Richfield 'rejection killing' draws mandatory life term
A Hennepin County judge is set to impose a mandatory life-without-parole sentence on 27-year-old Jose Luis Lopez Xique after his conviction for first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of Kayli Arseth in Richfield.[1]
Arseth was found shot in the head inside her locked apartment on Penn Avenue South near I-494 in June 2025.[1] Police reported the apartment had secured windows and no sign of forced entry, but officers found bloodstains inside and a blood smear on the outer door.[1]
Lopez Xique was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder by a Hennepin County jury.[1] Text messages introduced at trial showed he pursued a romantic relationship that Arseth rejected and that she told him she wanted only friendship.[1]
Minnesota law mandates a life-without-parole term for a first-degree murder conviction, and the judge is expected to formally impose that sentence at the hearing.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Defendant: Jose Luis Lopez Xique, 27, convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in Hennepin County.
- Victim: Kayli Arseth, found shot in the head in her locked Richfield apartment on Penn Avenue South near I-494 in June 2025.
- First-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life-without-parole sentence under Minnesota law, which the judge is set to impose.
- Text messages show Lopez Xique pursued a romantic relationship that Arseth rejected, telling him she wanted only friendship.
- Police found the apartment locked with secured windows and no forced entry, but bloodstains inside and a blood smear on the outer door.
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