Alpha dog... they kidnapped the kid on a whim and had absolutely no plan of action came up with shyt on the fly. It only sunk in that they could do life for kidnapping much later
That was one of the most true to life "based on a true story" movies in history. The DA who prosecuted the case gave actual case files to the studio.
During filming,
Santa Barbara County Deputy
District Attorney Ronald J. Zonen provided copies of many documents on the case and served as an unpaid consultant to the film, citing his desire to have Hollywood captured. Zonen prosecuted Hollywood's co-defendants and was poised to prosecute Hollywood. After Hollywood was captured in Saquarema, Brazil, and subsequently returned to the United States, his defense lawyer claimed Zonen had a conflict of interest; the
California Court of Appeal for the Second District ruled on October 5, 2006, that Zonen should be
recused from further involvement in prosecuting Hollywood because of his disclosure of the files and work on the film.
[8][9] The
California Supreme Court subsequently reversed that holding,
[10][11] but Zonen was replaced as lead prosecution attorney by Deputy District Attorney Joshua Lynn.[
citation needed]
Hollywood's attorney, James Blatt, tried to block the release of the film.
[12] After the delay, Hollywood's trial started May 15, 2009, with the defense's opening statements saying Hollywood was not involved with the murder.
[13] In his opening statement, Lynn described Hollywood as "a ruthless coward."
[14] On July 8, 2009, Hollywood was convicted of simple kidnapping and
first-degree murder with special circumstances and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
[4]