Hanson pleads guilty to shooting of Hallock man

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has secured the conviction of Jordan Carol Hanson for second degree felony murder. Hanson pleaded guilty on May 28, regarding the shooting death of Justin Esparza last year.
On March 13, 2025, Hanson shot Justin Esparza in the head at his residence, using Esparza’s handgun. Hanson then left the scene with Esparza’s truck and dog before her arrest for the murder.
Hanson, 24, entered a guilty plea through a petition on Thursday, May 28. Hanson was arrested for the shooting death of Justin Esparza at a Hallock residence. She has been incarcerated at Pennington County Jail in Thief River Falls ever since. She was originally charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder without intent to cause death but with assault in the second degree with a dangerous weapon.
With the guilty plea to the amended charge of second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony, court documents state that the prosecution would dismiss the first count of second-degree murder.
Attorney General Ellison’s office prosecuted Hanson upon a referral from Kittson County Attorney Robert Albrecht under Minnesota Statutes section 8.01, which provides, “Upon request of the county attorney, the attorney general shall appear in court in such criminal cases as the attorney general deems proper.” The authority vested in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is primarily civil. Aside from referrals submitted under section 8.01 and Medicaid fraud, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office does not have prosecuting authority over most criminal acts. That authority generally rests with city and county attorneys.
“My team and the Kittson County Attorney’s Office are holding Jordan Hanson accountable for the murder she committed in March of 2025,” said Attorney General Ellison. “One of my primary missions as Attorney General to help Minnesotans live in safety, and I will continue to partner with local law enforcement across our state to accomplish that mission. I’m grateful to the Kittson County Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Hallock Police Department, and members of my Criminal Division for their work bringing Hason to justice.”
The maximum penalty that can be imposed for this charge is 40 years.
In the court documents, Hanson signed a petition to enter a plea of guilty, which included the specific statement, “I now make no claim that I am innocent.” She also acknowledges she wasn’t acting in self-defense when she allegedly shot Esparza, and that she was not “so drunk or under the influence of drugs” that she didn’t know what she was doing.
In the case she withdraws her guilty plea or the court doesn’t accept it, Hanson is still entitled to a jury trial. With the current plea, she has waived her right to any type of trial. There will be a presentence investigation prior to the judge’s sentencing.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Kittson County Sheriff’s Office and the Hallock Police Department assisted in the investigation and successful prosecution of this crime.