Man convicted of 1st-degree murder for death of Richfield woman who rejected his romantic advances

Man convicted of 1st-degree murder for death of Richfield woman who rejected his romantic advances By KSTP Courtesy of Hennepin County Jail A man accused of killing a woman who rejected his advances to begin a romantic relationship has been convicted of first-degree murder.Jose Luis Lopez Xique, 27, was found guilty in court of first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder, and harassment with a dangerous weapon in connection with the 2025 murder of Kayli Arseth. RELATED: 27-year-old accused of killing Richfield woman after she turned down romantic advancesA first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence in the state of Minnesota, without the possibility of parole.Xique is believed to have killed Arseth after she continually rejected his advances to begin a romantic relationship.READ MORE: 27-year-old accused of killing Richfield woman after she turned down romantic advances“My thoughts are with Kayli’s loved ones today, and I am so sorry for their loss,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “This was a horrifying instance of a ‘rejection killing’ where Mr. Lopez Xique refused to accept that Kayli did not want a relationship. I’m grateful to our trial team and our victim services staff, and the members of the jury for their service.“Kayli loved music, art, and her family and friends. She was restoring her motorcycle while working as a behavioral technician for children with special needs. She should still be with her family and her loved ones.”Court records state that on June 17, a welfare check was conducted for Arseth’s apartment after she had not shown up for work and had failed to meet with a friend the prior afternoon.Police discovered Arseth had died as a result of a gunshot to her head.RELATED: 22-year-old woman found shot to death in Richfield apartmentAuthorities said their investigation found that Arseth met Lopez Xique online, and the two had been spending time together platonically.Court documents state Lopez Xique messaged Arseth asking for a romantic relationship, but Arseth told him she was only interested in friendship. Arseth had asked Lopez Xique if he was free on June 16 to help her with her motorcycle, the day before she was found by police.Lopez Xique’s phone data showed he was at Arseth’s apartment building on June 16 and texted her from there. His phone remained there for at least an hour before he left for a hardware store.Later that evening, his phone pinged in West Bloomington, where police found two bags of discarded items, including 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a blue utility shirt, sunglasses, an empty box of gauze, blue disposable gloves, a pair of shoes and a hat, according to court records.Court documents state that when Lopez Xique was arrested, he “did not inquire about why he was arrested, told officers to hurry it up and seemed unsurprised.”Xique’s sentencing is currently scheduled for Oct. 15 at 11 a.m.If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, several resources are available to offer help. For immediate help, contact:The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.Minnesota Day One at 866-223-1111.The Women’s Advocates crisis line at 651-227-8284.More than 12 million people just in the U.S. are affected by domestic violence every year, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.The organizations listed above can help connect victims to resources like safe shelter, advocacy, legal help and support groups.The National Domestic Violence Hotline also offers tips for identifying abuse and supporting victims of abuse. CLICK HERE to see those.Other organizations that can help include:Violence Free Minnesota at 651-646-6177 or 800-289-6177.STANDPOINT(formerly the Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project) at 612-343-9842.Mending the Sacred Hoop at 888-305-1650.Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault at 612-209-9993.Minnesota also has a list of many other resources for victims of crimes that can be found HERE.