Man Charged With Murdering Thousand Oaks Bank Teller Step Closer To Trial

Wednesday April 24, 2024

      Updated--The man charged with murdering a Thousand Oaks bank teller during a robbery almost 27 years ago was in court Wednesday in a proceeding that takes him a step closer to trial.

     56-year-old, Kevin James of San Bernardino was arraigned on what's known as the "Information" or list of charges prior to trial.

     James pleaded not guilty to murder and has denied a special circumstance allegation of murder while engaged in a robbery and a special allegation of use of a firearm.

     A pretrial date of June 26th was set.

     All this follows a preliminary hearing earlier this year in which James was ordered to stand trial.

     James was arrested in March of 2023, more than 25 years after it is alleged that he and another man robbed the Western Financial Bank in Thousand Oaks in April of 1997.

     It was during that robbery that James is alleged to have fatally shot 39-year-old Monica Leach of Camarillo while she was on her knees even though she and the other bank employees had offered no resistance and had fully complied with the robbers' demands.

     The suspects got away with $11,000 in cash.

     This was a cold case that the authorities say was finally solved with advances in DNA technology and the determination of law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.

     James remains held in the Ventura County Jail with no chance of release.

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     Here is our original story posted when James was arrested a year ago--Ventura County law enforcement officials say that during the "initial investigation" into the 1997 robbery and murder of 39-year-old teller Monica Leech of Camarillo at the now closed Western Financial Bank in the 2900 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks "detectives were able to identify two possible suspects".

     But it wasn't until a couple of years ago when the cold case was reopened and they had the technology to "amplify" DNA evidence found at the scene that they were able to arrest one of the suspects, 55-year-old Kevin Ray James of San Bernardino.

     James was taken into custody on March 9, 2023 and is now charged with First Degree Murder, a Special Circumstance of Murder during a Robbery, and Use of a Firearm.

     The charges against him would indicate he was the robber that shot Leech execution style even though she and the other employees were totally compliant with the suspect's demands.

     Officials would not indicate the status of the second suspect except to say they are seeking public help in bringing that person to justice.

     The suspects got away with a little more than $11,000 in the takeover style robbery.

     The charges against James are also considered charges that could bring the death penalty if convicted and if the DA's seeks that.

     They've not indicated if they've made a decision regarding that one way or another and usually would not until somewhere down the line.

     Leech was a wife and mother of four children who had worked in the banking business for many years but had just transferred to that bank because of the reputation of Thousand Oaks as one of the safest cities in America.

     The robbery and her brutal, senseless, unprovoked murder made national news and prompted one of the most intensive investigations ever by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and the FBI.