key interviews with crucial witnesses.
“My goal was to create a psychological thriller based on what these 15- and 20-year-olds were personally experiencing during the three days of this hellacious ordeal — the real emotions, the real panic and the decision-making process under the incredible stress of alcohol, of pot and of parental misguidance. It’s fictional, but truth in character and truth in motivation resonate throughout.”
About the writer
Mehas has lived in Ventura for 10 years, or long enough to want the hillsides to stay the same and pay parking downtown to stay away, but he grew up show-biz style in the Hollywood Hills. He was a typically underemployed actor when he went to law school.
To Mehas, the process of writing is a matter of focus, inspiration and motivation. In short, amass information, assemble it into some sort of rational order, concoct witty transitions to connect the dots, then edit it down until it makes sense.
“There’s nothing else in my life when I’m actually in the writing phase; there is nobody else in my life,” Mehas said. “To me, the whole thing about writing is your preparation. To me, it’s a major outline, a major story outline and a major character profile, then nailing those beads in whatever formula you decide to write it.”
Then, after the writing comes the unwriting process.
“I spent nearly the last year editing my book,” he said. “It was a difficult process because I had so much information to condense.”
In the end
So as to the best-case scenario, hidden agendas and spiffy conclusions ?
“My goal was to get the book out before the movie and Jesse James Hollywood’s trial,” Mehas said.
“The best-case scenario is that my book sells 8 million copies, which I believe it’s going to do.
“I hope that the reading of the book helps to expand the mass consciousness toward my real concern here and that’s the death penalty and that people recognize the value of life — all life being important — and that Jesse James Hollywood should not be given death and Ryan Hoyt, the confessed shooter, not be given death.
“He’s presently on death row and I’d like to see him taken off death row,” the author said. “He does not deserve to die and I think the death penalty, in its intent, is not meant for someone like him.”
