CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Florida are searching for a convicted killer who was released from the county jail by mistake before he could be moved to prison.
The mother of the victim said her family has been sleeping in shifts since learning Kathan Guzman was on the loose. Christina Grayson lives in Kissimmee, Florida, and is concerned Guzman is back, because he also used to live there.
“It’s just like, I don’t know what to do,” she said Thursday. “I feel like I’m a sitting duck.”
Sources told Channel 2′s Tom Jones that he was released around two weeks ago. Guzman was convicted in October of killing his ex-girlfriend, 19-year-old Delila Grayson, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen said officers are doing everything they can to get Guzman back in custody but believe he may have gone back to the Kissimmee. He said Guzman’s release was the result of a training failure and his workers not paying attention.
He said staff looked at a court document for another charge that showed a motion to nolle prosse, or not prosecute. Had they looked further, they would have seen the jury convicted Guzman on felony murder and aggravated assault.
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Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley said Thursday they learned two days ago that the man her office prosecuted was mistakenly released from jail. She said the victim assistance unit of her office was notified by the Georgia Office of Victim Services on Tuesday that they were unable to locate Guzman in the Georgia penal system.
“Once the erroneous release was confirmed by the Sheriff’s Office, we contacted the victim’s mother and have remained in communication with her,” Mosley said in a statement.
Mosley said the management and transport of inmates is outside the scope of the District Attorney’s Office, but she was advised that every available resource is searching for Guzman.
“It is my sincere hope that Guzman is quickly re-apprehended and serves every day of his life sentence,” she said.
Osceola County, Florida, Sheriff Marcos Lopez told WFTV on Thursday that his deputies are aware of the situation and in contact with Georgia authorities. They also stepped up patrols in Grayson’s neighborhood.
“Our primary goal remains the safety of our community,” Lopez said.
Allen explained that they did not alert the public initially because they did not want the convicted killer to know they were looking for him.
When Jones asked the sheriff how Guzman could think he wasn’t wanted by police, Allen said they learned Guzman told someone that “God is good” and believed his release was the result of a higher power.
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