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California deadly bank heist mystery solved a quarter century later
By Louis Casiano
Published March 10, 2023
A California man has been arrested in connection with the 1997 killing of a bank teller during a robbery.
Kevin Ray James, 55, a San Bernardino resident, was taken into police custody following a joint investigation between the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Ventura County District Attorney's Office and the FBI, FOX Los Angeles reported.
He is accused of killing Monica Leech, who worked as a teller at the Western Financial Bank in Thousand Oaks during the deadly April 28, 1997 heist.
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Kevin Ray James, 55, was arrested more than two decades after the 1997 bank robbery and murder of Monica Leech. (KTTV)
At the time, two men dressed as construction workers help up the bank. During the robbery, Leech was handcuffed and shot in the back of the head. She died at the scene.
Both suspects fled in a 1994 Ford Explorer before crashing near the crime scene and leaving on foot. Over the years, investigators have been using traces of DNA left on the handcuffs and other evidence from the scene to create new DNA profiles for the suspects.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the arrest to Fox News Digital. A news conference will be held Tuesday where officials will release more details about the case.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-deadly-bank-heist-mystery-solved-quarter-century-later