HPP: Earlier this week, a man from Minnesota entered a guilty plea to the charges of murdering and dismembering two women who had gone missing and with whom he had been in relationships, as well as concealing their bodies in storage units in separate incidents.
In connection with the killings of Fanta Xayavong, 33, and Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 34, Joseph Jorgenson, 41, admitted on Thursday that he was responsible for the murders in the second degree. Jorgenson could be sentenced to a maximum of forty years in jail for each of the murders.
According to KSTP, he provided a description of the murders in court. According to Jorgenson, he and Xayavong had been living together in a townhome in September of 2021 when he assaulted her during an argument.
These events took place. At one point, he believed that she had lost consciousness; nevertheless, when he checked on her, he stated that he discovered that she had passed away.
According to the station’s report, he testified that he had dismembered her body and concealed her remains in a storage container.
“I felt bad about [the murder] immediately afterward, but it was my intent at the time to kill her,” he stated to the judge Thursday about that killing.
When Starren ordered Jorgenson to leave her apartment, Jorgenson claimed that he killed her during an altercation that they were having. He began by choking her, and then proceeded to dismember her body using a razor blade.
First, he concealed the remains within his apartment, and then he moved them to a storage container that was distinct from the one in which he had previously kept Starren’s remains.
Starren’s family had lost contact with her and reported her missing to the Saint Paul Police Department, which was the beginning of the chain of events that led to the discovery of her remains.
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Following the fact that her family had not heard from her since April 21, 2023, when she was reportedly spotted in video surveillance with Jorgensen outside of her apartment, the mother of three was reported missing when her family had not heard from her since that day.
According to the records filed before the court, the video showed her fleeing from her apartment and Jorgenson catching up to her, grabbing her, and forcing her back into her apartment.
“Jorgenson is the only one that comes out of that unit, and Mani is never seen again,” Saint Paul Sgt. Mike Ernster stated. “He did not report her missing to police. Instead, he just went on with his life without saying anything to anyone.”
A search warrant was carried out at Jorgenson’s residence that June. Jorgenson attempted to disarm officers and set a fire during the search before being taken into custody on unrelated charges. Police were taken to a storage facility in Woodbury, Minnesota, a few days later.
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According to an affidavit detailing the horrifying find, authorities found dismembered remains in two coolers and a duffel bag in a unit. Later, it was determined that the remains belonged to Starren.
Authorities uncovered Xayavong’s remains in a different storage unit around 35 miles from the storage facility where Starren’s remains were recovered while looking into Starren’s case. In that case, Jorgenson was listed as a person of interest.
According to the police, a concerned citizen who knew Xayavong and was worried about her wellbeing provided the tip that led to the finding of her remains. The individual stated that she had lost contact with Jorgensen after being in an abusive relationship with him.
Xayavong was a mother of two kids as well.
“She was such a beautiful soul, and gave selflessly when it came to others,” her GoFundMe stated. “Her vibrant smile would light up the room when she entered.”
On February 28, Jorgenson is scheduled to be sentenced.