A Hennepin County judge sentenced 27-year-old Jose Luis Lopez Xique to life in prison without the possibility of parole this week for the murder of 22-year-old Kayli Arseth, a Richfield woman who was found shot to death in her apartment last year after telling him she only wanted to be friends. The case, which prosecutors have called a “rejection killing,” ended with Lopez Xique’s conviction on first-degree premeditated murder, a charge that under Minnesota law triggers an automatic life sentence with no chance of release.
Lopez Xique, who lived in Shakopee, was convicted at trial of first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder, and harassment with aggravated violations involving a dangerous weapon, according to CBS News Minnesota. Prosecutors said he had been pursuing a romantic relationship with Arseth, but she made clear she wanted only friendship. A first-degree murder conviction in Minnesota carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole, the station reported. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has also stated that first-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.
Arseth was found dead inside her apartment on Penn Avenue South near Interstate 494 on June 17, 2025, after Richfield police conducted a welfare check when she failed to show up for work, according to FOX 9. She had last been heard from the evening before, per a criminal complaint cited by the station. The medical examiner determined she died from a gunshot wound to the head and ruled her death a homicide.
Phone Data and a Neighbor’s Account Placed Him at the Scene
Investigators built much of their case around location data pulled from Lopez Xique’s phone, which placed him inside Arseth’s apartment building from 3:38 p.m. until roughly 4:49 p.m. on June 16, 2025, according to Alpha News. A neighbor told police they heard yelling and arguing from the apartment shortly after 4:30 p.m. that same day, the outlet reported. Per FOX 9, a search warrant later showed investigators found the apartment locked with secured windows and no signs of forced entry, along with bloodstains inside and a possible blood smear outside the door.
Alpha News reported that investigators recovered 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition along with a blue utility shirt, sunglasses, an empty box of gauze, blue disposable gloves, a pair of shoes and a hat in West Bloomington after tracking Lopez Xique’s phone there. A Glock 9mm handgun was also recovered from his residence, with forensic testing on the weapon described as in process at the time of that report. FOX 9 noted that, per the criminal complaint, Lopez Xique told police to hurry up during his arrest and that officers said he seemed unsurprised when he was taken into custody.
From Charges to Conviction
From Charges to Conviction Lopez Xique was initially charged with one count of second-degree intentional murder, according to Alpha News and the Star Tribune, and was held on $2.5 million bail ahead of his first court appearance, per Alpha News. He was ultimately convicted at trial of the more serious first-degree premeditated murder charge, which carried the mandatory life sentence handed down this week.
FOX 9 reported that Arseth’s oldest sister, Heather Arseth, said her sister and Lopez Xique had met on the dating app Hinge, and that Kayli had clearly told him she did not want a romantic relationship. Heather Arseth said Lopez Xique collected her sister’s personal information through online data-aggregation sites and said he took Kayli’s life in an act of revenge. She has called for stiffer sentences for men who try to control women.
Prosecutor Frames Case as Part of a Larger Pattern
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the killing was not domestic violence but reflected misogyny, entitlement and gender-based violence, according to FOX 9. In a statement to CBS News Minnesota, Moriarty said rejection killings “are deeply rooted in misogyny and are part of a broader pattern of gender-based violence targeting women.” Her office described such killings as a form of femicide in which women are targeted for asserting autonomy over their own bodies, the station reported.
The advocacy group Violence Free Minnesota has said it attempts to document every woman killed by a current or former intimate partner, as well as victims murdered while being stalked or engaging in sex work. Minnesota statute states that a person convicted of first-degree murder “shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life,” according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.
The Star Tribune reported on the initial second-degree murder charge and the evidence gathered in the case’s early days. With sentencing now complete, Lopez Xique will spend the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of parole.
