After more than 20 years, Ventura County police have arrested a 55-year-old San Bernardino man in connection with a fatal 1997 shooting of a bank teller in Thousand Oaks.
The suspect, identified by police as Kevin Ray James, was arrested in San Bernardino on March 9.
James was transported and incarcerated at the Ventura County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
On April 28, 1997, around 10:15 a.m., two suspects entered the Western Financial Bank, located at 2920 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard according to authorities.
According to police, during the robbery, one of the suspects shot Monica Leech, who worked as a teller at the bank. Leech died from his injury..
During the initial investigation, detectives were able to identify two possible suspects involved in the bank robbery and Leech’s murder.
Detectives investigated this case for decades, but at the time there wasn’t enough evidence to charge anyone and the case eventually went cold.
Ventura County Sheriff’s investigators reopened this case in 2021 and were able to obtain more evidence linking James to Leech’s murder using DNA.
The other assailant has not yet been identified by authorities.
A woman disappeared in 2009 under very mysterious circumstances, her remains were found years later, but the case remains unsolved and her family are seeking justice as the alleged perpetrator disappeared without a trace.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about this crime who can further assist investigators to contact the Cold Case Unit by phone or email at (805) 383-8704 or [email protected].
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will also pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information, those with information can call 800-222-8477.
This story first appeared on Telemundo 52’s sister station NBCLA. Click here to read this story in English.