A Georgia man who was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of killing his girlfriend was mistakenly released from jail, according to local news outlets.
Kathan Guzman, who was convicted in November 2024 of felony murder and aggravated assault after strangling his 19-year-old girlfriend Delila Grayson to death, was released from prison on March 27, according to Fox 5 Atlanta, WXIA-TV and WSB-TV.
The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office and Delila’s mother Christina Grayson confirmed the news to the outlets. Grayson told the outlets that she had learned of Guzman’s release after receiving a call from authorities a week after he was mistakenly released.
“The DA promised me that he would never get out,” she told Fox 5 Atlanta. “They looked me in my face, and they promised me that he would never get out. I had nothing to worry about. And he’s out free.”
She also warned that people should be cautious amid his release, saying, “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.”
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Officer and the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Grayson was told, per WXIA-TV, that a coding error caused the convicted felon to be released.
The Clayton County sheriff told WSB-TV that Guzman’s release was due to a training failure and lack of attention from employees. The sheriff said, per the outlet, that staff saw a motion to not prosecute in a court document for Guzman. However, that was referring to a necrophilia charge and not the felony murder and aggravated assault charges on which he was convicted.
Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley told WXIA-TV in a statement on Wednesday, April 9, that she was “not happy about this mistake made by a sheriff’s office employee.” She said, “My staff worked hard to get justice for the victim’s family and to make our streets safe and we are just disappointed.”
“We hope the sheriff’s office catches him soon,” she added to Fox 5 Atlanta.
The U.S. Marshals Service told WXIA-TV that they have been contacted to help assist the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in locating and detaining a freed Guzman.
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