An individual found guilty of murdering a woman through suffocation during a domestic altercation was incorrectly discharged from prison, which is the second such incident at this facility since the previous year, authorities reported.
Law enforcement officials are searching for Kathan Guzman, who was found guilty the previous year of killing 19-year-old Dalia Grayson and received a sentence of life imprisonment with no chance of release.
He was mistakenly freed from the Clayton County Jail, as stated by Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley, who handled Guzman's prosecution.
Mosley stated that the Georgia Office of Victim Services reached out to her office on Tuesday since they couldn’t find Guzman within theGeorgia prison system.
“My office verified the situation at the Clayton County Jail system, where it seemed that Guzman had been let go,” Mosley stated in a press release on Thursday.
The Clayton County Sheriff's Office verified Guzman's "incorrect release" with her office, according to Mosley.
FURTHER: An escaped prisoner from California is sought for allegedly murdering a Mexican law enforcement commander during a gunfight, according to authorities.She didn't mention the date of Guzman's release.
A representative from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office informed ABC News that they currently do not have any details to share concerning the issue at hand.
Although managing and transporting prisoners falls outside the jurisdiction of the district attorney’s office, we’ve been informed that all possible resources are engaged in finding Guzman," Mosley stated. "I genuinely hope that Guzman will be swiftly recaptured and spend each day serving out his life sentence.
On October 25, 2024, a Clayton County jury convicted Guzman of felony murder and aggravated assault. The same day, a trial judge handed down a sentence of life imprisonment for his crimes.
Prosecutors alleged that Guzman choked Grayson to death early on August 7, 2022, after a prolonged dispute lasting several hours. According to the district attorney’s office, Guzman claimed during his testimony that Grayson had assaulted him with a knife, prompting him to apply what he called a “sleeper hold” around her neck for approximately ten seconds unintentionally. Nonetheless, as stated by the district attorney’s office, the medical examiner countered this claim, testifying that lethal effects from such compression typically require sustained pressure much longer than just ten seconds.
Mosley mentioned that after finding out about Guzman's release, her team reached out to the victim's mother.
"How did this occur? How exactly? I am not receiving a straightforward explanation," stated Christina Grayson, who is Grayson’s mother, to an Atlanta ABC affiliate. WSB .
She expressed her worry that Guzman might be going to Florida, the state where she resides.
“I can’t move about without having my hidden firearm,” Christina Grayson said to WSB. “I ensure I always have that along with my phone.”
FURTHER: Following four decades as an escapee, the convict who fled Puerto Rico was apprehended in Florida.This marks the second time Since last year, the Clayton County Jail has erroneously freed an inmate.
In January 2024, murder suspect Zion River Shaka was moved from the Fulton County Jail to the custody of the Clayton County Sheriff's Office for an appointed court appearance, with orders to go back to the Fulton County Jail following the proceeding. Instead, he was incorrectly let out after the hearing concluded.
The jail records indicate that he was detained again at the Fulton County Jail in June 2024.
