Cold case: Arrest made in 1997 bank robbery, murder of bank teller in Thousand Oaks
A man has been arrested in connection with the 1997 bank robbery of Western Financial Bank and the murder of bank teller Monica Leech in Thousand Oaks.
Kevin Ray James, 55, of San Bernardino, was arrested more than two decades after the crime following a joint investigation between the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Ventura County District Attorney Investigations Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Kevin Ray James, 55, of San Bernardino, was arrested more than two decades after the 1997 bank robbery and murder of Monica Leech. (FOX 11)
Authorities plan to announce details of the cold case arrest at a news conference on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
On April 28, 1997, two men dressed as construction workers held up Western Financial Bank in Thousand Oaks.
Authorities released two composite sketches of the suspects involved in a deadly 1997 bank robbery. (FOX 11)
RELATED: $30K reward being offered to help solve Thousand Oaks cold case
While handcuffing bank teller Monica Leech, one of the robbers shot her in the back of the head. The 39-year-old Camarillo resident died at the scene.
Monica Leech is pictured with her family. (FOX 11)
The suspects drove away in a 1994 Ford Explorer, but crashed nearby. They escaped on foot but the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office recovered the vehicle.
Investigators have in recent years been able to use traces of DNA left on the handcuffs and other evidence from the scene to create new DNA profiles for the suspects.
RELATED: $30K reward being offered to help solve Thousand Oaks cold case
A $30,000 reward in the cold case was announced in June 2021.
Additional details were not immediately available.