Last week, authorities declared that Joseph Jorgenson, 40, was charged with the murder of Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 33, in her St. Paul, Minnesota apartment in April.
According to a probable cause affidavit, surveillance footage depicted Starren fleeing her apartment on April 21 at approximately 6 p.m., with Jorgenson following her and forcing her back inside. St. Paul Sgt. Mike Ernster stated that Jorgenson was the only one that exited the apartment, and Mani was never seen again.
In June, police discovered Starren’s dismembered body in a Woodbury storage unit, stored in coolers and bags. Mani Starren had three children and had been missing for over two months before her body was found.
The search for Starren began on May 1, when her dad reported her missing and said she told him she was scared of Jorgenson.
The police quickly focused on Jorgenson. On April 28, he was captured on video carrying two duffle bags and a suitcase out of her apartment.
When police obtained a search warrant for Starren’s home, they uncovered a troubling scene, including a smashed TV on the floor and copious amounts of blood in the living room and kitchen that showed signs that “someone was killed or seriously injured in the apartment.”
At Jorgenson’s apartment in Maplewood, the neighbors started complaining about a “foul smell” in mid-May. Shortly after, the building manager and another employee informed police that they saw Jorgenson dragging sizeable black duffle bags out of the apartment, which looked like he was “carrying a dead body.”
When the authorities executed a search warrant on Jorgenson’s apartment on June 26, he quickly barricaded himself in his bedroom and set the apartment on fire. The SWAT team had to force open the door, and Jorgenson allegedly fought with officers. He was arrested and charged with arson, threats of violence, and disarming an officer.
Jorgenson’s cell phone data indicated that the device was close to an iStorage facility on Weir Drive on May 18. Furthermore, someone had utilized Jorgenson’s roommate’s name to reserve a unit in the same month.
Law enforcement officials opened the unit and were met with an overpowering smell of decaying flesh. Upon inspection, Starren’s torso was found inside a large cooler, her head inside a smaller cooler, and her arms and legs in a blue duffle bag.
While the affidavit stated that Starren had died due to homicide, the precise cause of death has yet to be determined. Jorgenson is currently being held on $5 million bail.