‘Purely evil’ Maplewood man gets 40-year sentence for killing, dismembering two Twin Cities women

Choking back tears, Brandon Lawson stood before a packed courtroom in St. Paul on Friday as a judge prepared to imprison a man for killing and dismembering two young women — one of them his dear friend.

The courtroom was filled with the family and friends of Manijeh Starren and Fanta Xayavong, who were both just 33 years old when they were murdered by Joseph Jorgenson before their bodies were discovered in separate suburban storage lockers in 2023. Jorgenson, 41, of Maplewood pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder last month in an agreement that he be sentenced to 40 years in prison for each woman’s killing — the maximum allowed by law — to be served concurrently.

Lawson, 42, towered over loved ones who leaned on his 6-foot-2 frame for support. But he shrunk while reading a letter from Starren’s 14-year-old daughter Colbie. His voice shook.

“My mom was more than just a mom,” Lawson read aloud, as the letter recounted how Starren was the family’s light and joy. “Now there’s this silence when I get home from school. ... I miss her hugs, her goofy laugh. ... She deserved so much more than what happened to her.”

Under the terms of the sentence, Jorgenson cannot serve more than 13 years on supervised release. Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro said he would have imposed a harsher sentence but ”my hands are tied and I cannot impose what you truly deserve" because Jorgenson pleaded guilty and agreed to serve the most severe sentence possible for his plea.

According to a presentence investigation Castro read to the court, Jorgenson had a good life. His childhood was positive. His parents were married and supportive, and investigators found no history of domestic abuse, childhood trauma or criminality in his family.

“Yet, not withstanding all the privileges the world’s given you, you inexplicably committed one of the most heinous crimes I’ve ever known,” Castro said. “What you did cannot be explained. What you did was purely evil.”

Law enforcement arrested and charged Jorgenson for Starren’s slaying in June 2023. Starren’s father reported her missing months before, and investigators tracked evidence suggesting that Jorgenson killed Starren in her St. Paul apartment before dismembering her. He pleaded guilty to hiding her body parts in a Woodbury storage locker, and admitted to killing and dismembering Xayavong before hiding her body parts in a Coon Rapids storage locker.

Jorgenson said he was in a relationship with both women, revealing that he killed Starren after she asked him to leave her apartment. He killed Xayavong while assaulting her sometime before.

“Through my prosecutor’s career, 16-plus years now, this is the most heinous, evil offense I’ve ever been a part of,” Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Treye Kettwick said. “The violence committed against these women was evil, and deserving [of a statutory maximum sentence].”

Starren and Xayavong’s loved ones crowded four benches of the Ramsey County courtroom Friday, tossing supportive smiles to each other before Jorgenson’s sentence. Starren’s mother lamented that her daughter had much to live for, and could’ve found success in her passions for nursing and interior design.

“Now I can’t even bring myself to paint or decorate anymore because the joy of it is gone without her,” Starren’s mother, Ricki Starren, said. Details of her daughter’s death “haunt me every moment of every night.”

“Mani was not nothing, she was everything to us,” Starren’s uncle Richard Baehr said. “Mani’s voice was silenced, but ours will not be. We will continue to speak for her.”

Eangma Graziano, Xayavong’s eldest sister, said her sibling was the embodiment of love, generosity and kindness. Xayavong’s death left an indelible mark on their family, and especially on their father, who served in Vietnam and sacrificed so his kids could be first-generation immigrants from Laos to America.

“Joe’s actions were selfish, heartless and irredeemable,” Graziano said, adding that he robbed Xayavong of her dream to buy a home and support her son and daughter. “He’s not sorry for what he did, he’s only sorry he got caught.”

Jorgenson apologized while addressing the court, telling them that he is truly sorry for pain that he caused.

Some said they cannot ever forgive Jorgenson, while Lawson said it would come slowly, if at all.

“It’s been really hard for me to cope with this,” Lawson said. Starren’s favorite songs seem to grace his radio more often. Her loss feels fresh when Lawson’s 6-year-old daughter mentions her. But Lawson said he was grateful for the lengthy sentence.

“As traumatic as things have been,” Lawson said before looking at Jorgenson, “I know with all my heart ... she was able to put a stop to this.”

Anyone in Minnesota experiencing domestic or intimate partner abuse can contact the 24/7 Minnesota Day One Hotline. Call 866-223-1111 or text 612-399-9995.