Adam Fravel found guilty of Madeline Kingsbury’s murder

Adam Fravel was convicted of murdering Madeline Kingsbury, the mother of his children.

The jury found him guilty on all charges; two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

The jury began deliberating around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and continued until 9:30 p.m. Talks resumed at 08:00 on Thursday.

His sentencing is scheduled for the afternoon of Dec. 17 in Winona County. He faces life in prison for first-degree murder.

“There’s no joy here,” Kingsbury’s father, David, said. “But we are happy with the outcome.”

The family said they were relieved by the decision but felt the pain of losing their daughter, sister and mother of two young children.

“It’s kind of a big victory,” David says. We won’t get Madeline back. Fravel cannot be punished enough.”

As previously reported, Kingsbury first disappeared from her home on March 31, 2023. A large-scale search effort soon accelerated across southeastern Minnesota.

“Everybody came together,” recalled Madeline’s sister, Megan Kingsbury. “Everyone was asking questions, contacting law enforcement, providing resources, creating websites and Facebook pages.”

“The community came together right away,” added Winona Police Chief Tom Williams. “They started organizing search parties before we did.”

Kingsbury’s body was found taped to a sheet near a country road in Fillmore County in June 2023.

Prosecutors built a case that painted Fravel as an abusive partner who said Kingsbury ended up similar to social media influencer Gabby Petito, who was strangled to death by her boyfriend.

“At the end of the day, you have to trust the process,” says Kingbury’s brother, Steven. “The truth kind of comes to the fore and the evidence always comes out.”

The defense argued there was no abuse and said there were no signs of a struggle where prosecutors say Kingsbury was killed.

Defense attorney Zachery Bauer called law enforcement’s case targeting Fravel “tunnel vision.”

“I was disappointed with the outcome,” he said. “Mr. Fravel will have the right to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, as he does in all first-degree murder cases.”

According to sister station KAAL, prosecutors 68 witnesses took the stand over two weeksThey included Kingsbury’s parents, law enforcement investigators and forensic scientists.

Fravel’s defense team called five witnesses, including two law enforcement officers, Fravel’s brother and neighbors of the couple’s home in Winona, and Fravel’s parents in Mabel. Fravel did not testify in his own defense.

Winona County District Judge Nancy Buytendorp agreed to move the hearing to Blue Earth County Due to extensive pre-trial publicity in the Winona area. Despite the move, jury selection took a week and a half until both sides reached their decision. 12 jurors and five alternates. Both sides delivered their opening statements on October 17.

Kingsbury’s family says they plan to start a foundation in Kingsbury’s name to educate people about domestic violence and provide resources to people who need help. The family described the decision as a kind of call to arms.

“The jury and the state dealt a huge blow to abused women today,” Daniel Kingsbury said. “The message needs to be conveyed; You can’t do this and get away with it.”

Find KSTP’s coverage of the disappearance and murder of Madeline Kingsbury here. Here.