27-year-old accused of killing Richfield woman after she turned down romantic advances

Man charged in Richfield murder

A 27-year-old man has been charged with killing 22-year-old Kayli Arseth in her Richfield apartment on June 16.

Jose Luis Lopez Xique faces one count of second-degree murder. His bail has been set at $2.5 million, and his first appearance is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

As previously reported, Richfield police responded to a welfare check for Arseth on June 17. She had not shown up for work and hadn’t been heard from since the afternoon prior, despite having plans with a friend.

RELATED: 22-year-old woman found shot to death in Richfield apartment

When officers got to the building, they saw Arseth’s vehicle in the parking lot, and her apartment door was locked, court documents state. Arseth didn’t respond to repeated knocks at the door, so officers got a key from apartment management.

Arseth was found dead in her apartment from a gunshot wound to her head. The key to her apartment was also missing from her key ring, officers noted.

According to court documents, Arseth left work around 4:30 p.m. on June 16 and went home. She had plans to be picked up by a friend around 5 p.m., but never came out of her apartment or responded to her friend’s texts.

Arseth’s neighbor told police they heard yelling coming from her apartment just after 4:30 p.m. They heard Arseth say, “How could you do this to me?” and heard a male voice. Around 10 minutes later, the neighbor heard someone leaving the apartment but didn’t see who left.

Investigators learned Arseth recently met a man, identified as Lopez Xique, online. They had been spending time together and Lopez Xique would buy her gifts, but the relationship was not romantic or sexual, Arseth’s friends told police.

Court documents state Lopez Xique had been messaging Arseth asking for a romantic relationship, but Arseth told him she was only interested in a friendship. Arseth asked Lopez Xique if he was free on June 16 to help her with her motorcycle.

On June 16, Arseth told Lopez Xique that while she enjoyed hanging out with him, she still wasn’t ready for a relationship.

Lopez Xique’s phone data showed he was at Arseth’s apartment building on June 16 and had been texting her from there. His phone remained there for at least an hour before he left and went to 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. Many of the discarded items had been purchased around noon that day, where he also bought masking tape, an apron, masks, gloves, wipes, a feminine hygiene product, and more, court documents state.

When Lopez Xique was arrested on Thursday, court documents state he “did not inquire about why he was arrested, told officers to hurry it up and seemed unsurprised.”

Inside his home, investigators found a Glock 9mm firearm, a red dot sight adapter plate, camera accessories, hard drives and flash drives.

Investigators found scratches on his chest and puncture wounds on his forearm.

In jail, Lopez Xique told police he wasn’t going to answer any questions but that investigators could keep talking and maybe “something will slip.” He then requested his attorney.

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.

The post 27-year-old accused of killing Richfield woman after she turned down romantic advances first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.