KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A Florida woman is in fear for her life after a 23-year-old man convicted of murder in the strangling of her 19-year-old daughter was mistakenly released from a Georgia prison, according to published reports.
Christina Grayson, of Kissimmee, spoke to News 6 in 2022 (watch video above) after her daughter, Delila Grayson, was choked to death by Kathan Guzman, who was 20 at the time.
Guzman and Delila Grayson both attended Poinciana High School, according to her mother, before moving to Georgia to “start a new life” in late 2021.
Guzman, a trained MMA fighter, strangled Delila the morning of August 7, 2022, because she was leaving him to relocate back to Kissimmee.
He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Guzman, however, was mistakenly released from the Clayton County Jail, about 15 miles from Atlanta, on March 27, five months into his sentence when staffers looking at a court document failed to notice his most serious charges, including murder, and allowed him to leave.
Christina Grayson, who was informed Tuesday of Guzman’s release, told the New York Post that she’s now living in fear.
“How does this happen?” she said. “I am petrified for my life. I mean, obviously, a life didn’t mean a thing to him.”
The whereabouts of Guzman are not known.
The U.S. Marshals office is assisting in the search for Guzman. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office tells News 6 it also knows about the situation and is talking to authorities in Georgia.
On Thursday, District Attorney Tasha A. Mosley released a statement about Guzman’s mistaken release.
“My office prosecuted Kathan Guzman for the murder of Ms. Delia Grayson. On October 25, 2024, the trial jury returned a guilty verdict on the felony murder charge. On the same day, the trial judge sentenced Guzman to life with the possibility of parole.
“Around noon, on April 8, 2025, the Victim Assistance Unit of my office was notified by the Georgia Office of Victim Services that they were unable to locate Guzman in the Georgia penal system. My office checked the Clayton County jail system where it appeared that Guzman had been released. My Victim Assistance Program Manager immediately alerted the Sheriff and me. Once the erroneous release was confirmed by the Sherriff’s Office, we contacted the victim’s mother and have remained in communication with her.
“While the management and transport of inmates is outside the scope of the District Attorney’s Office, we have been advised that every available resource is searching for Guzman. It is my sincere hope that Guzman is quickly re-apprehended and serves every day of his life sentence.
“Any questions related to the release or search for Kathan Guzman should be directed to the Clayton County Sherriff’s Office.”
District Attorney Tasha A. Mosley
News 6’s Laverne McGee spoke to Christina Grayson in Kissimmee on Thursday, and she expressed her devastation over the situation.
“This is a nightmare,” Christina Grayson said, reflecting on her feelings upon learning that Guzman was on the loose. “Disappointed? Disbelief. And fear. Utter fear. I need answers. I was asking questions, and I wasn’t getting answers, and I just, and I’m still in fear.”
When asked whether she believed Guzman could return to the area, she responded emphatically, “Absolutely.”
Christina Grayson revealed that the police in Georgia informed her that Guzman’s release was due to a coding error, leading to his accidental freedom.
When asked whether she was being provided any protection, Christina replied, “They said that the police are supposed to watch my house around the clock until he’s apprehended.”
The emotional toll of losing her daughter weighs heavily on Christina Grayson.
“I would like to go visit her gravesite, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid that he might be there,” she said.
When asked what she wanted to see from law enforcement, she stated, “I would like to see him apprehended. Just apprehend him and return him to jail. Let him serve his sentence. He needs to serve every day of that sentence.”
