Minnesota man stabbed and beaten to death in Mexico 'by a trio of locals he hired to work on his sprawling dream home'

38-year-old Kyle Kester was stabbed to death in his home in Jalisco, Mexico on February 10

The suspects in the murder, a pair of teenagers and a 21-year-old had been helping the victim install an irrigation system on his property

Kester moved to Mexico in 2010 to buildi his dream home, a 6,000-square-foot stucco estate



The Minnesota native had said the locals were like family to him



Kyle Kester's parents had a bad feeling when their son informed them that he was moving to a rural part of Mexico where he was planning to build a sprawling home and live among the people whose culture he admired so much.

In February, Wini and Harley Kester's worst fear came true when they got a call saying that their 38-year-old son was stabbed to death inside his barely finished stucco estate for a truckload of pricey electronic equipment.



'He loved the people,' Harley Kester said of his son. 'He would still love them. I'm sure he would.'

Slain: Kyle Kester, 38, was robbed and brutally murdered on February 10 shortly after moving into his dream home he spent two years building in Mexico

The victim’s mother added that her son would’ve given his assailants his property had they asked for it, or offered them the opportunity to earn money and buy the gadgets themselves, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.



A friend discovered Kester's body inside a bedroom about two days after he was beaten and stabbed to death.

The suspects in the murder, a pair of teenagers and a 21-year-old whom the Minnesota native had hired to install an irrigation system on his property, were captured on a surveillance video at the house.

The teens were arrested, but the older of the three alleged perpetrators is believed to have fled across the border into the U.S.. The getaway driver in the case was arrested but has since been released.



Tragic: A friend discovered Kester's body inside a bedroom about two days after he was beaten and stabbed to death

The 38-year-old's remains were flown back to Minnesota, where he was cremated. His final resting place became the mantle at his parents' home, which serves as a pedestal for an urn containing his ashes.



Kester's closest friend in Mexico, Hugo Barron Felix, told the Star Tribune in an email that the investigation into the man's murder has been slow-going.

The pair of teens charges in the crime could receive a maximum of five to seven years in prison if convicted.



Concerned: Kyle's parent, Wini and Harley Kester, had been anxious that their son would be a target for robbers. Kyle had assured him that the locals in the village were like family

Kyle Kester grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota, where early on he developed a passion for rebuilding and repairing cars. He became a mechanic and moved to northern California, to Galt, and then moved south to San Diego.



He relocated to Phoenix in 2004.

While in Arizona, Kester got into the business of flipping homes. In the process, he befriended Mexican immigrants whom he hired to refurbish the properties, becoming obsessed with their language and culture.

In the profile for his MySpace page, which appears to have been last updated two years ago, Kester sounds upbeat and optimistic.



'Life has been good to me, good partners, good jobs, good finances, and overall a happy life,' he wrote.



Tragedy struck February 10 when the 38-year-old was stabbed and beaten to death during a home invasion

'I think i have weathered the great recession or depression or whatever name this economic disaster will be given in the history books.'

'In the last couple years I have worked harder than ever to stay ahead, and in fact I grew my real estate holdings when everyone I knew was falling apart. I hope that by the time I'm 40, I can sell everything, retire and be sipping martinis on a tropical beach somewhere.'

That dream appears to have come true for him and in 2010, Kester moved to Mexico, briefly settling in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta before moving inland to Colonia Bosque de la Capilla, a rocky, remote valley 18 north of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco.



He bought land overlooking the mountains and started a two-year building project on his dream home - a sprawling, 6,000-square-foot stucco estate complete with a stable for horses half an hour ride down a dirt road from the nearest neighbor.



In his MySpace profile, he sounded like he was focused on preparing for a new chapter in his life but hinted he may still be open to new opportunities.



'Not looking for Mr Right at this point, I need to focus on bettering myself. However if a hot handsome latino man comes to sweep me off my feet i would not mind,' he wrote.



His parents worried that Kester would become the target of robbers in the poverty ridden countryside, but he reassured them that the locals were like family to him.



'He loved the people there. He trusted everyone which ultimately led to his death,' his online obituary stated.

Move: Kester moved to Mexico in 2010, briefly settling in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta before moving inland to Colonia Bosque de la Capilla, a rocky, remote valley 18 north of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco

Tragedy struck February 10 when the 38-year-old was stabbed and beaten to death during a home invasion allegedly committed by his own employees who had been frequent guests at his house.



Two days later, at around 7pm, Wini Kester got a call from her son's friend in Phoenix.



‘Right away, I said “What happened to him?”’ she said. 'I always had this fear. I used to have dreams of him getting beat up and hurt.’

More than a month after their son's death, the Kesters are still struggling to cut through the red tape to get their son's possessions home. Local police seized the victim’s vehicles along with a $30,000 backhoe, and an attorney his parents hired has claimed that he is entitled to 30 per cent of the estate.