ST. CROIX — A Frederiksted man is facing domestic violence charges after allegedly strangling his ex-girlfriend during a conversation about being a good parent.

Last Tuesday, just before 11 am, police went to a residence in Castle Burke to investigate a reported domestic violence incident. The responding officer said that she “immediately observed injuries” on the woman who said that she had been attacked by her ex-boyfriend, K’Jahni Rivera. Those injuries included red and dark marks, scrapes and bruises on her forehead, left arm, neck, the back of her ears, her nose, back, and under her eyes. There was also dried blood on her back, the officer noted.

The pair, the woman said, were discussing Rivera being “a good father to his minor child” when he got angry and told her to shut up. She says she continued to speak, but Rivera responded by grabbing her by the neck and squeezing, thus restricting her airway. The woman told police that she mustered all her strength to stand up, but Rivera began punching her in the face, leaving her mouth bloody. 

He then allegedly told her to go to the bathroom to clean off the blood that had dripped all over her body. She told him that she wanted to go home, and that reportedly caused Rivera to attack her again, punching her in the face and strangling her for the second time. She reportedly told him that she could not breathe, and Rivera then loosened his grip. Police heard that she went outside to “get some air”, but Rivera followed her into the yard, picked her up from behind, and threw her back inside the house. 

He then reportedly began to strangle the woman for a third time, threatening to drown her in a cistern. She also told police that Rivera tossed her into the ceiling fan during his assault, causing the fan blades to snap off. “I will eliminate you,” the woman said Rivera told her as he squeezed her neck, before she lost consciousness. She said she woke up on the floor in the hallway, with Rivera standing over her pouring water in the face. 

She told police that Rivera has assaulted her before, and that she now feared for her life. She complained of pain in her neck and throughout her body, as well as a severe headache. 

Rivera reported to the Wilbur H Francis Command police station at about 8:10 that same evening. He denied the woman’s accusations, and was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder, second-degree assault, and third-degree assault as a crime of domestic violence.

Rivera appeared for his advice of rights hearing on Friday February 24, and will next be in court for his arraignment hearing on March 15, 2023.

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