Fine points of the law
• Ryan Holle, 25, is serving a life sentence (with no possibility of parole) in Florida even though his only connection to a 2003 murder was that he loaned his car to one of the killers. According to a December New York Times report, Florida, even when dispensing its second-worst punishment of all, does not restrict "aiding and abetting" to just those who consciously assist a murder. • Scott Masters, 41, faced a potential 30-year sentence for shoplifting a doughnut in a Farmington, Mo., convenience store in September because, as he exited the store, he pushed a worker aside. Prosecutors said that "assault" made the crime a "strong-arm robbery" (but in December, a judge decided 90 days in jail was more appropriate).