Kayli Grace Arseth, a 22-year-old Hispanic woman, was remembered by loved ones as a vibrant and caring person with a bright, sassy, and funny personality. She worked as a behavioral technician for children with autism and had recently told her family of her plans to pursue a degree in developmental psychology at the University of Minnesota. On June 17, 2025, police in Richfield, Minnesota, went to her apartment on the 7700 block of Penn Avenue South for a welfare check after she failed to show
up for work. A friend had tried to pick her up the previous evening, June 16, but after getting no answer to texts or knocks on the door, the friend left and alerted Kayli’s father.
Officers entered the locked apartment and found Kayli dead. An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner later determined she had been killed by a close-range gunshot to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators noted signs of a struggle inside the unit, and her apartment key was missing from her key ring.
The investigation quickly focused on Jose Luis Lopez Xique, a 27-year-old man from Shakopee whom Kayli had recently met online. According to her friends, the two had spent time together, but the relationship was not romantic or sexual. A review of their text messages showed that Lopez Xique had been pressing for a romantic relationship, asking to go on “real dates,” while Kayli repeatedly told him she was only interested in friendship. On June 16, the day she was killed, she again told him she was not ready for a relationship.
Phone records placed Lopez Xique’s device at Kayli’s apartment building between approximately 3:38 p.m. and 4:49 p.m. on June 16. A neighbor reported hearing an argument around that time, during which a woman cried out, “How could you do this to me?” This was followed by the sound of someone leaving the apartment. Investigators later tracked Lopez Xique’s phone to west Bloomington, where they recovered two discarded bags containing 9mm ammunition, gloves, a hat, and other items. More supplies, including masking tape and wipes, were found in a nearby trash can.
A subsequent search of Lopez Xique's residence uncovered a Glock 9mm handgun and a red-dot sight adapter plate. When officers moved in to arrest him, he attempted to drive away before being stopped. He made no inquiry about the reason for his arrest and told officers to “hurry it up.” Investigators noted he had fresh scratches on his chest and puncture wounds on his forearm. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged Lopez Xique with one count of second-degree intentional murder, and a judge set his bail at $2.5 million.
The case against Jose Luis Lopez Xique proceeded to a jury trial. After hearing the evidence presented by the prosecution, he was found guilty and convicted of the upgraded charge of first-degree premeditated murder for killing Kayli Arseth.
