Two Florida men have been found guilty of kidnapping and murder in a horrific case involving the torture and attempted execution of three victims.
James Edward Daniels, 59, and Frederick Eugene Rudolph, 69, both of Miami, were convicted on December 17th of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, multiple counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping.
The trial was held before U.S. District Court Judge Roy K. Altman.
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The gruesome crime occurred on December 5, 2020, when Daniels, Rudolph, and other co-conspirators kidnapped three individuals from a truck yard in Opa-Locka, Florida.
The victims were bound, tortured, and had their eyes duct-taped before being thrown into a van. After stealing the victims’ drugs, the perpetrators drove them to an abandoned house where they attempted to execute them by shooting.
Two of the victims tragically died, while one miraculously survived the attack. Daniels also stole jewelry from one of the deceased victims. All the defendants involved in the conspiracy profited from the crime by receiving drugs, money, or both, according to the Department of Justice.
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A third defendant, Herbert Barr, 56, pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges in November.
Daniels and Rudolph are scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2025. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison, substantial fines, and a lifetime of supervised release.
This case was investigated by a multi-agency task force including the FBI, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It highlights the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in combating drug trafficking and related violent crimes in South Florida.
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