Man accused of killing 22-year-old after she told him she just wanted to be friends
A man in Minnesota is accused of killing a young woman after she told him she just wanted to be friends and was not interested in a romantic relationship.
A man in Minnesota is accused of killing a young woman after she told him she just wanted to be friends and was not interested in a romantic relationship.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, 27-year-old Jose Luis Lopez Xique has been charged with one count of second-degree intentional murder.
Officials said 22-year-old Kayli Grace Arseth died in her apartment in Richfield, just outside Minneapolis, from multiple gunshot wounds on June 16.
Jose Luis Lopez Xique, 27, is accused of killing Kayli Arseth, 22, after she told him she just wanted to be friends, the county attorney said.(Left: Kayli Arseth/Facebook, right: Hennepin County Jail)
According to a criminal complaint obtained by KARE, Arseth’s family called police for a welfare check the next day after she didn’t show up for work and would not answer her phone or door.
When police entered her apartment, they said they found a “gruesome scene.”
The attorney’s office said text messages between Lopez Xique and Arseth leading up to that day showed that the two knew each other. The messages revealed that Lopez Xique was asking for a romantic relationship with Arseth, saying he wanted to go on “real dates,” while she made it clear she was only interested in a friendship.
According to KTSP, Arseth’s friends told police that the two met online. They had reportedly been spending time together, but the relationship was not romantic or sexual.
Following Arseth’s death, investigators said location analysis of Lopez Xique’s phone showed he was at Arseth’s apartment for about an hour on June 16. A neighbor said they heard fighting in the apartment.
Phone location showed Lopez Xique was later in nearby Bloomington, where investigators found two bags of discarded items, including ammunition, an empty box of gauze, disposable gloves, a pair of shoes and a hat.
They also reportedly found wipes, masking tape and rubber gloves in a trash can.
When he was arrested, police said Lopez Xique “didn’t seem surprised” and that he had multiple scratches and wounds on his arms.
KSTP reports that investigators later found a Glock 9mm firearm inside his home.
In a statement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty called the case a “terrible instance of extreme, targeted violence that took Kayli from her loved ones.”
Lopez Xique is being held in the Hennepin County Jail on a $3 million bond.
Jail records show his next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 5.
A GoFundMe for Arseth’s family describes her as a “vibrant spirit, with a very bright, sassy, funny, and caring personality.”
brutal
