Transgender Man Charged with Strangling Girlfriend

A transgender Burnsville man has been charged with strangling his girlfriend, then dragging her through their house and calling her names while the victim’s daughter was present.

Kayeden Robert Oliver, 31, formerly known as Veronica Kay Oliver, is charged with domestic assault by strangulation, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. He is also charged with two gross misdemeanor counts of domestic assault, each of which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. 

According to the criminal complaint, Burnsville police were called to a home in the 13000 block of Oliver Avenue just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday on a report of a domestic assault. Dispatchers told police that the victim had locked herself into a room with her daughter and that Oliver—identified as the victim’s boyfriend—was still in the house.

Police surrounded the home and knocked on the door, but got no answer. They found a back sliding-glass door open, and ordered Oliver out of the house. He came out with his hands up, and was arrested.

The victim, who had visible red marks on her neck, told police that she and Oliver have been in a romantic relationship for five years and have been living together for four.

She said that the argument with Oliver started after she asked him to bring couple's dog inside. Oliver became upset and began to yell at the victim, who suspected that Oliver had been drinking. She said Oliver is in the transition process from a female to a male, and isn’t supposed to drink alcohol because of the drugs he is taking as part of that process.

When the victim went to the back door and called the dog, Oliver became upset and allegedly grabbed her by the neck, squeezing hard enough to cut off her airway. The victim said she tried to call to her daughter for help, but Oliver began to call her a “whore” and dragged her down the hallway toward the bedroom.

The victim was able to push Oliver away and flee into the bedroom with her daughter. 

In a statement to police, Oliver admitted to police that he and the victim had a verbal argument, but denied that it had become physical, according to the complaint. Oliver told officers that he refers to himself as a male and is in the process of completing a gender change.

Oliver was convicted in 2005 of making terroristic threats and served 30 days on work release while known as Veronica Kay Oliver. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors in that case, two felony counts of second- and third-degree assault were dismissed.

Oliver remains in the Dakota County Jail –rather than in the Ramsey County Jail, where Dakota County authorities customarily send female prisoners–on a $75,000 bond. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.