‘America’s Most Wanted’ Focuses on Fatal Heist

THOUSAND OAKS — Authorities, stymied in their effort to find the killer of Thousand Oaks bank teller Monica Lynne Leech, got an assist from television Thursday.

Meanwhile, a sympathetic community is hoping its generosity will help her family recover from the tragedy. Bank officials reported Thursday that more than $116,000 has been deposited in accounts for her children and family.

Hoping that nationwide attention will flush out the two men responsible for the execution-style slaying of Leech, a crew from the Fox television show “America’s Most Wanted” interviewed her family and investigators Thursday for an upcoming segment on the crime.

Authorities hope the exposure, coupled with $160,000 in reward money offered to anyone with information that leads to a conviction, will help them crack the case.

“We really appreciate their interest and think it can only help our investigation,” said FBI Special Agent Larry Dick.

“We hope the public will be able to give us a clue that we can run with.”

The two- to three-minute segment, expected to be aired at 9 p.m. May 17, will feature interviews with Leech’s husband, Floyd, and authorities investigating the April 28 slaying.

Phil Lerman, co-executive producer of “America’s Most Wanted,” said the brutality of the slaying prompted him to feature it on the program.

“This wasn’t just a robbery where some guys made off with some money--this crime was brutal and it was senseless,” Lerman said. “It’s one of those things that make people think they aren’t safe anywhere they go, so we had to do something on it.”

The 39-year-old bank teller was killed during a takeover robbery at the Western Financial Bank branch in Thousand Oaks. Investigators said the robbery and slaying were a methodical act committed by two men who burst through the bank doors about 10:15 a.m., wearing yellow, thigh-length jackets, yellow hard hats and nylon masks.

One of the robbers jumped over the teller’s counter and subdued Leech and another woman while the other robber casually walked around the counter to take control of a male employee sitting at a desk. The three employees working behind the counter were then corralled into a small room where they acquiesced to the robbers’ demands to open drawers containing money, investigators said.

Leech and another female employee were handcuffed and forced to kneel. Then, with no apparent provocation, one of the robbers pointed his handgun at the back of Leech’s head and fired, killing her instantly.

“After that, nothing was said by either of the [robbers],” Dick said. “They just walked out.”

The robbers, who made off with about $9,000, were last seen driving north on the Moorpark Freeway toward Moorpark in a white Ford Explorer or Chevrolet Blazer with a license plate that witnesses said begins with “3TRB4.”

Since going on the air in 1988, “America’s Most Wanted” has helped authorities capture 461 fugitives. Each week, the hourlong program features several short segments on criminals and crimes, hoping that viewers will provide authorities with concrete leads.

The four-member crew spent the morning in the Camarillo home where Leech lived with her 44-year-old husband and her two children from a previous marriage.

The children, Stephanie Mince, 10, and Andy Mince, 13, now live with their biological father, Jeff Mince, who took custody of them shortly after the killing.

Afterward, the crew traveled to Ventura to interview investigators at the FBI’s regional office. They were provided with the particulars of the crime and descriptions of the two robbers.

Finally, they drove to Western Financial Bank, where employees were still visibly shaken by the crime.

As the film crew circled the bank, employees retreated into back rooms and shut the louvered blinds. They denied all requests for interviews.

FBI agents said the slaying has touched everyone working on the case.

“There was no apparent reason why the execution took place. It was a senseless killing,” Dick said. “The thing that bothers me is the fact that here were three individuals who did everything the [robbers] asked them to do, even turning the keys to open cash drawers. . . . All they had to do was leave.”

At the Thousand Oaks bank, the lobby is perfumed with the scent of more than 100 flower bouquets.

Already, a memorial fund established in Leech’s name has generated about $6,000, in addition to $100,000 donated by Western Financial Bank. American Savings Bank donated an additional $10,000.

“Even though this was such a devastatingly tragic event, it has shown how much good there is in Thousand Oaks,” said Michael Johnson, an executive vice president at Western Financial Bank. “The office has just been overwhelmed by all the well-wishers and words of support.”

In addition to the memorial funds, several local businesses will host a “Friends of the Community” fund-raiser Monday. Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler restaurant and Postal Annex Plus in Thousand Oaks both plan to donate 20% of all sales, plus donations, to a trust fund established for Leech’s two children.

Annette Slambowski, customer service manager at the Home Savings of America branch in Oxnard where Leech worked for more than 10 years, said her bank has collected about $1,300 for the family. The money came from about 25 donors who also sent cards with messages of sadness, loss and shock.

“I know she would have loved all this,” Slambowski said. “It just shows how many lives she touched while working here.

“We even had one little boy who came in and went up to a teller and donated a dollar because he felt so bad for her. It’s all very nice.”