MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says the county is investigating how a convicted killer sentenced to life in prison for a double murder in Opa-locka was mistakenly released from jail over the weekend.
“So we unfortunately had an error and obviously we’re all working on the hunt, the manhunt -- very, very critically important,” Levine Cava said on Tuesday. “We’re certainly reviewing everything that occurred in-house to make sure that our procedures are as tight as they could possibly be.
“Obviously, there’s human error that does occur from time to time, but (it’s) obviously not acceptable, so we’re continuing to make sure that we can avoid any mistakes in the future.”
Her comments came days after 60-year-old James Daniels — considered armed and dangerous — was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center before being wrongfully released Saturday night.
Miami-Dade corrections officials blamed his release on what they called a “procedural error.”
Investigators say Daniels was part of a group that kidnapped three victims from an Opa-locka truck yard in December 2020.
They say he tied up and tortured the victims before throwing them into the back of a van and taking them to an abandoned house. Two of the victims died. A third survived.
Daniels “bound and tortured” the victims, “duct-taped their eyes, and threw them into the back of a rented van after stealing” drugs from them and took them to an abandoned house to execute them by gunshot at 1801 Rutland St., according to federal prosecutors and deputies.
A jury convicted Daniels on all charges last year. He was sentenced to life in prison in March.
“How can they release this guy who’s sentenced for a murder? It’s just pure negligence,” said retired law enforcement officer and security consultant Wayne Black.
Black noted that cases like this are rare but can have serious consequences.
“I’m also concerned for the people that testified against them,” he said. “I wonder if we’re doing the right thing in protecting them now until he gets taken into custody.”
Levine Cava said she is not sure why Daniels was moved from federal prison to a county jail in the first place. Despite the error, she expressed confidence in her corrections department.
“Oh, of course. We have a great corrections department,” she said. “We’ve just been cleared after 11 years under federal oversight. We’re one of the safest jails in the nation and obviously we’re always looking to improve our processes.”
Levine Cava added that because Daniels was convicted of local and state charges, there may have been jurisdictional issues that played a role in his release.
The corrections department confirmed that an internal review is underway.
Deputies asked anyone with information about Daniels’ whereabouts to call MDSO at 305-471-2400 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his capture.
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