San Bernardino, California’s Kevin Ray James denies shooting Monica Leech in 1997

Kevin Ray James, 55, of San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, California, United States appeared in court in Ventura, Ventura County, California on April 13, 2023. He is accused of fatally shooting Monica Lynne Leech, 39, of Camarillo, Ventura County on April 28, 1997.

James completed his arraignment. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and denied a special circumstance allegation of murder while committing a robbery and a special allegation of use of a firearm.

Leech was Floyd Leech‘s wife. She started working in banking in 1977.

In February 1997, Monica started working as a bank teller at Western Financial Bank in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County. On April 28, 1997, she was inside the bank with two other tellers and one manager.

At 10:20 a.m. that day, two armed men with nylon stockings over their faces went into the bank. They forced Monica and the three other employees into the back room in front of the safe.

Disguised as construction workers, the two men ordered Monica to open the safe. While handcuffing her, one of the robbers held a gun to the back of her head and shot her.

Monica died on the floor. The two robbers got away with $11,000 in cash, drove away in a 1994 Ford Explorer, crashed and ran away.

In 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $30,000 reward for information in the case. In the same year, the cold case unit of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office reopened the case.

Advances in deoxyribonucleic acid testing allowed investigators to evaluate evidence again for laboratory analysis. It eventually linked James to the case.

On March 9, 2023, James was arrested in San Bernardino and booked into the Ventura County Jail in Ventura. He was charged with first-degree murder in commission of robbery and using a firearm in the commission of the offense.

Meanwhile, the second suspect has yet to be identified. There is a $30,000 award from the FBI and another $100,000 reward from Crimestoppers for information on that suspect.

Anyone with information about the murder of Monica Leech or the second suspect is asked to contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office at 805-383-8704 or coldcase@ventura.org.