Kansas City man charged in stabbing death of 23-year-old woman
A 27-year-old Kansas City man has been charged with murder weeks after a 23-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in her apartment.
Keyon D. Patterson is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Ladajah Oliver, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Oliver’s body was found shortly after 1:30 p.m. March 15 at Park Highlands Apartments in the 6400 block of Manchester Avenue.
According to court records, a witness told police she last saw Oliver on March 13, when Oliver purchased an SUV. The witness said she hadn’t heard from Oliver and went to the apartment to check on her. She found the young woman dead and told police her vehicle was missing.
Inside the apartment, police noted it appeared a struggle took place and a large amount of blood was found, including a bloody handprint. Oliver’s cellphone was also missing.
Surveillance video taken at the apartment complex showed Oliver and a second person wearing dark-colored clothing arriving at 11:16 p.m. March 13. Then, at 1:13 p.m. March 14, court records said the video showed the subject in dark clothing getting into Oliver’s vehicle and driving away.
The vehicle was found March 15 at another apartment complex near 51st Street and Swope Parkway. The vehicle was unoccupied, and police found blood inside the vehicle.
Police interviewed Patterson a few days later. Family and friends of Oliver had told police Patterson was in a romantic relationship with Oliver.
He told police he had last been to Oliver’s apartment in February and denied ever getting inside her new vehicle. Police noted Patterson had an injury to his hand and lived about one block from where Oliver’s vehicle was recovered, court records said.
By April, prosecutors said analysis of DNA from the bloody handprint found inside the apartment in March allegedly showed DNA from Oliver as well as Patterson.
Police also gathered Oliver’s cellphone records, which showed the last four calls on her cellphone were from a phone number that belonged to Patterson, court records said. Cell tower mapping of the phone allegedly showed it near the victim’s apartment on March 13 and March 14.
Text messages exchanged between Oliver and Patterson were also found on Oliver’s Apple watch. The March 13 texts indicated Oliver was picking up Patterson so he could spend the night at he apartment.
Police took Patterson into custody on Thursday and brought him to police headquarters for questioning. He denied being at Oliver’s apartment and requested an attorney.
Prosecutors filed charges against Patterson, and his bond was set at $150,000 cash.
A court hearing has not been set.
This story was originally published April 11, 2019 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Kansas City man charged in stabbing death of 23-year-old woman."
