by April Scheinoha
Editor
A Kennedy woman pled guilty Thursday, May 28 in Kittson County District Court to a felony charge of second degree murder – unintentional.
Another charge of second degree murder is expected to be dismissed against Jordan Carol Hanson, 24. Sentencing has been set for Wednesday, July 8.
Hanson has been charged with the murder of Justin Esparza, 43. Esparza was found dead at his Hallock home March 13, 2025, according to the complaint. He had been shot in the head. Hanson’s family members reported the shooting after she had allegedly spoken to them about the shooting. Law enforcement later interviewed the man who said he had witnessed Hanson shooting Esparza. (The complaint only identifies Esparza by his initials; however, family members later identified him as the individual who had been shot.)
According to the amended complaint, the charges stemmed from a report to the Kittson County Sheriff’s Office at about 1:27 p.m. March 13, 2025. Hanson’s mom reported that her daughter had allegedly shot Esparza in the head and she wanted to talk to Chief Deputy Dave Thompson or Sheriff Matt Vig. She said her daughter, who had recently been under the care of a treatment center for drugs, was with her at her home. She said someone had picked Hanson up from the treatment center during the night and had driven her to Kittson County. She said Hanson possessed Esparza’s vehicle and dog.
Hanson, who allegedly sounded as if she was under the influence of drugs, then spoke on the phone with Thompson, saying she wanted to talk to him in person. She, too, mentioned something about having the Esparza’s car and dog.
About a minute after their mom called the sheriff’s office, Hanson’s sister called 911. She said her sister had apparently shot Esparza, and she wanted someone to check on him.
Hallock Police Chief Mike Docken, Vig and two deputies went to Esparza’s house, where they found him deceased at about 1:34 p.m. March 13, 2025. He was lying partially on a couch and the floor. They observed a significant amount of blood on his head, around Esparza’s head and on the floor. A semiautomatic Smith & Wesson handgun was found on the couch a couple of feet from Esparza’s body. A casing was found on the floor next to the couch. No one else was found at the home.
Thompson, the chief deputy, arrived at the home of Hanson’s mom at about 1:39 p.m. that day. Hanson was outside when he arrived. He soon informed her that she was under arrest for homicide. Hanson allegedly told Thompson that he had lost weight. She didn’t make any sense, asking “what all the sugar beets were doing on the ground,” according to the complaint. Her family told Thompson that Hanson was “completely delusional from using drugs.”
When again asked if she knew why she was under arrest, Hanson allegedly said it was because she had shot the chief deputy and she was sorry.