2 Miami Men Sentenced to Life for Kidnapping, Torturing, and Executing 2 Victims in Opa-locka

Prosecutors announced Tuesday that two Miami men received life sentences and a court sentenced a third to serve a dozen years in prison for the kidnapping, torture, and execution of two victims in Opa-locka in 2020.

James Edward Daniels, 59, and Frederick Eugene Rudolph, 69, were given life sentences with five years of supervised release. Meanwhile, Herbert Barr, 56, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison and five years of supervised release.

The trio was arrested in connection with the killings of Johan Gonzalez, 26, and Osmar Oliva, 50. Authorities say a third victim “miraculously” survived after being wounded near Northwest 18th Avenue and Rutland Street.

According to prosecutors, Daniels, Rudolph, and Barr kidnapped the three men on December 5, 2020, from an Opa-locka truck yard.

According to the US Department of Justice, they “bound and tortured the victims, duct-taped their eyes, and threw them in the back of a rented van after stealing the victims’ drugs.”

“They drove around the city for hours before taking the victims to an abandoned house in Opa-locka and attempting to execute them by shooting the three victims,” the Department of Justice’s news release stated. “Daniels stole jewellery from one of the murdered victims, and all defendants benefitted by receiving drugs, money, or both, in exchange for their participation in the conspiracy.”

Daniels, Rudolph, and Barr were found guilty on several offences, including conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, several counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping.

Barr pleaded guilty to kidnapping on November 26, 2024, while Daniels and Rudolph went to trial and lost on December 17, 2024.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and what was then the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Reference: Trio sentenced for kidnapping, binding, torturing and killing 2 men in Opa-locka

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