A man serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend was inadvertently released from prison, and authorities are now working to recapture him.
In 2022, 19-year-old Delila Grayson was discovered dead in a bathtub, leading to the arrest of her ex-boyfriend, Kathan Guzman, later that August.
Guzman faced charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and necrophilia. He was eventually convicted of felony murder and received a life sentence in October of the previous year.
Merely five months into his life sentence at Clayton County Jail, Guzman was released due to a clerical error, as prison staff overlooked crucial details in his file.
Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen explained that workers mistakenly relied on a document indicating Guzman would not be charged, which only applied to one of the several charges he faced.
Authorities failed to account for the charges of felony murder and aggravated assault, resulting in Guzman’s unintentional release.
This mistake occurred at the end of March, and Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley stated that her office only became aware of the situation on Tuesday (April 8).
The district attorney expressed her dissatisfaction: “I am not happy about this mistake made by a sheriff’s office employee. My staff worked hard to get justice for the victim’s family and to make our streets safe and we are just disappointed.”
Christina Grayson, Delila’s mother, voiced her shock and concern over Guzman’s release.
She told Alive 11: “How does this happen? I am petrified for my life. I mean, obviously, a life didn’t mean a thing to him.”
“Considering seeing what he did to Delilah, I would say that the public is in imminent danger. He would have gotten away with taking her life if it wasn’t for the neighbors beneath them coming out and taking a glimpse of him.”
In an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta, she added: “We’re talking about somebody that is trained in MMA. He is a trained killer with his hands, and he looks nice and friendly. No one is safe. The public is not safe.”
“It’s scary to know that someone could just be released because of a mistake. And then we wait for two weeks. We don’t alert anyone.”