A Minnesota man was found guilty of murder after he killed a woman by shooting her in the head when she told him she “wasn’t ready” to be in a relationship with him.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that a jury convicted Jose Luis Lopez Xique of first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder and harassment using a dangerous weapon in the 2025 death of Kayli Arseth on Friday, October 9.
Because Lopez Xique, 27, was convicted of first-degree murder, he will automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, his formal sentencing hearing will be held on Thursday, October 15.
“This was a horrifying instance of a ‘rejection killing’ where Mr. Lopez Xique refused to accept that Kayli did not want a relationship,” Moriarty said in a press release announcing Lopez Xique’s conviction.
“Kayli loved music, art, and her family and friends,” Moriarty continued. “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.”
Lopez Xique and Arseth, 22, met online, and he eventually started buying her things during “shopping trips.” While they got close, the relationship “was not romantic or sexual,” according to a criminal complaint viewed by Law & Crime.
Police said that Arseth and Lopez Xique were in constant communication and had “best friend” badges and a “streak” on Snapchat, which ended just before her death.
“A review of messages in the days leading up to Victim’s death revealed that Defendant [Lopez Xique] was asking Victim for a romantic relationship with ‘actual dates,'” the complaint stated. “Victim responded to Defendant that she was only interested in a friendship and did not feel a romantic attraction to Defendant.”
After Lopez Xique told Arseth he wanted to “see more effort from her in their relationship,” she asked him whether he was free to help her with her motorcycle on June 16, 2025.
Arseth later contacted Lopez Xique on Snapchat on June 16, 2025, at 2:55 p.m., and told him, “I did enjoy hanging out with you, 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.”
Lopez Xique responded by saying he was “confused” and that he wanted “to be there for” her. He continued, “And you say you don’t want any other relationship, but I feel like you’re just looking for something different.”
Arseth then told him “she just wasn’t ready for a relationship,” per the complaint.
“Sorry if I’ve been pushy to hangout but I can tone it back we can just text and keep being that person we can talk to like we were,” Lopez Xique responded.
Lopez Xique showed up to Arseth’s apartment around 3:38 p.m. on June 16, 2025, and he reportedly sent his last message to her from that location at 4:49 p.m.
When loved ones couldn’t reach Arseth, they contacted police and asked for a welfare check. Officers then got a key from apartment management and entered her unit.
“They immediately encountered a gruesome scene,” the complaint stated. “Victim was face down on her living room floor in a pool of blood with an apparent gunshot wound to her head.”
During the trial, prosecutors explained that Lopez Xique was linked to the crime because his phone data showed him at Arseth’s home. He then reportedly went to a hardware store after killing the victim.
