MIAMI, Florida ( MyFloridaNews ) — Two Miami men have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, among other charges, following a trial in federal court. James Edward Daniels, 59, and Frederick Eugene Rudolph, 69, were convicted before U.S. District Court Judge Roy K. Altman.
The charges stem from a December 5, 2020, incident where 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 the back of a rented van after their drugs were stolen. The kidnappers drove around the city for hours before taking the victims to an abandoned house in Opa-Locka, where they attempted to execute them by shooting. Two of the victims died, while one survived.
Daniels also stole jewelry from one of the murdered victims, and all defendants received drugs, money, or both in exchange for their participation in the conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. A third defendant, Herbert Barr, 56, pled guilty to kidnapping on November 26.