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A convicted murderer mistakenly released from a Georgia jail is back in custody after being apprehended in Florida. Kathan Guzman, 22, was arrested without incident at his mother’s residence in Ocoee, Florida, on Friday.
The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed Guzman’s capture, stating he was taken into custody by the Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force and is currently held without bond in the Orlando County Jail on a fugitive from justice charge.
Guzman was convicted last year of murdering his 19-year-old girlfriend, Dalia Grayson, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley, whose office prosecuted the case, confirmed Guzman’s erroneous release from the Clayton County Jail earlier this week. This marks the second such incident at the jail since last year.
According to Mosley, the Georgia Office of Victim Services alerted her office to the issue on Tuesday after being unable to locate Guzman in the Georgia penal system. Mosley’s office then discovered Guzman’s apparent release through the Clayton County Jail system.
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office subsequently confirmed the mistake, though the exact date of Guzman’s release remains unclear. A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the matter.
During Guzman’s 2024 trial, prosecutors argued that he strangled Grayson to death after an extended argument. Guzman claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging Grayson attacked him with a knife, and that he used a “sleeper hold” for only 10 seconds, not intending to kill her. However, medical examiner testimony contradicted Guzman’s claim, indicating significantly longer pressure on Grayson’s neck would have been required to cause her death.
Grayson’s mother, Christina Grayson, expressed her concern and frustration upon learning of Guzman’s release, questioning how such an error could occur. Fearing Guzman might flee to Florida, where she resides, she expressed the need to carry a concealed weapon for protection.
In a similar incident last year, murder suspect Zion River Shaka was mistakenly released from the Clayton County Jail after a hearing, despite instructions to be returned to the Fulton County Jail. Shaka was later apprehended and returned to custody.