Man Kills ‘Friend’ After She Said ‘She’s Not Ready for a Relationship’

A Minnesota man is facing murder charges after allegedly gunning down a 22-year-old woman who rejected his romantic advances—just one day after she told him she wasn’t ready for a relationship.

Jose Luis Lopez Xique, 27, was charged with second-degree murder in the brutal June 27 killing of Kayli Arseth, a beloved young woman from Richfield described in her obituary as “bright, sassy, funny, and caring,” with a passion for working with children.

According to police, Lopez Xique became enraged after Arseth turned him down over Snapchat. Investigators say the two had a friendship, with no romantic or sexual relationship, though Lopez Xique frequently bought her gifts and asked for something more.

The day before her death, Arseth messaged him: “I don’t have enough mental capacity for any type of relationship right now… I’m overwhelmed and stressed.” She told him she just wanted to be friends.

The next day, Lopez Xique allegedly showed up at her apartment. Police say location data from his phone puts him at her building from 3:38 to 4:49 p.m. That evening, a neighbor reported hearing a man scream, “How could you do this to me?”—followed by silence.

When officers later conducted a welfare check, they found Arseth dead in a pool of blood on her living room floor, shot at close range through her right eye.

Snapchat logs found on her computer showed the two had just lost their “best friend streak.” Prosecutors say Lopez Xique’s final message was sent from outside her apartment, moments before she was killed.

He was arrested and charged after allegedly fleeing the scene and later being located at a hardware store.

“This was a terrible instance of extreme, targeted violence that took Kayli from her loved ones,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. “We intend to fully prosecute this case and seek justice for Kayli and her family.”