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Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006
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Posted on Tue, Mar. 07, 2006

Accused killer asks California Supreme Court to boot prosecutor

Associated Press

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Accused killer and kidnapper Jesse James Hollywood is asking the California Supreme Court to remove the prosecutor in the case for cooperating with the makers of an upcoming movie about the alleged crimes.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen violated the law and rules of professional conduct by allowing the makers of "Alpha Dog" unlimited and unsupervised access to his files, according to a petition filed Friday by attorneys for Hollywood.

The petition seeks to have Zonen and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office removed from Hollywood's case.

Zonen denied any misconduct. A Superior Court judge and an appeals court previously turned down the request by the defendant.

Hollywood, 26, is accused of orchestrating the August 2000 kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz as part of a feud with the victim's half-brother over a $1,200 drug debt.

Hollywood was captured last March in Brazil and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Four other people have been convicted, including the shooter, who is on death row.

Zonen said he cooperated with the filmmakers in hopes of capturing Hollywood, who fled two days before the boy's body was found.

"It was for purposes of locating Jesse Hollywood, who was learning how to surf on a beach in Brazil," Zonen said.

"I was hoping for a movie that replicated the case with remarkable precision... I wanted it to be a movie that would go to the far reaches of the Earth," he said.

Zonen was not paid for his cooperation but did receive a screen credit.

Attorney James Blatt, who represents Hollywood, has seen the movie and told the Santa Barbara News-Press it portrays his client as "extremely manipulative, vicious, selfish and without any redeeming character traits whatsoever."

It will make it difficult for Hollywood to get a fair trial, Blatt said.

The movie, scheduled for release in April, changes the setting and the names of those involved.