OCOEE, Fla. – A convicted murderer who was mistakenly released from prison in Georgia was captured Friday in Florida, according to the U.S. Marshal’s Office.
Kathan Guzman was apprehended in Ocoee, near Orlando, by the U.S. Marshal Service Florida Caribbean Fugitive Task Force, authorities said.
Guzman was booked into the Orange County Jail and is expected to be eventually extradited to Georgia, according to officials. He waived his first appearance before a judge on Saturday.
Guzman, a trained MMA fighter, strangled Delila Grayson, 19, the morning of August 7, 2022, because she was leaving him to relocate back to Kissimmee. Guzman and Grayson both attended Poinciana High School, according to her mother, before moving to Georgia to “start a new life” in late 2021.
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 life sentence when staffers looking at a court document failed to notice his most serious charges, including murder, and allowed him to leave.
The mistaken release left Grayson’s mother on edge, and she said she feared for her life.
Meanwhile, Guzman’s mother — Iris Guzman — told News 6 that she was shocked to find out that her son was not legitimately free and that no one reached out to her.
She had picked her son up from the Clayton County Jail and stayed in Georgia trying to find out what happened for him to get released.
“I actually followed through and called the sheriff’s department back to make sure that what was happening was legit,” she explained. “And they brushed me off and said, ‘We just get a paper saying that they’re gone, and we send them.‘”
According to Iris Guzman, when she picked him up, his release paperwork had no instructions on where to go, whom to follow up with, or what to do.
However, she didn’t immediately bring him home, instead opting to stay in Georgia to make sure that his release was authentic.
“He was never hiding. He was never on the run,” she said.
Back in Florida, Grayson’s mother — Christina Grayson — told News 6 that she feels at ease now that Kathan Guzman is back in jail. But she is still rattled.
“Confused, angry, frustrated, baffled,” she said, describing how she has felt since April 8, when she learned her daughter’s killer was mistakenly released.
Christina Grayson said Clayton County’s district attorney called her on Friday after Kathan Guzman was apprehended.
“They were very sincere and apologetic,” she recounted.
She said she wants to know what went wrong and how authorities will ensure Guzman never sees the light of day again. She also aimed her anger at his mother, Iris Guzman.
“I have no feelings for her,” Christina Grayson said. “She should have turned him right around and turned him in. She should’ve called the (district attorney).”
On Friday, Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen released the following statement regarding the incident:
Clayton County Citizens,
“On October 25, 2024, Kathan Guzman was sentenced to life in prison for murder in Clayton County Superior Court. He was awaiting transfer to the Georgia Department of Corrections, where he was slated to serve his sentence.
On March 27, 2025, at approximately 4:49 p.m., Kathan Guzman was released in error from the Clayton County Jail. The cause of the release is under investigation, and disciplinary actions are pending. Once the investigation is complete, it may result in the termination of employees within the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 8, 2025, at approximately 1:47 p.m., the District Attorney’s Office of the Clayton County Judicial Circuit contacted me directly inquiring about Guzman, which is when the inadvertent release was discovered.
I immediately activated my Fugitive Squad and through the relationships and partnerships I’ve built over the last two years with other law enforcement agencies, I personally contacted every Metro Atlanta Sheriff. Within 60 minutes, I had secured resources from as far away as Paulding County.
In addition to the Sheriffs, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts also sent resources to assist.
All of the fugitive experts convened at the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, formulated a plan, and launched the search for Guzman.
Investigators quickly gathered intelligence, followed up on leads, deployed surveillance teams, brainstormed ideas, and utilized a variety of techniques to narrow down Guzman’s location—which was determined to be outside the state of Georgia.
Once I contacted the U.S. Marshals and turned over all the information gathered, they began their work. I am proud to report that earlier today, April 11, 2025, the U.S. Marshals apprehended Guzman in Florida.
I would like to personally acknowledge all the sheriffs, police chiefs, and the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance."
Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen
