CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Clayton County jury found a man guilty of murder in the death of a 19-year-old woman.
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Kathan Guzman was convicted of murder and aggravated assault.
The conviction stems from the incident that occurred on the morning of August 7, 2022. Clayton County police said they responded to reports of a domestic dispute involving a death.
Officers learned that Kathan Guzman,then-20 admitted to dispatch that he choked the victim, 19-year-old Delila Grayson, to death after arguing on and off for three hours.
The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office said, Guzman moved Grayson’s body to the bathroom, closed the door and left the apartment.
The DA said Guzman did not call the police for over 10 hours.
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Guzman claimed the victim attacked him with a knife and in self-defense, he placed her in a ‘sleeper hold’ for over 10 seconds and there was “no way she should have died as a result.” Guzman also said he was professionally trained in martial arts and used the technique successfully several times.
The State called medical examiner, Dr. Rachel Geller, who testified that Grayson would have lost consciousness at a minimum of 10 seconds to a minute of continuous pressure being placed on her neck.
Geller also testified that loss of consciousness would not have equated to death, but Grayson’s body would have gone limp. For death to occur, at a minimum, there would have needed to be continuous pressure applied to Grayson’s neck after loss of consciousness for four to six minutes.
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The jury denied Guzman’s self-defense claim, due to the amount of time it took to manually strangle Grayson.
A judge sentenced Guzman to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
“We hope this conviction brings some measure of closure for the loved ones of Ms. Grayson. Our office is committed to holding perpetrators of such violent acts accountable and ensuring the safety of Clayton County residents, " Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley said.