Man dismembered murder victims, hid bodies in storage units: Guilty plea

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Maplewood man is headed to prison for decades after pleading guilty to a pair of gruesome murders.

Guilty plea

What we know: Joseph Jorgenson admitted he killed two women he was romantically involved with, and then dismembered their bodies, hiding the remains in area storage units. Both women were previously reported missing by loved ones, and had suffered from addiction and other issues.

Jorgenson pleaded guilty to the two murders in a Ramsey County courtroom on Jan. 2.

Murder of Manijeh "Mani" Starren

‘Monster’: 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, when he then put her in a chokehold and "choked her out until she was no longer breathing."

He admitted he used a long razor blade to dismember her body and then moved the remains to a Woodbury storage facility.

"She's our beautiful daughter. She had a heart of gold, and she was a really good mom," Ricki Starren, Mani’s mother, told FOX 9’s Paul Blume following the plea hearing. "Yes, he is a monster. But I do feel bad for his family though."

Murder of Fanta Xayavong

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

After dismembering her body, Jorgenson moved Xayavong’s remains to a Coon Raprids storage facility.

Jorgenson sentenced

What’s next: In addition to the full admissions, Jorgenson pleaded guilty to two separate counts of second-degree intentional murder.

He will receive the statutory maximum on both – 40 years in prison.

Prosecutors are allowing him to serve his sentences concurrently, meaning at the same time.

He will have to do about 2/3 of that sentence behind bars, so a little less than 27 years.

His formal sentencing is set for Feb. 28, 2025.