Three men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a brutal kidnapping and murder plot that resulted in the deaths of two victims in Opa-locka, Florida. James Edward Daniels, 59, and Frederick Eugene Rudolph, 69, both of Miami, were sentenced to life in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Herbert Barr, 56, also of Miami, received a sentence of 12 and a half years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The sentences were handed down after a trial in which Daniels and Rudolph were found guilty on all counts, including conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, multiple counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping. Barr had previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping.
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The horrific crime occurred on December 5, 2020, when Daniels, Rudolph, Barr, and other co-conspirators kidnapped three victims from a truck yard in Opa-locka. The victims were bound, tortured, had their eyes duct-taped, and were forced into a rented van. The perpetrators, who stole drugs from the victims, drove them around the city for hours before taking them to an abandoned house. There, they attempted to execute the victims by shooting them. Two of the victims died, while one survived the attack.
Evidence presented in court showed that Daniels stole jewelry from one of the deceased victims, and all three defendants received drugs, money, or both, as a result of their involvement in the conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, announced the sentences.
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The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Division Homestead Resident Agency, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau, and the DEA Homestead Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yara Dodin and Katie Guthrie prosecuted the case.
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