| Ryan Holle | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 November 1982
Pensacola, USA |
| Conviction(s) | first-degree murder |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Status | Incarcerated in Wakulla Correctional Institution |
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.[1][2][3] A former resident of Pensacola, Florida, United States, he is now serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole at the Wakulla Correctional Institution 20 miles southwest of Tallahassee.[1]
Contents |
On the early morning of 10 March 2003, after a night of partying, Holle lent his car to a friend and housemate,[1] William Allen Jr.[4] 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.[4] 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.[1][4][5] Holle was a mile and a half away.[1]
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.[3] The two men who entered the Snyders' home with him each received the same sentence, as did the driver, William Allen Jr.[1]
Christine Snyder was sentenced to three years in prison for marijuana possession.[1]
Holle, who had given the police statements in which he seemed to admit knowing about the burglary, was convicted on 3 August 2004[2] of first-degree murder under a legal doctrine known as the felony murder rule.[1] The doctrine broadens murder liability for participants in violent felonies to include a killing by an accomplice.[1] As the prosecutor David Rimmer explained: "No car, no murder."[1] 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."[1]
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."[1]
Holle had no criminal record.[1] He had lent his car to Allen countless times before.[1]
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."[1] He explained that he was naive, and had been drinking all night, so he "didn't understand what was going on."[1]
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.[1] Holle's trial lasted one day, including testimony, jury deliberations, conviction, and sentencing.[1]
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."[5] 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.[5] A mitigating circumstance was checked off for intoxication which may have impacted Holle's fateful decision.[5]
   | Serving Life for Providing Car to Killers - The New York Times > Log In |
| | Pensacola Man Convicted in Teen's Drug-Theft Murder - Ryan Holle Article |
| | Around the state: 2 convicted of murdering teen - State: State logs first West Nile case |
| | Capital Case Data Project: 2005 Case Details - AJS [American Judicature Society] - 2005 Case Details |
| | Fifth suspect sentenced to life in prison without parole in Pensacola teen's killing - staugustine.com: State News: Fifth suspect sentenced to life in prison without parole in Pensacola teen's killing 05/14/05 |
|
|
Wikis
Facts
Map
Search