NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 5, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT: Wade Backstrom
218-726-2323 or backstromw@stlouiscountymn.gov
Shelly Jean Goerdt Sentenced
Court file #69HI-CR-24-131
Today, in St. Louis County District Court in Hibbing, the Honorable Rachel Sullivan denied the defense’s motion for a downward dispositional departure and granted the prosecution’s request to sentence Shelly Jean Goerdt, 41, to 36 months in prison, announced St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki. The sentence pronounced today is the presumptive sentence under Minnesota sentencing law. Ms. Goerdt previously pleaded guilty on December 2, 2025, to Assault in the Second Degree - Dangerous Weapon and False Imprisonment – Intentional Restraint.
During the evening of February 16, 2024, Shelly Jean Goerdt lured her ex-boyfriend to a residence in Hibbing, MN. Ms. Goerdt and her sister, Corrine Starc, subdued the victim using a taser and restrained him in a bathroom using rope, duct tape, and plastic wrap. Over the course of the next three days, Ms. Goerdt and Ms. Starc held the victim captive while continuing to assault him. In the early morning hours of February 19, 2024, the victim escaped. Ms. Goerdt attempted to recapture him by chasing him down with her vehicle and assaulting him with the taser. The victim was able to escape again, hiding in an unheated garage for several hours before venturing out and asking a gas station clerk to call 911.
“Ms. Goerdt and Ms. Starc committed very serious offenses, and our thoughts are with the victim as he continues to recover from the grievous harm inflicted upon him,” said County Attorney Maki. “My office remains committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and to holding offenders accountable for crimes that undermine these core principles.”
The co-defendant, Corrine Starc, pleaded guilty to kidnapping in a hearing on December 23, 2025, and is scheduled for sentencing on February 26, 2026.
The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office thanks the Hibbing Police Department and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office for their diligent investigation of this matter.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant County Attorney Michael Hagley.
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