Man who dismembered murder victims, hid bodies in storage units sentenced to 40 years

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Maplewood man who pleaded guilty to the killing and dismembering of two women will spend decades behind bars.

Joseph Jorgenson sentenced 

What happened:

Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro sentenced Joseph Jorgenson on Friday to 40 years in prison with credit for 619 days served. The sentences for the two murder charges will be served concurrently.

Jorgenson pleaded guilty in January to two counts of second-degree intentional murder in the deaths of Fanta Xayavong and Manijeh "Mani" Starren.

Jorgenson was romantically involved with the women when he killed them, dismembered their bodies and hid the remains in storage units. Both women were previously reported missing by loved ones.

What they're saying:

"You inexplicably committed the most gruesome and heinous of crimes I have ever known," Judge Castro said before handing down the sentence.

"In this case, there are no answers. What you did cannot be explained. What you did was purely evil. The more appropriate sentence for your crimes would be life without the possibility of parole," he said, adding that given the plea agreement "my hands are tied, and I cannot impose what you truly deserve." 

"I'd just like to say that I truly am sorry. I want to say especially to the family and especially to the children of both Mani and Fanta I am very, very sorry. And that's all," Jorgensen said during sentencing. 

The women’s murder

The backstory:

Jorgenson said he killed Starren in her St. Paul apartment in April 2023. He described getting very upset after she demanded he leave the apartment. He then put her in a chokehold and "choked her out until she was no longer breathing."

He claimed to have used a long razor blade to dismember her body and then moved the remains to a Woodbury storage facility. Police located her remains nearly two months after she was reported missing.

Jorgenson said he killed Xayavong two years earlier after a verbal argument escalated into a physical altercation at their then Shoreview home. 

After dismembering her body, Jorgenson moved the remains to a Coon Rapids storage facility. Police discovered the remains in July 2023.

Victim impact statements

During sentencing, the parents of Mani Starren gave victim impact statements. 

"Mani was more than just my daughter. She was the light in our life. A source of joy, strength and unconditional love. Mani was kind-hearted, loving and incredibly talented… Her dreams of making a difference in the world were as bright as her spirit. Her absence has left an irreplaceable void, not only in our family, but in the lives of the people she would have helped and cared for in the future," Mani's mother said.

"Their lives were stolen and no sentence could ever truly equal the pain and loss it caused. No parent should have to bury their child, let alone in such horrific and senseless manner. The loss of Manni has not only taken away a beloved family member, but also robbed the world of her potential, her dreams and the impact she could have made," she added.

You can watch the full statements in the video above.