A Maplewood man admitted in graphic detail Thursday in Ramsey County District Court the actions he took to murder two women he dated within a two-year span, as well as how he dismembered their corpses and stashed them in two storage lockers before they were discovered in 2023.
Joseph Steven Jorgenson, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the dismemberment killings of Fanta Xayavong of Shoreview in September 2021, and Manijeh “Mani” Starren of St. Paul in April 2023.
In exchange for his plea, Jorgenson will be sentenced to 40 years in prison for each woman’s killing — the maximum allowed by law — to be served concurrently. In issuing the presumed sentence beyond state guidelines, Judge Leonardo Castro cited aggravating factors in each case including that the perpetrator and victim were in a romantic relationship, that the murders occurred in zones of privacy, and that the corpses were dismembered to conceal the crime.
Castro will sentence Jorgenson on Feb. 28.
“These heinous acts of cruelty took the lives of two young women and forever altered the future of their friends and family,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement. “We commend the diligent work of those in law enforcement as well as our staff who worked tirelessly to bring about charges leading to convictions supported by the available evidence and, ultimately, a measure of closure for each victim. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to their surviving family and friends.”
Jorgenson was arrested and charged in June 2023 for the murder of Starren, 33, two months after her father reported her missing from her apartment in the 1400 block of E. 7th Street. He reported that she struggled with mental health and addiction challenges but had not checked in, and he mentioned that his daughter may have been afraid of a boyfriend. Police identified the boyfriend as Jorgenson, who was the last person seen with Starren.
After reviewing other evidence, investigators identified Jorgenson as the primary suspect in her disappearance and likely murder. Investigators reviewed evidence that suggested Jorgenson killed Starren in her apartment before moving her body, including surveillance footage that showed him entering and leaving the apartment 28 times, carrying two duffel bags and a suitcase to a pickup truck. They later found her remains in a cooler and large backpack inside a Woodbury storage locker.
He was also combative with a manager and a maintenance employee who tried to enter the apartment after residents complained of a foul smell throughout the building.
