22-year-old killed by man when she refused his romantic advances, MN cops say
Weeks after the 'extreme, targeted violence' against Kayli Grace Arseth, 27-year-old Jose Luis Lopez Xique is now charged with second-degree intentional murder in her death, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said in a July 7 news release.
Text messages leading up to Arseth's killing reveal Lopez Xique was interested in starting a romantic relationship with her, but she told him she was only interested in being friends, prosecutors said.
'I did enjoy hanging out with you, but I don't have enough mental capacity for any type of relationship right now,' Arseth told Lopez Xique in a Snapchat message on June 16, according to court records.
Arseth was shot in the head and died that same day, KSTP reported, citing Richfield police.
An analysis of Lopez Xique's phone showed he was at Arseth's apartment from 3:38 p.m. to 4:47 p.m. the day of her killing, according to the court records. A neighbor reported hearing the two arguing a few minutes before he left to go to a hardware store.
'How could you do this to me?' the neighbor heard Arseth say, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Bring Me The News.
Lopez Xique went on to purchase 'masking tape, gauze, an apron, masks, gloves, sunglasses, wipes and other products' at a store, the publication reported. Those items were later found in the trash in an area where his phone had pinged.
A welfare check was requested at Arseth's home on July 17, leading authorities to what they called a 'gruesome scene,' KARE reported, citing the criminal complaint.
'The search warrant states there were bloodstains in the apartment and officers observed what appeared to be a blood smear on the exterior side of the apartment door,' according to KMSP.
The Richfield Police Department said Lopez Xique was arrested near his Shakopee home on July 3. He is being held in jail on $2.5 million bail.
Lopez Xique appeared 'unsurprised' and did not ask authorities why he was being arrested, KSTP reported.
'This was a terrible instance of extreme, targeted violence that took Kayli from her loved ones,' Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. '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.'
Arseth was described in an obituary as a 'vibrant spirit, with a very bright, sassy, funny and caring personality.' Working as a behavioral technician, Arseth was said to have an 'unwavering compassion for others.'
'Kayli made a positive difference in many people's lives and will be deeply missed,' according to the obituary. 'She always told people, 'Well, you're stuck with me'. The irony is that she is now stuck in our hearts forever.'
Richfield is a southern suburb of Minneapolis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Questions remain about homicide suspect's Miranda waiver
Aug. 19—WILKES-BARRE — During the preliminary hearing for homicide suspect William Hunter Snyder held in April, his attorney, Peter Paul Olszewski Jr., vigorously questioning the timing when the Pennsylvania State Police gave Miranda warnings to his client. Olszewski Jr. again raised the issue of Miranda during a pre-trial hearing before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Tuesday. Hunter, 27, of Milton, a former state trooper, was arrested Jan. 22 for the ambush fatal shooting of John "Johnny" Rabbitz Jr., 44, after knocking on the front door of Rabbitz's residence in Sugarloaf Township on Jan. 21, according to court records. After Hunter was apprehended, he was reportedly given his Miranda warnings by state police Cpl. Brian Noll prior to Snyder being detained at the Montour County Prison, where he worked, but was not given his constitutional rights a second time before he was in "custodial detention" when interrogated at the State Police barracks in Hazleton. Olszewski Jr., who along with Attorney Rachel D. Olszewski are representing Snyder, claimed he has not yet received confirmation Snyder signed the Miranda waiver form that indicates his constitutional rights were given to him. Olszewski Jr. further argued that he has yet to receive from the district attorney's office evidence, including a recorded video of Snyder's interrogation. "There are major pieces of evidence we don't have," Olszewski Jr. said, who also argued Snyder's Snapchat history may have been illegally obtained by investigators without a search warrant. "There are some serious questions here," Olszewski Jr. said. Deputy District Attorney Daniel E. Zola said all discovery — the exchange of evidence, in possession of investigators and the state police has been turned over to Olszewski Jr. in the form of a thumb drive, including Snyder's signed Miranda waiver. Zola calculated, perhaps, the thumb drive is not being recognized by Olszewski's computer software. Zola said ballistics testing and a laboratory report have not yet been finalized. Olszewski Jr. said he needs all discovery materials before he files an omnibus motion, which involves multiple requests to prohibit all or certain evidence, limit video and pictures during trial, and jury instructions. Sklarosky, during Tuesday's pre-trial hearing, extended the deadline for Olszewski Jr. to file the omnibus motion. Snyder is accused of fatally shooting Rabbitz, a staff sergeant for the U.S. Army, just after 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2025. Snyder knocked on the front door and fired multiple shots when Rabbitz opened the door, according to court records. Rabbitz managed to call 911 resulting in state police Cpl. Jason Zoshak being one of the first to arrive at the residence. Zoshak wore a body camera that recorded Rabbitz responding, "Hunter Snyder" twice when asked who would harm him, according to Zoshak's testimony during the preliminary hearing. An autopsy revealed Rabbitz died from three gunshots to his torso. Investigators allege Snyder killed Rabbitz as they both dated the same woman, Courtney Lee Burgard. Burgard had terminated her relationship with Snyder prior to the shooting. Olszewski Jr. is expected to include in his omnibus motion a suppression request to exclude and prohibit evidence, including the interrogation recorded video. Snyder's trial on a criminal homicide charge is scheduled for January 2026.
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Boston Globe
Fire marshal in RI facing federal child exploitation charges, accused of soliciting girls and boys
'The nature of Almond's offenses is particularly disturbing considering his career in a position of trust as a first responder,' Assistant US Attorney Luke E. Goldworm wrote in the motion. Advertisement 'There were hundreds of files found on his phone that showed children naked or involved in sexual acts,' the motion said. 'Almond was not only viewing this content, but worse, he was actively seeking out young girls to send him videos to add to his collection.' The motion said Almond 'admitted to soliciting child pornography from underage users online and paying them for it.' During an initial appearance in federal court in Providence Friday afternoon, Almond was released on $10,000 bond and placed on home detention with a GPS monitor, a spokesperson for Leah B. Foley, US attorney for Massachusetts, said in an email. Almond's next hearing will be held in US District Court in Boston, but has not yet been scheduled. Advertisement Almond's lawyer, John L. Calcagni III, said he was 'not at liberty' to comment on his client's pending case, 'beyond acknowledging that he was arrested at his home this morning.' 'He fully cooperated with authorities at the time of his arrest; and is grateful to have been released on bail,' Calcagni said in an email Friday night. Calcagni said until his office reviews the evidence prosecutors have gathered, Calcagni and his team won't 'be able to fully understand and evaluate the allegations against our client and supporting evidence, or lack thereof.' According to charging documents, Almond chatted with minors online and solicited them for sexual content from Feb. 12, 2024 to Nov. 28, 2024. His first interaction with an undercover agent was in August 2024. In exchanges with the agent Almond believed to be a 15-year-old girl, Almond allegedly discussed traveling to Florida and meeting at an Airbnb 'to get more privacy,' court filings said. Prosecutors allege that Almond's collection of sexually explicit images and videos were of children as young as 10 and included hundreds of files of one young girl taken over a two-year period, as well as content Almond received from a 14-year-old boy via Snapchat, court records said. Almond was indicted on four charges: receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and two counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Tonya Alanez can be reached at
NBC News
5 days ago
- NBC News
Man accused of killing Minnesota lawmaker is facing new state charges
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man accused of killing a top Democratic state lawmaker and wounding another while pretending to be a police officer is facing new and upgraded state charges after a fresh indictment was announced Thursday, just a week after he pleaded not guilty in federal court. Vance Boelter now faces two charges of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and charges of impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty for shooting one family's dog. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the charges 'reflect the weight of Mr. Boelter's crimes.' But the state case will continue to take a back seat to the federal case against Vance Boelter where he could face more serious consequences. He was indicted July 15 on six counts of murder, stalking and firearms violations. The murder charges could carry the federal death penalty although prosecutors haven't decided yet whether to seek that while the maximum penalty on the state charges is life in prison because Minnesota doesn't have the death penalty. Boelter pleaded not guilty in federal court on Aug. 7. Moriarty had requested the state prosecution proceed first, but federal prosecutors are using their authority to press their case, according to Daniel Borgertpoepping, Hennepin County Attorney's Office's public information officer. The full extent of the political violence that officials said Boelter, 58, intended to inflict in the early morning hours of June 14 after months of planning alarmed the community. The Green Isle, Minnesota, resident was arrested a day later following a massive search involving local, state and federal authorities. 'The damage done to the victims — those with us, those who were taken from us and to our entire community — has opened wounds that will never heal,' Moriarty said in a statement. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office initially issued a warrant charging Boelter with two counts of second-degree murder for allegedly posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home. Boelter, authorities said, wore a uniform and a mask and yelled that he was police and told these lawmakers that he was an officer. Authorities also originally charged Boelter with two counts of attempted second-degree murder, alleging he shot state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. But officials said when the charges were filed to secure the warrant that they would likely be updated to first-degree murder charges. They also added two additional attempted murder charges Thursday. Federal prosecutors already revealed details of their investigation showing Boelter had driven to two other legislators' homes in the roughly hour and a half timeline. Moriarity charged Boelter with trying to kill one of those lawmakers because he went to her door in the same way he approached the Hortmans' and Hoffmans' homes. She said it doesn't matter that Rep Kristin Bahner wasn't home. The state case against Boelter shows an application for public defender was filed on June 16, but one has yet to be assigned. Public defenders are typically assigned in Minnesota at a defendant's first appearance, which Boelter did not have before being taken into federal custody, Borgertpoepping said in a text message. Moriarty also announced last week that she would not seek reelection next year. This spring the federal Justice Department opened an investigation of Moriarty's office after she directed her staff to consider racial disparities as one factor when negotiating plea deals. Moriarty, a former public defender, was elected in 2022 as the Minneapolis area and the country were still reeling from the death of George Floyd, a Black man pinned under the knee of a white officer for 9 1/2 minutes. She promised to make police more accountable and change the culture of a prosecutors' office that she believed had long overemphasized punishment without addressing the root causes of crime.
