Ryan Hoyt

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. He reportedly owed Hollywood money for drugs and was offered the opportunity to kill Markowitz as a way of erasing his debt.

During his trial, Hoyt took the stand and told the court he did not remember confessing to killing Markowitz. In November 2001, Hoyt was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death. In January 2024, Hoyt had his death sentence commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In the film Alpha Dog, the character Elvis Schmidt was modeled after Hoyt. The role was played by actor Shawn Hatosy.

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 * List of death row inmates in the United States