A Jackson County judge sentenced Travon Marcel Oliver to 15 years in prison Friday for the 2024 shooting death of Chestina Gaskin at a Kansas City apartment building.
FOX4 Kansas City reported that Judge Bryan Round imposed the sentence on Nov. 13. Oliver, a 24-year-old Kansas City man, pleaded guilty in July to one count of second-degree murder, and prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges against him.
A Midday Shooting at Emerson Manor
The shooting was reported just after noon on June 26, 2024, near East Linwood Boulevard and Garfield Avenue. The Kansas City Star identified the scene as the Emerson Manor Apartments and said Gaskin, 23, was fatally shot during an alleged domestic dispute.
Officers found her inside the building with an apparent gunshot wound to the left side of her head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A First Account, Then a Recantation
Court documents summarized by the Star in 2024 said Oliver first claimed several men entered the apartment and shot Gaskin. He later admitted that account was a lie and said he had the gun in his hand when she died. Court documents in FOX4's account also said the two had come to the apartment to spend time together.
The published summaries do not agree on how the argument started. FOX4's account of the court documents says Gaskin accused Oliver of being unfaithful. The Star's earlier report on court documents says Oliver accused Gaskin of cheating before the argument escalated.
In the account FOX4 drew from court documents, the two argued, Gaskin picked up Oliver's firearm from a table, and he took it and backed away. He said the gun discharged while he was holding it and struck her in the head.
FOX4 reported that a silver Ruger 9mm handgun was found in bushes behind the building. The Star reported that a K-9 later recovered a silver 9mm handgun from bushes outside, and that a witness identified it as the gun used to kill Gaskin.
A Graduation, and a City Count
Gaskin's sister, identified as Switzer, told the Star that Gaskin had recently graduated from Transformed Barber & Cosmetology Academy and was excited to pursue a longtime dream of becoming a hairstylist.
By the Star's tracking, her death was the 75th homicide reported in Kansas City in 2024. In a separate report, the paper said the killing marked the 100th homicide reported in Kansas City that year.
Where the File Sits
Missouri's Case.net page for case 24CT-CC00280 says further information may be available in the docket entries and that readers may want to examine the original case file in the clerk's office. Events that are continued or cancelled will not appear on that calendar.
