Minnesota man pleads guilty to killing and dismembering two women found in separate warehouses

St. PAUL, Minnesota. A Minnesota man pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering and dismembering two women whose bodies were found in separate warehouses.

Under a plea deal, Joseph Steven Jorgenson, 41, of Woodbury, is expected to be sentenced Feb. 28 to two 40-year prison terms for the deaths of Manige Starren in 2023 and Fanta Xayavong in 2021, prosecutors said.

That’s the maximum under Minnesota law for each count of second-degree murder. It will serve them simultaneously. In Minnesota, defendants typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in jail and one-third on supervised release.

“These horrific acts of cruelty took the lives of two young women and forever changed the futures of their friends and family,” said Ramsey County District Attorney John Choi.

Authorities began investigating after receiving a missing-person report from Starren’s father in April 2023. He told police she had a history of mental health and addiction issues and had not checked in as usual that day. Evidence from her apartment, surveillance video, as well as her social media accounts and finances led police to believe Jorgenson was the prime suspect.

Prosecutors said keys recovered from Jorgenson’s apartment led investigators to a storage facility in Woodbury, where they found Starren’s dismembered remains in two separate refrigerators, along with a large bag.

During that investigation, authorities uncovered evidence of a second victim, Xayavong, with whom Jorgensen had a relationship in 2021. Investigators found her remains in a separate storage room in Coon Rapids.