Richfield Woman, 22, Shot Dead After Saying No To Man’s Advances: Police

RICHFIELD, MN — Kayli Grace Arseth should have been out with a friend the evening of June 16.

Instead, the 22-year-old was found the next day in her apartment, fatally shot in the head. Prosecutors say she was murdered by a man she had recently met, and had just told him she wasn’t interested in dating.

Jose Luis Lopez Xique, 27, of Shakopee, is now charged with second-degree murder in Arseth's death. He is being held at the Hennepin County Jail on $2.5 million bail.

Editor's note: A GoFundMe page set up for the family of Kaylie Grace Arseth can be found here.

"This was a terrible instance of extreme, targeted violence that took Kayli from her loved ones," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in filing charges.

"My thoughts are with her family during this extraordinarily difficult period. Our office will prosecute Mr. Lopez Xique to protect our community and hold him accountable for his actions."

Authorities say Xique brought a gun to her Richfield apartment and killed her after she turned him down.

Arseth's friends and family became worried when she didn’t show up for work on June 17 and stopped answering calls or messages.

Her friend, who had plans to pick her up the night before, had waited in the parking lot, texting and calling. When she didn’t come out, he knocked on her door, but got no response. He eventually left around 5:30 p.m. but sent a message to Arseth's father alerting him to the odd occurrence.

The police were contacted the next day. At the scene, officers found her car parked outside. Her phone’s location showed it was still inside the apartment.

After getting a key from the building staff, officers went in and found Arseth's body.

She had been shot at close range, a bullet entering through her right eye and exiting the back of her skull. Her apartment key was missing from her keychain.

A neighbor told investigators they heard a heated argument coming from Arseth's apartment shortly after 4:30 p.m. on June 16.

They recognized her voice shouting, "How could you do this to me?” Ten minutes later, they heard someone leave.

The man Arseth had recently met, and whom she’d been texting frequently on Snapchat, was identified as Xique, according to police.

He went by "Lui," the criminal complaint states.

Friends told police the two had spent time together, but it wasn’t a romantic relationship. He had bought her things on shopping trips, but Arseth had made clear she wasn’t interested in dating him.

Messages recovered from Arseth's Snapchat account show she told him that directly just hours before she was killed.

"I did enjoy hanging out with you," she wrote, according to the criminal complaint, "but I don’t have enough mental capacity for any type of relationship right now. I’m trying to figure out myself as well as manage my relationship with my parents and I’m overwhelmed and stressed already."

Xique pushed back, saying he was confused and felt like she was just "looking for something different." Kayli reiterated that she just wasn’t ready for anything romantic.

At 4:06 p.m., just minutes before the neighbor heard yelling, Xique messaged her, "Well, have fun.” Kayli replied, "I’ll try."

Cellphone data shows Xique arrived at Kayli’s apartment at 3:38 p.m. and didn’t leave until 4:49 p.m.

Minutes later, he was seen on security cameras at a hardware store, buying steel shoe covers and drinks, wearing a mask and dark clothing, according to the criminal complaint.

Not long after that, police say he drove to a location in Bloomington and dumped bags containing ammunition, gloves, clothing, and other items.

Investigators found receipts and surveillance video showing that earlier that day he had visited a megastore and bought tape, wipes, gloves, gauze, sunglasses, and more while consulting a handwritten shopping list, police said.

Police later arrested Xique outside his home in Shakopee after a brief and strange encounter.

As he pulled out of his garage, he drove toward an unmarked squad car and held up his phone as if recording. He then drove off and was stopped shortly after. He didn’t ask why he was being arrested and told officers to "hurry it up."

Inside his home, officers found a Glock 9mm handgun, camera gear, and clothing matching what he wore in the store footage. He had scratches on his chest and puncture wounds on his forearms.

When questioned, Xique told officers he wasn’t going to talk, then added, "Maybe something will slip," the criminal complaint states. He later asked for a lawyer.