Ryan James Hoyt (born August 10, 1979) is a former associate of
Jesse James Hollywood who was convicted of the murder of
Nicholas Markowitz on August 9, 2000.[1] He reportedly owed Hollywood money for drugs and was offered the opportunity to kill Markowitz as a way of erasing his debt.[2]
During his trial, Hoyt took the stand and told the court he did not remember confessing to killing Markowitz.[3][4] In November 2001, Hoyt was convicted of first-degree murder[5] and was sentenced to death.[6]
In the film Alpha Dog, the character Elvis Schmidt was modeled after Hoyt. The role was played by actor
Shawn Hatosy.[7]