A convicted murderer who was mistakenly released from jail in March was apprehended and arrested in Florida on Friday, officials said.
Kathan Guzman was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service without incident, per the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Guzman is being held in Florida, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV reported.
Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in October 2024 for a murder in Clayton County, Georgia, according to Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen. WXIA-TV reported that he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, 19-year-old Delila Grayson, in 2022.
While awaiting transport to the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve his sentence, Guzman was mistakenly released from the Clayton County Jail on March 27, Allen said in a statement. Officials only realized the error on Tuesday when the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office contacted Allen about Guzman.
Allen said he activated the office’s fugitive squad, contacted local law enforcement agencies for assistance and turned over all information to the U.S. Marshals Service. Guzman’s whereabouts were traced to outside of Georgia, he added.
Guzman was apprehended in Ocoee, Florida, on Friday morning by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
It is not immediately clear what led to Guzman’s release from jail.
“The cause of the release is under investigation, and disciplinary actions are pending,” Allen said. “Once the investigation is complete, it may result in the termination of employees within the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.”
