Stolen Boy’s Weblog

Michael Mehas first met with James Blatt in early April of 2005. Upon his release from custody, Jack Hollywood had set up the meeting and the three men met at Jerry’s Famous Deli in Encino. Blatt appeared very courteous and genuinely surprised at how much Michael knew about the case. Having practiced criminal defense in his own legal career, Michael had formed certain opinions about Mr. Blatt’s client and the case the government had against him. After all, Michael was writing a book that was based on both sides of the story, and he considered himself an authority on the two matters. Yet, after first being questioned by Jesse’s attorney about the information he had received, Michael felt a concern as to how much he should reveal. The author did not want to violate any confidentiality he might have had with the people who had supplied him with the information in the first place. Since Michael was not an attorney of record on the matter, and he conducted his research on behalf of the film and book projects, he was not obligated to speak to anybody about anything. But the more he dwelled upon his predicament, the more he understood he really had no choice.

As a member of the criminal defense bar––who possessed inside knowledge––Michael understood the situation as well as anyone: Jesse Hollywood stood out like a clipped goose waiting to be slaughtered by the powers of the state of California. He was charged with an ugly crime, and while he had been on the lam, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office had joined forces with the press to all but convict Hollywood in absentia. Headlines like “Police Link West Hills Teen’s Killing to Brother’s Drug Debt” began sweeping across newspapers all over the country. A Los Angeles Times subheading read in part: “…arrested in the case authorities tied to $36,000 owed.”

These and other headlines distorted the truth of how much was owed for what, and demonized Jesse Hollywood in the public’s perception in the process. They didn’t come close to describing with any detailed accuracy who Hollywood truly was, and they never addressed the delicate intricacies of what really happened to whom and why. There was no $36,000 debt owed to Jesse Hollywood by Ben Markowitz or anyone else. Ben Markowitz explained this to anyone who asked. The crimes against Nick Markowitz were not committed as revenge for a drug debt, which many newspapers claimed. The kidnapping happened for very different reasons, and those specific reasons have yet to actually see the light of day in any court or in the media. The public image of James Blatt’s client was filled with inaccuracies that the press and Santa Barbara law enforcement authorities had helped to perpetuate and indelibly brand into the minds of the potential jurors who would one day cast judgment upon Jesse Hollywood. This was the first thing the author told Mr. Blatt when they finally sat down and spoke.

To be continued….