Sentencing for Joseph Davis will happen on Oct. 26 after he admitted to second-degree murder in the 2025 killing of Christine Morris.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend and the mother of his young daughter, moving a case that began with a disturbing welfare check in May 2025 into its final sentencing stage. Joseph Davis, 35, admitted killing 33-year-old Christine Morris at the home they shared in St. Paul.

Davis is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 26, and prosecutors are seeking a 480-month prison term, equal to 40 years. That is the maximum term available for the offense, according to published reports on the plea. His admission means prosecutors will not have to take the murder charge to trial, shifting the remaining court proceeding from determining guilt to deciding the punishment for Morris’ death.

The case began during the early morning hours of May 2, 2025, when St. Paul police were sent to a home in the 300 block of Edmund Avenue after receiving information that Davis had told a family member he had killed Morris. Charging documents described the call as an admission accompanied by an apology. The family member’s report prompted officers to conduct a welfare check at the house, where Davis and Morris had been living with their 2-year-old daughter.

When officers entered, they heard signs that a child was inside and found the toddler in the living room. She was physically unharmed. Police then went upstairs and found Morris in a bedroom beneath a blanket. Medics later pronounced her dead. Authorities determined that Morris had suffered multiple sharp-force injuries, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office classified her death as a homicide. The child’s presence in the house became one of the most striking details in the initial charging account.

Investigators quickly began reconstructing Morris’ final hours. A friend told officers that Morris had been with her the night before and that Davis had been accusing Morris of having a relationship with another man. Morris returned home at about 11 p.m. and sent the friend a message confirming that she had arrived safely. Police said other messages later shown to investigators documented Morris’ concern about Davis well before the killing.

One friend produced a message Morris had sent months earlier saying that if she or her daughter ever ended up dead or missing, Davis should be considered responsible, according to charging accounts reported by local news organizations. That warning took on new significance after officers found Morris dead and her daughter alone in the house. Investigators also learned that Davis had a documented domestic-violence history involving Morris before the homicide, including prior convictions and a violation of a domestic-abuse no-contact order.

The investigation extended beyond the Edmund Avenue home. Officers recovered Morris’ cellphone near a park after it had been discarded away from the residence. Police then traced Davis to an apartment in Minneapolis. The woman living there told investigators she had met Davis through a dating app about a month earlier and said he contacted her while telling her he was trying to avoid police, according to the criminal case account. A Minneapolis SWAT team eventually took Davis into custody.

After his arrest and after receiving a Miranda warning, Davis spoke with homicide investigators about what happened. According to the charging account, Davis claimed he had become angry over what he believed was Morris’ infidelity and said he confronted her at home. He described the confrontation becoming physical and acknowledged stabbing her. Investigators said Davis also told them he had believed a recording device captured Morris with another man. Those statements reflected Davis’ account of the dispute and did not establish any independent finding about Morris’ private relationships.

Davis also described what he did after the stabbing. According to investigators, he remained with Morris as she died and then covered her body. He later lay down with the couple’s daughter until the child fell asleep before leaving the home. Police said he drove away and discarded Morris’ phone. His statements to detectives included expressions of regret and an acknowledgment of the severity of what he had done. Authorities have not treated those comments as changing the criminal responsibility Davis has now accepted through his guilty plea.

The homicide came after prior incidents involving Davis and Morris had already reached the criminal justice system. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported after Davis was charged that he had multiple domestic-violence convictions dating back to 2023 in which Morris was the victim. Other charging coverage documented a domestic-abuse no-contact order that Davis had violated. Investigators also interviewed a former partner who had concerns about Davis’ violence, further adding to the history reviewed after Morris’ death.

The guilty plea changes the legal posture of the case in an important way. When Davis was first charged, the second-degree murder allegation still had to be proven in court if the case went to trial. By pleading guilty to intentional second-degree murder, Davis has admitted criminal responsibility for Morris’ killing. What remains unresolved is the length of the prison sentence the judge will impose. Prosecutors are asking for 480 months, but the final sentence will be set by the court at the scheduled hearing.

Morris’ death also left a young child without her mother. A memorial account published after the killing described Morris, also known as Chrissy, as a mother who operated a Jamaican food catering business and worked in real estate. Friends remembered her for her warmth and strength. A fundraising page cited in earlier coverage similarly described her as a loving mother, sister and friend and said her daughter represented an important part of her legacy.

The case drew particular attention because the evidence described in the charging documents combined an admitted killing with earlier warnings and a documented history of domestic violence. Those facts emerged piece by piece: Morris’ messages to friends, Davis’ call to a family member, the discovery of the toddler, the discarded phone, his arrest in Minneapolis and his subsequent statements to investigators. With the guilty plea now entered, those investigative steps no longer lead toward a murder trial but instead form the record surrounding the upcoming sentencing decision.

For now, Davis is due back in court Oct. 26 for sentencing on the second-degree murder conviction. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum 40-year term. As of Oct. 19, the sentencing has not yet occurred, and the punishment Davis will ultimately receive remains for the court to decide.

Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.