Suspect arrested in 1997 slaying of bank teller in Thousand Oaks

Tony Biasotti, Ventura County Star
·1 min read
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Kevin James
Kevin James

A suspect was arrested Thursday in the 1997 killing of a bank teller during a robbery in Thousand Oaks, after advances in DNA science led to new analysis of evidence left at the scene.

Kevin Ray James, 55, of San Bernardino, was arrested on suspicion of murdering Monica Leech, a 39-year-old mother of two from Camarillo, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday. Federal and county investigators believe he was one of two men who robbed the bank and killed Leech. They have not identified or located the second suspect.

Leech was working as a teller at Western Financial Bank on April 28, 1997, when two men dressed as construction workers entered the bank, held the employees at gunpoint and put them in handcuffs. One of the men shot Leech in the back of the head while handcuffing her, for no apparent reason, investigators said in 2021.

A composite drawing of one of two suspects involved in a bank robbery and homicide in Thousand Oaks from 1997.
A composite drawing of one of two suspects involved in a bank robbery and homicide in Thousand Oaks from 1997.

The two men drove away but crashed their SUV before they got far. The suspects fled and investigators later found their vehicle.

In 2021, the FBI offered a $30,000 reward for information that would help solve the case. Then-Sheriff Bill Ayub said then that investigators were close to cracking the case. Small traces of DNA, from the handcuffs and other items, were analyzed using technology unavailable in the late 1990s, Ayub said.

A composite drawing of one of two suspects involved in a bank robbery and homicide in Thousand Oaks from 1997.
A composite drawing of one of two suspects involved in a bank robbery and homicide in Thousand Oaks from 1997.

The sheriff’s office refused to release any information about James’ arrest, except that it happened Thursday. The agency is planning a news conference on Tuesday to discuss the case in more detail.

James was in Ventura County jail custody as of Saturday night with bail set at $1 million. A court hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Suspect arrested in 1997 slaying of bank teller in Thousand Oaks