By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-03 20:16:34 | Updated at 2025-01-05 18:14:25
1 day ago
A serial murderer has admitted to bashing and choking two of his girlfriends to death in as many years, then chopping up their bodies.
Joseph Steven Jorgenson, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in Ramsey County District Court in St Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday.
He explained in graphic detail how he beat Fanta Xayavong to death in Shoreview in September 2021, and strangled Manijeh 'Mani' Starren in St Paul in April 2023.
Both women were dismembered and their body parts stashed in storage lockers until they were discovered by police in 2023.
Jorgenson will be jailed for 40 years for each murder, the maximum allowed, to be served concurrently, by Judge Leonardo Castro on February 28 after a plea bargain.
'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.
'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.'
Joseph Jorgenson, 41, pleaded guilty to killing and dismembering Manjieh 'Mani' Starren, 34, and Fanta Xayavong, 33, at their homes in St Paul
Jorgenson was arrested in June 2023 after a standoff at his home in Maplewood, St Paul, with police who followed a trail of evidence that included a Google search for 'jugular' the day Starren, 34, disappeared.
Days later, he became a suspect in the disappearance, and presumed murder, of Xayavong, who had been missing for almost two years.
Jorgenson was only charged with Xayavong's murder on Thursday when he faced court, after admitting his guilt as part of the plea deal.
Xayavong went missing in July 2021, though a missing person report was not filed until May 2023.
When police began investigating, they discovered Jorgenson also dated her around the time of her disappearance and found incriminating texts on his phone telling a friend he broke his hand hitting her.
Jorgensen admitted to attacking Xayavong during a drunken argument, including hitting her in the head with his knee. He kept beating her until she died.
'I was very drunk at the time, and yes - in the heat of the moment - I was... yes [attempting to kill her],' he told the court during his confession.
'I did feel bad about it immediately afterwards, but my intent at that time was to kill her.'
The remains of Manjieh 'Mani' Starren, 33, were found coolers at a storage facility where a unit had been rented under the name of Jorgenson's roommate
Witnesses said Xayavong's home smelled awful and a cleaning crew also reported a 'horrible smell' and stains. Police cadaver dogs found human remains.
Xayavong's dismembered body, still with her hands tied behind her back, was found in July 2023 in a storage facility in Coon Rapids, stashed in styrofoam coolers and large plastic totes.
Knives used to cut up her body was found hidden in the same unit.
Starren's remains were similarly found wrapped in plastic bags and stuffed in coolers at a storage facility in Woodbury, where a unit had been rented under the name of Jorgenson's roommate.
The investigation began when Starren's father reported her missing in on May 1, 2023, saying she struggled with mental health and addiction, and he hadn't heard from her in 10 days.
He said Starren may have been afraid of her boyfriend, which police identified as Jorgenson and found he was the last person to see her alive.
Police soon learned Starren was the victim of domestic violence and her son's father told them Jorgenson once wrapped a rope around her neck.
A neighbor also told detectives they saw her with a black eye and red marks on her neck.
Xayavong's dismembered body, still with her hands tied behind her back, was found in July 2023 in a storage facility in Coon Rapids, stashed in styrofoam coolers and large plastic totes
Security video showed Starren running from her apartment on April 21 and Jorgenson pulling her back in, police said.
He was later caught on camera going in and out of the home 28 times in the following week - once with suitcase and duffle bags into his roommate's pickup truck. Starren, however, was not seen again.
A SWAT team raided his apartment, where Jorgenson barricaded himself inside, started a fire and resisted officers. He also tried to grab a SWAT officer's AR-15 before he was arrested.
A search of his apartment found broken furniture and appliances, blood on the couch, in the living room, and in the kitchen. It would later be revealed to belong to Starren.
Further investigation revealed the manager of the building where Jorgenson lived told police residents had complained in mid-May about a stench from his apartment that smelled like something had died.
'Shortly afterwards, the manager and maintenance employee saw Jorgenson carrying and dragging large black duffle bags out of the apartment,' court documents read.
They commented to each other that it looked like Jorgenson was 'carrying a dead body.'
Two days after the raid, police located Starren's chopped up remains, along with two padlock keys that matched the storage unit, where cell phone records showed Jorgenson had been on May 18.
Jorgensen admitted to attacking Xayavong during a drunken argument, including hitting her in the head with his knee. He kept beating her until she died
'The torso was extensively wrapped in saran wrap and placed in multiple layers of bags,' according to the charging affidavit.
'The next set of remains removed was the head which was also wrapped in multiple layers of saran wrap and bags.
'The third set of remains was then removed from the duffel bag. The remains consisting of two arms, two thighs, and the remaining parts of the legs and feet that were also wrapped in a large amount of saran wrap.
'Great care had been taken to wrap the remains. It took an extended amount of time for the medical examiner to just remove the remains from their wrappings.'
Online records also revealed a slew of evidence, police said led them to Jorgenson including text messages, and activity showing he had used Starren's food-stamps card, purchased a large amount of cleaning supplies, and had made some disturbing Google searches.
There were two threatening messages Jorgenson sent to Starren two weeks before she vanished, police said.
'N u owe me 2 bc u called the cops on me 2 times. Very clear I was of that being punishable by hanging. I'm giving u this plea bargain opportunity. So yw,' one read.
The other said: 'Hope u die of a kidney infection u bitch c**t terrible f**king mother.'
The details of the case first came to light on May 1 when Starren's father reported her missing to the Saint Paul Police Department after not hearing from her since April 21
Google searches revealed he had searched for the word 'Jugular' on April 21. On May 1, he searched: 'What do police do with a missing person's report.'
On May 3, he Googled, 'How to clear cookies from android phone,' and on May 27, he looked up: 'How to remove gps lime scooter.'
On June 4, Jorgenson Googled, 'Lime for soil.' The complaint noted that 'lime can be used to speed up the decomposition process of a body and to reduce the smell of decomposition.'
'Thank you to the officers for following every lead,' Starren's brother wrote on Facebook after her body was found.
'My beautiful sister you will be missed greatly! Heaven has gotten a new Angel and we haven't stopped looking and found you to bring you home!...
'Hope you are sitting with Grandpa fishing and watching dolphins up there fly high! I LOVE YOU!!'
