← Going West: True Crime
Going West: True Crime
Manijeh and Fanta: The Women in the Storage Units // 607
00:45:46
In April of 2023, a missing Minnesota woman was last spotted on surveillance footage being forced back into her apartment building after trying to flee. And afterwards, she was never seen again. With suspicious texts, a disturbing storage facility find, and a foul odor coming from a different apartment, one particular person quickly emerged as a frontrunner among the pool of suspects, and it turned out that this woman hadn’t been his only victim… These are the murders of Mani Starren and Fanta Xayavong.
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Daphne
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Host He
What is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host he
- [01:34]
Daphne
and I'm your host Daphne.
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Host He
And you're listening to Going West.
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Daphne
Hello everybody. Thank you for tuning in. Big thank you to Katie who recommended today's case. The evidence that we are going to present today is going to blow you away, like how much there is. And to find that Manny wasn't her killer's only victim and that this person could have gotten away with other crimes as well.
- [02:00]
Host He
Yeah, I mean there is also like really damning surveillance footage that we will post on our socials for you guys. So make sure that you go give us a follow if you haven't already. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast. We're on Facebook. We are on TikTok as well. Yeah. So give us a follow because today's story is insane.
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Daphne
I am so surprised that it's not more well known just because of the shocking details associated with it. So yeah, again thank you to Katie for putting this on our radar.
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Host He
Yeah, just how much of a a real piece of this guy actually is. All right guys, without further ado, this is episode 607 of Going West. So let's get into it.
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Daphne
In April of 2023, a missing Minnesota woman was last spotted on surveillance footage being forced back into her apartment after trying to flee. And afterwards, she was never seen leaving her apartment again. With suspicious texts, A disturbing storage facility find, and a foul odor coming from a different apartment, One particular person quickly emerged as a frontrunner among the pool of suspects. And it turned out that this woman hadn't been his only victim. These are the murders of Manny Starrin and Fanta Saivong. Menyjah Starrin, better known as Manny. We're gonna call her Manny today, was born on May 23, 1989, to parents Ricky and Marvin Starrin, and was later joined by her younger brother Noah, who became her best friend. The family settled in Roseau, Minnesota, which sits less than 20 minutes from the border of Canada. And there, Manny was an outdoorsy girl from a young age and loved to hunt, camp, swim fish, and water ski. She loved thrift and vintage shopping. And according to her family, she had a real knack for decorating. After graduating from high school, she attended Northland College until leaving to start her very own family with her husband Brody. And together, they shared a son and a daughter. But their relationship didn't last. So after their divorce, she began dating another man and eventually with him, welcomed a third child. And this was another son. Now, according to her mom, Ricky, Manny was a natural as a parent because she, quote, never saw anyone as ugly. She always found the good and beautiful person that was inside everyone she ever met. And she had the ability to make friends anywhere she went. Anytime she would see a homeless person or someone who needed help, she would always give at least a dollar. Manny was so sweet and kind hearted that way. Ricky also added that her daughter, quote, loved elderly people, children, and just anyone in need. She was so soft hearted and had a natural ability to care for others. And this really lent itself well to the career that Manny decided on as a certified nursing assistant and home health aide. So after landing this job, she settled into an apartment just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. And two years prior to her death, she even decided to return to college to complete more classes, just hoping to eventually complete her nursing degree.
- [06:16]
Host He
But despite her otherwise happy, healthy and stable lifestyle, Manny had her fair share of struggles that were only exacerbated by her boyfriend, Joseph or Joe Jorgensen. This is the guy that we're gonna be talking about today who really was not a good guy at all. Now, Joe worked at a financial planning firm, but outside of his buttoned up corporate Persona, he definitely had some skeletons in his closet, to say the least, which included charges for domestic violence, theft, drugs, and multiple DUIs. And Manny's loved ones initially kind of reveled in the excitement that she had about this new relationship of hers. But that sheen really started to wear off pretty quickly. One neighbor reported noticing that she had a black eye and red marks around her neck. So obviously alarmed by this, the neighbor offered to get her help. But Manny just kind of brushed this off, saying that it would, quote, just make things worse.
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Daphne
So sad that there were people that recognized that she needed help and she didn't know how to get that help without putting herself further in danger.
- [07:23]
Host He
Yeah, and it's one of those situations where it's, you know, the domestic violence is kind of ruling the relationship here. Well, just a month before she went missing, her mom remembers Manny once FaceTiming her from outside of Joe's apartment and telling her, if I ever go missing, don't ever stop looking for me. Well, In April of 2023, 33 year old Manny fell out of touch with her family, which was something that was very rare for her, especially given the fact that she had three young children who were 12, 8 and 4 when this story takes place. Now usually she would check in with her parents and the fathers of her sons on a daily basis, even though she didn't have full custody at the time. Her parents last heard from her on April 18, 2023, and they maintained that she never went 24 hours without contacting them. So as the days passed, they grew more and more fearful that something had happened to her. When Manny's family, as well as a family friend of Manny's named Brandon got in contact with Joe, remember that's her shithead boyfriend. He claimed that he was concerned about her whereabouts as well and that he had been looking for her.
- [08:38]
Daphne
So Joe, who was about 39 by the way, claimed that Manny seemed to have vanished after a routine trip to the store and that he hadn't heard from her since he had last spoken with her weeks earlier. So he claimed on April 3rd, 4th. Again, this is 2023. So he's telling Brandon, oh yeah, I have been worried about her as well, cuz I haven't seen her in weeks after she didn't come back from the store. And it's like you would imagine that if she didn't return from such a casual outing weeks earlier that you would have rung the alarm bells a long time ago. But he didn't. And now instead he's just telling Brandon, oh yeah, like I'm kind of worried about her too. And also by the way, I'm kind of concerned because we know this guy named Kazel. And I think that he might have gone after Manny. So he's also saying that she's or he's worried that she was in danger and he still wasn't reporting her missing, so. But he described Causel as a creep and added that he was afraid of Causel harming Manny. He said, quote, that's why I was looking in the woods for her. So now he's saying, oh yeah, and I went out and searched for her, but I didn't find her. But still, it wasn't Joe to mention to Brandon or her family that he was worried about her, nor that he hadn't seen her. So Brandon was so disturbed by this conversation that he never contacted Joe again because he just didn't feel like he could trust him. So why Joe failed to contact Manny's family or report her missing himself is a mystery. Or maybe more of a sign. Manny was officially reported missing on May 1, 2023, but her loved ones were at a complete loss in regards to her whereabouts. Her mom, Ricky, spoke with Joe herself, Desperate for answers. And in order to prove that he was concerned about her well being too, he sent her a video of himself. So this is Joe sending Manny's mom, Ricky a video of himself walking through Manny's apartment to show that it was empty. But get this, Ricky noticed that Joe was holding Manny's keys in in the
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Host He
video, which I find this really, really weird that he's like, yeah, see, like nobody's here, but yet here's her keys. It's like, why do you have her keys?
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Daphne
Yeah. And of course, he probably didn't think that she would notice that. But that's such an incredible, like mom catch kind of straight out of a movie that she'd be like, wait a second, zeroing in on what's in his hand.
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Host He
Of course.
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Daphne
But yeah, it is so suspicious that it's like, see, she's not here. Like as if, like, why do you have to prove that even. It's just so bizarre. Well, just over two weeks later, trouble was brewing at Joe's apartment complex, which was the Century ridge Building in St. Paul, Minnesota, which was just a nine minute drive from Manny's apartment. Because neighbors of Joe's began reporting smelling the stench of dead animal emanating from the unit that Joe shared with his roommate Nathan. And it was so bad and worrisome that on May 18, 2023, the apartment manager and a maintenance employee gained access to the apartment, But Joe refused to allow them into the bedroom where that smell seemed to be coming From. So all the manager could really do was order Joe and Nathan to just clean the unit and get rid of whatever that rancid smell was for the sake of his other tenants, and he vowed to come back and check on the progress. So Joe complied. But the manager then remembered seeing him remove two large duffel bags and a suitcase in the days after their attempted search. He even reported verbatim that it looked like Joe was dragging a dead body.
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Host He
I mean, yeah, if you see somebody dragging duffel bags out of an apartment, that's probably where your mind is going to go to.
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Daphne
But then right after this rancid smell and all these people are noticing it, like, this is painting a really disturbing picture.
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Host He
Yes, it is. Meanwhile, detectives were slowly mounting their search for Manny amid growing concern about her whereabouts. Her ex, this is Shane, who Manny shared her youngest son with, maintained that he rarely went eight hours without talking to Manny, but that they hadn't spoken since April 21. So about a month by this point. Shane also tipped investigators off that Manny had recently complained about having lost her wallet or that perhaps it was stolen. So, hoping that this could maybe provide some valuable insight, Shane logged onto her profiles and noted that her EBT card had. Had been used multiple times after she complained of them disappearing. He also tipped investigators off about some horrific domestic violence issues with Joe, including a story about when Joe once wrapped a rope around Manny's throat when one of their fights got out of hand, and that she had been so afraid that she ran from the apartment. Now, obviously, Joe, kinda, he shared this apartment with his roommate, Nathan, but he did spend a lot of time at Manny's apartment, even though he was not on the lease at Manny's apartment. And obviously, at this point, the police really want to search Joe and Nathan's apartment. But first, the St. Paul Police Department gained access to Manny's residence and found a very frightening scene. Her apartment was typically well kept, and her family went as far as to describe her as a neat freak. But inside, investigators found that the screen of her TV had been cracked, a door had been splintered, and the glass in the microwave was broken. So, you know, obviously, this is a clear sign that some very bad stuff is going on inside that apartment. And troublingly, the foam mattress was missing a hole that had been sloppily cut from it. The bedroom window screen had also been removed, and there appeared to be items missing from the closet. The fitted sheet had been stripped from the bed. But most alarming was the fact that there were red stains at the foot Of Manny's bed. An aluminol test revealed blood in both the kitchen as well as the living room. And there were even clear signs that somebody had tried to clean this up.
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Daphne
So you guys are probably wondering how this wouldn't have been visible in the video that Joe had previously sent Manny's mom. Ricky and I tried to find an answer for this, but I couldn't. So I just imagine that he only showed certain parts of the apartment or certain angles or something because we don't have access to that video, so we don't know exactly what he showed. Maybe he was just standing in one room and said, manny, are you there? See, she's not here. Like it could have been anything.
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Host He
And you know, I mean, it would. It would appear that this would be something that he would want to cover up, of course, because, you know, the TV is cracked, the door is splintered, there's blood at the foot of her bed. So he's definitely not going to show that on video. He's going to be as careful as possible to cover that up.
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Daphne
Or maybe he had like covered the mattress with a blanket that also covered the blood at the foot of the bed for the video. And then when police pulled it off, that's when they saw.
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Host He
That's when they discovered everything.
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Daphne
Yeah, so maybe he was able to like conceal some of this mess for this video in particular. Well, when Manny's bank records were checked, Police confirmed Shane's account. Shane is her ex, of course, that Manny's card had been used at least five times in the aftermath of her disappearance. So then of course, that's of great interest. Cuz one of the first things that you do when somebody goes missing is check their bank records to see if you can track them down and if they're out there buying stuff. But here's what was really disturbing is this was not Manny out buying things and charging her own card. Somebody had taken her card and that person was Joe Jorgensen, her boyfriend. And using surveillance footage that featured Manny's EBT card usage, Detectives were able to track Joe's movements in the days surrounding Manny's disappearance. Now, just want to remind you of some dates because we're throwing a lot at you. So remember, Joe said that he last spoke with Manny on April 4th. Her parents said April 18th. And so two weeks later. And of course, as we know, they spoke with her pretty much every single day. And she was officially reported missing on May 1st. So we can imagine that something happened to her just after April 18 when her parents last spoke with her, as will prove true in just a minute. But on May 9, 2023, her card was used to withdraw money at an ATM at a speedway gas station and was then swiped at a dollar tree, where Joe is seen on surveillance footage buying cleaning supplies. Further investigation revealed that he bought plastic wrap, a bucket, paper towels, latex gloves, disinfectant, wipes, garbage bags, and cleaning solution.
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Host He
I mean, on its head, these things, these purchases wouldn't seem suspicious, but given the fact that it's Joe Jorgensen, they're very much suspicious.
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Daphne
And on her card. Yeah, you know, it's like, I don't know, we all know. Two days after this, he stopped at a grocery store and again stopped at a dollar tree. And then he also loaned Manny's EBT card to a friend of his, probably because A, he knew Manny wouldn't be needing it again, and B, perhaps to like point the trail in another direction. But then came the most startling development of all. The last known footage of Manny Starrin. Back on April 21, three days after she last spoke with her parents. Security footage from inside the Parkway apartment complex, which is where Manny lived, captured 33 year old Manny seeming to fear for her life as she fled from none other than Joe.
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Host He
Yeah, this surveillance footage is so disturbing when you see it, and we're gonna post it on our socials, but, yeah, incredibly alarming.
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Daphne
Yeah. Cause she's like running out of her apartment, like running down the hallway, and it's a really interesting angle. It's like an overhead kind of fisheye angle.
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Host He
Yeah.
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Daphne
And she's running down the hallway and then Joe is coming right after her. So of course the St. Paul Police Department got their hands on this video and they are very disturbed and they can see who it is. They know exactly what's going on. So after Manny gets to the end of the hallway, Joe like manhandles her and then turns her around and forces her into the apartment. To me, it looks like he's like holding a bunch of her hair and pushing like her upper back, like her shoulder blades.
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Host He
Yeah.
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Daphne
And he's just kind of like using her hair in his fist to push her forward.
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Host He
Yeah. She runs from the apartment down the hallway. He chases after her. He catches up to her, grabs her, and then forces her back down the hallway and back into that apartment.
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Daphne
And then she was never seen leaving. And sadly, nobody witnessed this or heard this happen. There is some audio for the video. I don't know if it's the exact audio, if anything was removed because you can kind of hear some Scuffle.
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Host He
But you.
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Daphne
You don't hear any screaming or yelling. So this might have been like a silent fight. She might not have screamed for help, but nobody heard anything that day. Or, you know, she. She could have been saved.
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Host He
I will say that maybe. Maybe it's possible that she didn't scream because she knew that if she did, she would be in even more danger with Joe because she didn't know what was going to happen next.
- [21:19]
Daphne
Yeah, because maybe. It's a good point. If she did say something and a neighbor came out, she. Like we said earlier, when a neighbor checked on her previously, after she had that black eye and the red on her neck, she said that it would make it worse if they did anything. So maybe she was scared of somebody intervening. Well, what? One week later, Jo could be seen on surveillance footage in her building again, this time filtering in and out of her apartment 28 times, scanning in and out using Manny's keys each time, which were trips that included carrying two duffel bags and a suitcase, which, you know, would be exactly what he took out of his own apartment, you know, later on. And then he loaded these items into a pickup truck outside that he had borrowed from his roommate, Nathan. Well, disturbing texts from Joe's phone also revealed the threats that he made to her in the last few weeks before she vanished, including. You called the cops on me two times. Very clear I was of that being punishable by hanging. What the fuck?
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Host He
That's insane.
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Daphne
That's insane. Another text read, quote, hope you die of a kidney infection, you bitch. Cunt. Terrible fucking mother.
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Host He
I mean, who says this type of shit to their partner? It's crazy. He's such an evil person.
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Daphne
Well, additional disturbing details were found on his computer, including searches wondering how to clear cookies from his phone. One search that simply read, quote, jugular. And two more including, quote, what do police do with a missing persons report? And quote, how to remove GPS lime scooter. He also looked up how to obtain, quote, lime for soil. And I want to add that the court documents actually added an addendum to this that read, quote, lime can be used to speed up the decomposition process of a body and to reduce the smell of decomposition. So there you go. Why lime for soil is a very disturbing thing to Google.
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Host He
Yeah, I mean, if you're. If you're a True Crime fan, you've definitely heard of lime being used in many cases to cover up decomposition.
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Daphne
We've talked about it, but it's been a while, I feel like.
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Host He
Yeah. Well, a month after she was reported missing, on June 6, 2023, police reported that they believed that Manny was a victim of fake foul play, based on the fact that the blood found in her apartment matched her DNA. Three weeks later, on Monday, June 26, 2023, police finally arrived at Joe's home, strapped with a search warrant that they had been attempting to secure ever since they heard of the strange bad smell that was coming from inside his apartment. But, of course, Joe continued to cause difficulties, to say the least. Yeah, this part is so crazy. So the search became actually very dangerous when he barricaded himself in the bedroom. In his bedroom that had contained that very foul smell. And then he started a fire in the closet, which caused severe damage and threatened the lives of the investigating officers as well as everybody else in the building. This actually set off the building's sprinkler system, and the whole building was subsequently evacuated. Police then deployed a chemical irritant to lure Joe out of his bedroom. They're like, we're just gonna put some chemical in there because you're not coming out. But when he finally emerged, he, quote, came charging out of the room yelling that he had a gun and that he was going to kill these police officers. And this was per the police report. The thick black smoke made it difficult for anybody inside the apartment to see or even breathe. And as they attempted to incapacitate Joe, 3 inches of water pooled on the floor from the sprinkler system. Joe then attempted to wrestle an officer's AR15 rifle away from him. And although they were successful, Joe continued his efforts to disarm the officer while he continued to yell that he had a gun. Eventually, a SWAT team was dispatched in order to draw Joe out of the apartment. But thankfully, they were able to overtake his advances. They were able to bring him into custody as well as extinguish that fire. Joe then attempted to attack the officers and disarm them again. And two officers were actually injured in this process, and they were taken to the hospital in the aftermath.
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Daphne
This is such a crazy turn of events, like, you know, the fact that he. They're trying to get him out. They're trying to be calm about it. He sets this fire. There's water everywhere from the sprinklers. There's black smoke. He's saying he has a gun. They can't see him. Like, the pure chaos.
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Host He
Yeah, it's like a scene from a movie, you know, because Joe, at that point, you know, he knows, I am so fucked. I'm not getting out of this. I'm going to do everything that I can in my power. It's like. But the crazy part about this is the fact that he's trying to disarm officers and grab their guns and fight them and all this stuff. I mean, at that point, they probably could have used lethal force and just shot him and killed him, but they did take him into custody.
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Daphne
Well, somehow it gets even worse, because once Joe was under control and detained, evidence of blood, decay, and, quote, recent maggot activity was found in the bedroom that he had been safeguarding, which is so disgusting to know that this is his room in his apartment, and this foul smell has been there for weeks, and there's maggot activity, and you're just living there.
- [27:16]
Host He
It's so crazy. And also given the fact that, like, you know, he's this financial guy, you know, he works in finance. He wears. He's a suit and tie kind of guy. And, like. And this is, like, where he's living. This is how he's living.
- [27:32]
Daphne
Well, let's talk about his roommate, because, you know, you're probably wondering, is the roommate involved or, like, what's going on with him? So Nathan actually shut himself in his room just during this whole thing, during this whole chaotic scene, because, like, I
- [27:47]
Host He
don't want to be involved.
- [27:48]
Daphne
Yeah, he was scared of being lumped in with Joe and his crimes. He's like, I'm over here. I don't know what's happening. I'm freaking out. And according to Nathan, he and Joe had known each other for 30 years, so almost their entire lives, because they're both around 40 years old, but they weren't necessarily friends. And Nathan maintained that he kept to himself, rarely engaging with Joe or his girlfriends. He also maintained that years prior, he, Nathan, had sustained a tbi, or, of course, a traumatic brain injury that dulled his sense of smell. So Nathan apparently hadn't even noticed the stench of decay that was lingering from their apartment.
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Host He
That's, like, one of the craziest twists in this case.
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Daphne
I know.
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Host He
Poor Nathan doesn't know what he's living amongst.
- [28:35]
Daphne
So. So disgusting. But there was another person present in their apartment during this whole debacle as well. A woman who very well may have been Joe's next victim. This woman explained that Joe had threatened and coerced her into staying there after he apparently told her that the neighbors, quote, would never hear her scream. So after this whole thing with the guns and the fire and the barricading, she was brought to the hospital, and she was assessed and then released. So now police really knew that Joe was up to some bad shit. So they got a warrant for his phone records and phone pings of his showed at a storage facility in Woodbury, Minnesota, three miles or about five kilometers from his apartment building. So another search warrant was quickly obtained in order to search that storage unit which had been rented in Joe's name. And when they went in, they searched inside a cooler that had been shrouded in plastic wrap. Remember all those cleaning supplies that Joe bought, including the plastic wrap? Well, inside this cooler they found a blue duffel bag that contained the remains of 33 year old Manny Starrin and her body had been dismembered. Her dental records and tattoos confirmed her identity, and it was only after Joe's arrest that another family in St. Paul learned they were about to receive closure as well. Because Manny wasn't the only woman he killed. As routines shift and summer plans begin, it's easy for learning to take a backseat. IXL makes it simple to stay sharp and keep skills fresh in just a few minutes a day.
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Host He
Free meals applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only. Varies by plan. Must order the third box by May 31, 2020. So after Joe Jorgensen's arrest on June 26, 2023, he folded pretty quickly and offered up his account of the events that led to the discovery of Manny's body folded up in that duffel bag he claimed to have killed Manny. On April 21, 2023, predictably, on the evening that she was last seen on surveillance footage, he described getting very upset after she demanded that he leave the apartment. So he then put her in a headlock, beating her and then choking her out until she was no longer breathing. Then when he realized that she was dead, he dismembered her with a long
- [38:32]
Daphne
razor blade, which doesn't even feel possible.
- [38:36]
Host He
Yeah, like, how would you even do that?
- [38:38]
Daphne
And this hasn't been verified. So, you know, we don't know for sure. But I also don't know why he would lie about the method.
- [38:46]
Host He
It's just crazy to use a razor blade to do, like, how are you going to.
- [38:50]
Daphne
Also the fact that he's just like admitting this. He's like, okay, you found her body. Okay, yes, I did kill her. I killed her on this date. This is what happened. Like, we, we don't see this very often.
- [38:59]
Host He
Well, I was going to say, not to be too grim, but like, how are you going to get through bone with a razor blade?
- [39:06]
Daphne
That's why it's hard to believe that it's true, but we just don't know.
- [39:09]
Host He
Yeah. He was held on a $5 million bail. But while he was in custody, his arrest led another family to the closure they were seeking and brought the police to a second body. Now, in many ways, 33 year old Fanta Saivong and Manny Starin were very similar. Fanta was also a mom and had two young children. And like Manny, she is remembered as selfless, a beautiful spirit and a loving mother, sister, and friend. Fanta's family hailed from Laos originally, but she did grow up in the St. Paul area. But like Manny, Fanta struggled intermittently with drug addiction and mental health issues, which to Jo, probably made her an easy target. And because of this, she unfortunately was not in constant contact with her family. And she actually wasn't reported missing until May of 2023, though they hadn't actually seen her since July of 2021. So it did take over two years to report her missing.
- [40:14]
Daphne
Which means that they reported her missing around the same time then that Manny was reported missing.
- [40:20]
Host He
Exactly. Fanta had last been living in Lakeville, Minnesota, about 30 miles or 48 kilometers from downtown Minneapolis. And actually, her family did know that she had been seeing Joe romantically at the time of her disappearance, and they believed that he had been the last person to see her alive. They just really didn't have any proof. So when her family heard the news of Manny's passing and the fact that they shared an ex boyfriend, they began to panic and launched an online campaign looking for Fanta. Well, that's when a tip came into a human trafficking hotline that she had been in an extremely abusive and very controlling relationship prior to her disappearance, and that her ex boyfriend, AKA Joe Jorgensen, was likely responsible for her having gone missing.
- [41:11]
Daphne
Well, this friend, whose name has been omitted in the press, claimed that he was worried about Fanta relapsing and wanted to help her get into treatment. But Joe most likely preferred when Fanta was using because it meant that she was more like, pliable and dependent on him.
- [41:29]
Host He
Yeah, this is kind of Joe's thing. He. He likes to find situations that he can control easily.
- [41:35]
Daphne
So when Joe learned about the friend's attempt to intervene, he threatened Fanta's friend with death and scared him off. However, this friend was the one to eventually report her missing and claimed that Joe was known to be abusive to Fanta.
- [41:53]
Host He
Of course he was.
- [41:54]
Daphne
While already in custody and confronted with her whereabouts, Joe once again folded immediately and admitted that he had beaten Fanta to death at his home in Shoreview, which is a northeastern suburb of Minneapolis. And that is where he was living until September of 2022. So he and Fanta had actually gotten into an argument which led to him striking her with his knee, killing her.
- [42:23]
Host He
So he essentially just, like, kneed her in the head so hard that it killed her.
- [42:28]
Daphne
Yeah. And when he realized she was dead, he says he moved her body to a storage facility, just as he had done with Manny. Fanta's remains were found in a different storage unit in Coon Rapids, which is about 25 miles or 40 kilometers northwest of St. Paul. She was finally found on July 6, 2023. And when asked about this, Joe admitted, quote, I felt bad about it immediately afterwards, but it was my intent at the time to kill her.
- [43:04]
Host He
That's so. That's so crazy. So he's just saying, yeah, that I was trying to kill her.
- [43:09]
Daphne
Yes. Which, again, so rare to be getting confessions like this. A press conference was held to announce the discovery of Manny's remains. And they added that another. Another missing woman could possibly have been attributed to him, which, as we know, Fanta was. Sergeant Mike Ernster, who is a public information officer from the St. Paul Police Department, told the crowd, quote, we also cannot fathom the pain the family is feeling at this point, but we do hope that this investigation's result will bring them some level of solace.
- [43:46]
Host He
In January of 2025, Joe pleaded guilty to two counts of second degree murder for his standoff with police. He was also charged with arson, threats of violence, and disarming an officer, though these charges were later dropped. Per the terms of his plea deal, Manny and Fanta's heartbroken families offered victim impact statements in court, with Ricky Starrin telling the court, manny was my daughter, my heart, and an irreplaceable part of our family. Losing her has shattered our lives in ways I could never imagine. To know that she was not only killed, but also cut apart after her death is something I will never, ever get over. Fanta's sister added, he didn't just take Fanta's life, He destroyed the lives of her children, her family, and everyone who loved her. Well, in response to this, Joe offered up I'd just like to say that I am truly sorry, especially to the family and especially to the children of both Manny and Fanta. I am very, very sorry. And that's all. On February 28, 2025, Joe was sentenced to 40 years in prison, which is the maximum sentence for his crimes. So unfortunately, per the terms of his plea deal, he could be free after just 26 and a half years, when he will be about 67 years old. He'll then serve no more than 160 months, or just over 13 years of probation, as outlined in the terms of his plea deal. He was even given 614 days of credit for time served and was also ordered to pay $5,000 in fines as well as court fees. So it kind of feels like to me, this really just is not enough. And I will say that the judge, Leonardo Castro, didn't mince words when he addressed Joe in court, telling him that he wished that he could impose a longer sentence, saying, you had a good childhood. Your parents remained married, and you had a loving and supportive relationship with them. They provided you with a good education and a good family structure. You share a loving and supportive relationship with your siblings. You were never placed out of home as a juvenile. There were no domestic violence, chemical dependency, or mental health issues within your family. You were never physically or sexually abused. You had no childhood trauma affecting you in your adulthood. No members of your family have ever been in trouble with the law. You graduated from high school, never diagnosed with any learning disabilities. You didn't require any special education. You were never suspended or expelled from school. You attended private college and graduated with a bachelor's degree, and you were employed for 13 years in a major financial institution. Yet notwithstanding all the privileges this world gave you, you inexplicably committed the most gruesome and heinous of crimes I have ever known. You brutally took from others what was not yours to take. Not only did two lives suffer a horrific death at your hands, but you exponentially compounded your sins and crimes by making it almost impossible for their family, friends, and loved ones to grieve and find peace in their most tragic loss. As a society which deems itself to be civil, we look for rational answers as to why someone would do or could do what you did. In this case, there are no answers. What you did cannot be explained. What you did was pure evil. The more appropriate sentence for your crimes would be life without the possibility of parole. However, having pled guilty to the most serious charges, my hands are tied. I do pray that if you ever leave the prison walls that you do not cause any more pain.
- [47:47]
Daphne
Incredible statement.
- [47:48]
Host He
Yeah. I mean, it really just goes to show you, you know, Joe had such a good upbringing. He had a good job, but he chose to be this evil person.
- [48:00]
Daphne
And also that the judge's hands are tied because he. He did take a plea deal. He did admit everything that people don't usually admit. He explained what happened.
- [48:10]
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- [48:10]
Daphne
He. He gave up everything that they asked for. And so he's like, this is all I can do, and I don't think you should be free. But that's not up to me. I mean, you kind of followed the rules after that.
- [48:22]
Host He
Yeah. And all of us do believe that Joe should not ever be released. I mean, just given the things that he did to these women and the fact that there could be other victims attributed to Joe Jorgensen, don't you think?
- [48:35]
Daphne
Like, probably.
- [48:36]
Host He
Probably. Yeah, I do think so. But, you know, just going back to, like, the. The way. The callousness in which he committed these crimes. Joe should never be released from prison
- [48:46]
Daphne
because we know he's a violent man. He is. He's violent and controlling with women. He thinks that they are his objects. So, yeah, would not be surprised if he had done this before Fanta, even. Well, Judge Castro also addressed the families, telling them, quote, I can't imagine the pain that you all must be suffering. There's no rulebook or time frame on how to grieve. Grief is a unique individual experience. So do what's right for your soul. Seek out others who will allow you to talk as much as you want to talk, as often as you want to talk about your grief. And if at times you don't feel like talking, you also have that right to keep silent. Hold on to the love and memories of Fanta and Manny. They are your strength, of course. Hold on to each other. Let Fanta and Manny, their memories, be your source of courage and comfort. Grieve as you must, but cherish the moments you had with them because they are your treasure. Both families started GoFundMes to crowdfund funeral expenses, and the Saivong family actually donated to Manny's writing. We would like to send our deepest condolences. With so much love and appreciation, we are able to put our little sister to rest. In the aftermath of the trial, Ricky Starin shared with the press. She's our beautiful daughter. She had a heart of gold, and she was really a good mom. Yes, he is a monster, but I do feel bad for his family. Ricky added another heartbreaking detail for the court that Manny's spirit of helpfulness and service to her community led to her feeling called to donate her organs. And in doing so, she hoped to save lives. When she was gone, and Joe took that option away from her, Ricky said sadly, quote, she wanted to give her life to others. Even in death, that was also stolen from her. Her selflessness and desire to help others could have saved lives. But even that choice was taken from her by this hideous crime. Police have maintained that they cannot rule out Joe Jorgensen being responsible for the death of other missing women, though so far, no other connections have been made. Thank you so much, everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.
- [51:35]
Host He
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. Remember, we are gonna post that surveillance footage on our socials, so make sure you go give us a follow and check that out.
- [51:45]
Daphne
Yeah. And see photos of Manny and Fanta. And I gotta say, like, part of me is like, well, if he had killed anybody else, he probably would have confessed to it because clearly he's not afraid to do that. But also he's got a shot of being out of prison in 26 years. He doesn't want to mess that up either.
- [52:01]
Host He
That's very true. Yeah.
- [52:03]
Daphne
So I don't know.
- [52:04]
Host He
He does have a shot at Pearl, which I don't think he should ever have a shot at Pearl. I mean, this guy's a monster.
- [52:09]
Daphne
Horrible. Such a sad case. Thank you so much again to kids, Katie, for telling us about this story. And if you guys have any case recommendations, send us an email going west podcastmail.com and we will see you on Friday.
- [52:24]
Host He
All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the
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Daphne
world, don't be a stranger.
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