Why Is a Florida Man Facing Life in Prison For Lending a Friend His Car and Going to Sleep?

[rocktivity]

9. "All he did was go say, 'Use the car' ..."

Last edited Thu Aug 31, 2023, 06:43 PM - Edit history (4)

Mr. Holle had...lent his car to Mr. Allen, a housemate, countless times before. “All he did was go say, 'Use the car',” Mr. Allen said of Mr. Holle in a pretrial deposition. “I mean, nobody really knew that girl was going to get killed. It was not in the plans to go kill somebody, you know.”

But Mr. Holle did testify that he had been told it might be necessary to “knock out” Jessica Snyder...he said that he had not taken the talk of a burglary seriously. “I honestly thought they were going to get food,” he said of the men who used his car, all of whom had attended the nightlong party at Mr. Holle’s house, as had Jessica Snyder.

“When they actually mentioned what was going on, I thought it was a joke,” Mr. Holle added, referring to the plan to steal the Snyders’ safe. “I thought they were just playing around. I was just very naive. Plus from being drinking that night, I just didn’t understand what was going on.”

...Mr. Holle was the only one...who was offered a plea bargain, one that might have led to 10 years in prison. “I did so because he was not as culpable as the others,” said Mr. Rimmer, the prosecutor...

Jessica had left the party, and they discussed having to incapacitate her? VERY damning -- that suggests that the robbers had good reason to believe that she would be home alone.

If that's what the jury heard, it's no wonder that they convicted Holle. But he should not have been charged with felony murder -- he was an accessory at best; a co-conspirator at worst. Reduce the charge, reactivate the plea deal, and deduct the time already served.


rocktivity