close
close

Adam Fravel, a Minnesota man convicted of murdering his girlfriend, had warned her that she would end up like Gabby Petito

A Minnesota man was convicted Thursday of murdering his girlfriend, whose disappearance in 2023 drew national attention and prompted thousands of people to join search efforts before her body was found hidden in a rural area of ​​the state.

Less than a day after deliberations began, the jury found 30-year-old Adam Fravel guilty of first-degree murder.

He was arrested in June 2023, a few days after officers found Madeline Kingsbury’s body in a wooded area a few miles from a property owned by Fravel’s parents.

Adam Fravel was convicted of the murder of Madeline Kingsbury on November 7, 2024. AP

Kingsbury, 26, disappeared in March 2023 after dropping her and Fravel’s two young children off at daycare in Winona, a city in southeastern Minnesota with about 26,000 residents.

The trial centered on competing accounts of the couple’s domestic life and the police investigation that led to Fravel’s arrest.

Phil Prokopowicz, a special prosecutor handling the case for the Winona County District Attorney’s Office, built his case on statements from family members and friends of the couple who spoke about instances of alleged domestic abuse, MPR reported.

Zach Bauer, Fravel’s attorney, said law enforcement’s investigation and prosecution of Fravel was based on “tunnel vision, revisionist history and secret truths.”

The jury delivered their verdict in front of a packed courtroom, which included members of Kingsbury and Fravel’s families. Some in the courtroom gallery burst into tears as the verdicts were announced, MPR reported.

Madeline Kingsbury was reported missing on March 31, 2023 and her disappearance was described as “suspicious.” Madeline Kingsbury/Facebook

The witnesses said they saw bruises on Kingsbury’s neck, and in one case, a friend said she was on FaceTime with Kingsbury when Fravel allegedly hit her.

Another friend testified that Kingsbury told her that Fravel warned his girlfriend that she could end up like Gabby Petito, a woman killed by her boyfriend in a high-profile case in 2021.

Prosecutors and other witnesses said Kingsbury planned to leave Fravel after becoming frustrated with his allegedly abusive behavior and inadequate contributions to her family.

Minnesota officers took her 2- and 5-year-old children into custody away from their father, Adam Fravel. Facebook / Adam Fravel
Kingsbury was found in a wooded area a few miles from property owned by Fravel’s parents. Winona County Emergency Management

He responded by killing her, prosecutors argued.

“The relationship was never about her,” Prokopowicz said in his closing statement. “It was always about him.”

Prokopowicz said the evidence shows Fravel was the only person who had the opportunity to kill Kingsbury.

Police found Kingsbury’s body wrapped in a gray fitted sheet sealed with black Gorilla tape.

Prosecutors and other witnesses said Kingsbury planned to leave Fravel after becoming frustrated with his allegedly abusive behavior and inadequate contributions to her family. Facebook / Find Madeline Kingsbury
A friend testified that Kingsbury told her that Fravel warned his girlfriend that she could end up like Gabby Petito, a woman killed by her boyfriend in a high-profile case in 2021. Facebook / Adam Fravel

Prokopowicz said she was strangled with a towel, and a medical examiner concluded she likely died of asphyxia.

The towel, bed sheet and duct tape matched items found at their Winona home, he added.

Bauer, Fravel’s attorney, argued that there were no signs of a physical struggle in the couple’s home, refuting the belief that Kingsbury died there.

Bauer also relied on the testimony of a neighbor who claimed to have seen an unknown person waving to him from his home on the morning of Kingsbury’s disappearance.

Bauer also disputed prosecutors’ claim that Fravel was involved in domestic violence. He referred to the testimony of a neighbor who said he had never heard the couple argue.

Officials hold a press conference in Winona on June 9, 2023, announcing the discovery of Madeline Kingsbury’s body. Minn. AP

The trial was held in Mankato, Minnesota, about 136 miles from Winona, after a judge granted a request from Fravel’s lawyers to move the case.

Fravel will be sentenced on December 17th.

You may also like...