Convicted murderer mistakenly released from prison as terrified victim's family speak out
Kathan Guzman was sentenced to life behind bars last October
Callum Jones
A man convicted of strangling his girlfriend to death was mistakenly released from prison with authorities now attempting to track him down.
Delila Grayson, 19, was found dead in a bathtub in 2022, with her ex-boyfriend Kathan Guzman being arrested in connection with her murder in August of that year.
He was charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and necrophilia, and was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in October last year.
Just five months into that life sentence at Clayton County Jail, Guzman walked free after prison workers failed to pay close attention to the killer's file.
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Levon Allen, who is the Clayton County Sheriff, said that workers had looked at a document that stated Guzman would not be charged - but this was for just one of the charges the killer was facing.
Officials missed out the charges involving felony murder and aggravated assault, so they ultimately allowed Guzman to leave prison.
This was at the end of March, with Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley claiming her office only found out the murderer had been released on Tuesday (April 8).
The district attorney said: "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, the mother of Delila, has since spoken out, expressing her shock and dismay that Guzman could be released.
Grayson 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."
Speaking further to Fox 5 Atlanta, the mother 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."
UNILAD has reached out to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office for comment.