4 Plead Not Guilty in Slaying of West Hills Boy

Three men and a 17-year-old boy pleaded not guilty Friday to felony charges of kidnapping and murder in the execution-style shooting of a West Hills teenager, whose body was found in a shallow grave.

The defendants--three of whom played together in the Westhills baseball league--wore jail jumpsuits and nodded at their friends and family gathered in Santa Barbara Superior Court.

Ryan James Hoyt, 21, of West Hills; William R. Skidmore, 20, of Simi Valley; Jesse Taylor Rugge, 20, of Santa Barbara, and Graham Pressley, 17, of Goleta, were each charged with one felony count of kidnapping and murder.

Each faces a special circumstance allegation, which makes them eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors with the Santa Barbara County district attorney’s office said they have not decided whether they will seek the death penalty.

“The average person can see that the execution of a 15-year-old boy is a terrible crime,” Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron Zonen said. “We still have to review all the details of the case.”

The four were arrested Aug. 16 in connection with the slaying of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz, whose body was found in the mountains north of Santa Barbara. Nicholas was kidnapped Aug. 6 and kept at two houses in Santa Barbara. His body was found by hikers nearly a week later in a shallow grave.

Authorities said the four killed Nicholas because his older half-brother owed an alleged drug dealer, identified as 20-year-old Jesse James Hollywood of West Hills, about $36,000 for marijuana. Hollywood was a boyhood friend of the three older defendants, whom Hollywood played with in the San Fernando Valley youth baseball league.

Authorities said Hollywood fled Southern California after Nicholas was killed. Hollywood, the focus of a nationwide manhunt by a trio of law enforcement agencies, was last seen in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Aug. 20.

As lawyers spoke briefly with their clients in a holding cell Friday, the defendants’ families tried to catch a glimpse of them.

Pressley, who was led into the courtroom first, bowed his head and closed his eyes as his lawyer, Bill Duval, asked him questions. The teen will be tried as an adult.

Standing in a line, the other defendants responded to questions from Superior Court Judge Deborah Talmage, who set a Sept. 7 date for the pretrial hearing.

Attorney Russell Halprin, who represents Skidmore, said his client’s family has been traumatized by the accusations.

“They are obviously upset that their son is in any way involved with this crime,” Halprin said. “I think all of the families are surprised. All of these kids come from good families.”

The three men are being held in Santa Barbara County Jail and Pressley at the county’s Juvenile Hall. All are being held without bail, authorities said.