Ryan Holle
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| Ryan Holle | |
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| Born | 17 November 1982 [1] Pensacola, Florida, United States |
| Conviction(s) | first degree murder, armed burglary, armed robbery[1] |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Status | Incarcerated at Graceville Correctional Facility |
Ryan Joseph Holle (born on November 17, 1982) was convicted in 2004 of first-degree murder for lending his Chevrolet Metro to a friend, who used the car to drive others to a house in order to commit a burglary, during which a murder was committed.[2][3][4] A former resident of Pensacola, Florida, United States, he is now serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole at the Graceville Correctional Facility 20 miles southwest of Tallahassee.[2]
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[edit] Details of murder
On the early morning of 10 March 2003, after a night of partying, Holle lent his car to a friend and housemate,[2] William Allen, Jr.[5] Allen used the car to drop three men off at the house of a known drug dealer, Christine Snyder, where they removed a safe containing a pound of marijuana and US$425.[5] During the burglary, one of the men, Charles Miller, Jr., used a shotgun he had found in the house to bludgeon to death the drug dealer's 18-year-old daughter, Jessica Snyder.[2][5][6] Holle was a mile and a half away.[2]
[edit] Convictions
Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Charles Miller, Jr., who confessed to the killing, but he was sentenced to life without parole on 12 May 2005.[4] The two men who entered the Snyders' home with him each received the same sentence, as did the driver, William Allen, Jr.[2]
Christine Snyder was sentenced to three years in prison for marijuana possession.[2]
[edit] Application of felony murder rule
Holle, who had given the police statements in which he seemed to admit knowing about the burglary, was convicted on 3 August 2004[3] of first-degree murder under a legal doctrine known as the felony murder rule.[2] The doctrine broadens murder liability for participants in violent felonies to include a killing by an accomplice.[2] As the prosecutor David Rimmer explained: "No car, no murder."[2] The victim's father, Terry Snyder, concurred: "It never would have happened unless Ryan Holle had lent the car. It was as good as if he was there."[2]
[edit] Statements in defense
Allen said in a pretrial deposition that all Holle did "was go say, 'Use the car.' I mean, nobody really knew that girl was going to get killed. It was not in the plans to go kill somebody, you know."[2]
Holle had no criminal record.[2] He had lent his car to Allen countless times before.[2]
In a 2007 interview with the New York Times Holle stated that "I honestly thought they were going to get food" adding that "When they actually mentioned what was going on, I thought it was a joke."[2] He explained that he was naive, and had been drinking all night, so he "didn't understand what was going on."[2]
[edit] Trial
Holle was the only involved person to be offered a plea bargain that might have led to only 10 years in prison but he refused the deal.[2] Holle's trial lasted one day, including testimony, jury deliberations, conviction, and sentencing.[2]
[edit] Depravity rating
Details of Holle's case appear on the website of the American Judicature Society under the heading of "Defendants Spared from Death Sentences by Prosecutors."[6] Holle's life was spared despite the crime receiving a rating of 5 "depravity points" according to their scale: 2 points for the murder, 2 for the bludgeoning, and 1 for the home invasion.[6] A mitigating circumstance was checked off for intoxication which may have impacted Holle's fateful decision.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Inmate Population Information Detail - Ryan Holle". Florida Department of Corrections. http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/inmateaction.asp?DataAction=GetInmate&DCNumber=126321. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Liptak, Adam (2007-12-04). "Serving Life for Providing Car to Killers". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/us/04felony.html.
- ^ a b "Pensacola Man Convicted in Teen's Drug-Theft Murder". Associated Press. 2004-08-04. http://www.ncfelonymurder.org/Other%20Cases/Ryan%20Holle%20Article/RyanHolleArticle.html.
- ^ a b "Fifth suspect sentenced to life in prison without parole in Pensacola teen's killing". St. Augustine Record. 2005-05-14. http://www.staugustine.com/stories/051405/sta_3078101.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ a b c "Around the state: 2 convicted of murdering teen". St. Petersburg Times / wire services. 2004-06-11. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/11/State/State_logs_first_West.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ a b c d "Appendix F: Defendants Spared from Death Sentences by Prosecutors". Capital Case Data Project: 2005 Case Details. American Judicature Society. http://www.ajs.org/jc/death/2005/Appendix%20F.asp.
