Men known as ‘Joker’ and ‘Snake’ sentenced to prison for 2016 kidnap torture case
Two Kansas City men who went by the names “Joker” and “Snake” were sentenced to federal prison this week for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that led to the kidnapping and torture of an Independence man.
Gerald L. Holmes, also known as “Jerry” or “Joker,” and Richard M. Phoenix, also known as “Snake,” were sentenced in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City to 25 years and five years in prison respectively.
Holmes, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping and drug trafficking charges in August.
Phoenix, 77, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in September.
The two men are the final defendants to plead guilty and be sentenced in the case.
The men were charged in federal court in 2017 with the kidnapping and torture of another man who had allegedly stolen about $16,000 he had been given to buy drugs in Colorado.
The incident happened Sept. 12, 2016.
The victim, known in court documents as C.H., was abducted at gunpoint by Gerald Holmes and Holmes’ father, Randal G. Holmes, who was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the case. They took the victim to a residence, where they met Phoenix. Court records said the victim was beaten and assaulted with a hammer and tin snips.
At one point, when the other men left, Phoenix held C.H. at gunpoint until they returned
The victim was later taken to another house near Edwards, Missouri.
Police were able to trace a phone call the victim had made to his father. They responded to the home where the men were holding C.H., located the victim and arrested the suspects.
