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LOS ANGELES — Miscommunications, errors in judgment and policy violations led to the release of a domestic violence convict who later killed his estranged wife before taking his own life, an internal investigation has concluded.
A 66-page report released Wednesday by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office found several lapses in the case of Curtis Bernard Harris, who kidnapped Monica Thomas-Harris and killed her in a motel room two weeks after a prosecutor agreed to release him from jail while he awaited sentencing for abducting and threatening her with a stun gun.
Harris' release "was the ill-fated result of a confluence of questionable individual decisions and actions by otherwise well-intentioned, dedicated prosecutors, supervisors, and victim services support staff," according to the report.
Those errors were exacerbated by a "lack of communication between members of the prosecution team" who were missing key information about the case, the report said.
On Dec. 21, Harris, 34, pleaded no contest in a Pomona courtroom to false imprisonment and possession of a gun by a felon in exchange for a 16-month prison sentence. He asked to be freed before his formal sentencing so he could arrange care for his elderly mother.
The judge and prosecutor assigned to the case were away for the December holidays when the plea deal was struck.
The report said the prosecutor filling in that day "had a duty to oppose" Harris request. It also found that prosecutors violated office policy by failing to inform Thomas-Harris that her husband had cut a plea deal and would be released.
Thomas-Harris, 37, received a recorded message on her cell phone the afternoon that her husband was out of jail. She begged for an emergency protective order, but prosecutors failed to complete the order and document it promptly, the report said.
On Jan. 5, a maid found both husband and wife shot to death in a Whittier motel room.
"What most disappointed me was that I think we have good policies in place, but the follow-through is not what I would have expected," said Pamela Booth, director of the branch of the district attorney's office that oversees the Pomona courthouse.
The report did not name the prosecutors and staff members involved in the case, nor did it mention whether anyone would face disciplinary action. Booth said she was prohibited from discussing personnel matters.
The report recommended a thorough evaluation of the district attorney's Victim Impact Program, better training and improved communication between prosecutors staff and crime victims.
