Verdict in the trial of Adam Fravel in the murder of Madeline Kingsbury

MANKATO, Minn. — After about 10.5 hours of deliberations, a jury is close to deciding whether Adam Fravel is guilty of the murder of his ex-girlfriend Madeline Kingsbury, the Winona woman whose disappearance in late March 2023 sparked national interest and a search attracted more than 2,000 volunteers.

Fravel, 30, was charged with four counts of murder after Kingsbury's body was found in June in a culvert near a dirt road on Highway 43, a few miles from Fravel's parents' property. His trial began on October 7th.

It took nearly a year and a half until Kingsbury's body was found on June 7th. Prosecutors say Fravel was jealous. Kingsbury planned to leave him for another man. Fravel was also financially dependent on Kingsbury, and the relationship appeared to have deteriorated after Kingsbury gave birth to the first of her two children.

Fravel and Kingsbury had an on-again, off-again relationship for seven years before Kingsbury's disappearance. According to her friends and family, Kingsbury often complained that Fravel never helped around the house.

They also testified in court about instances of domestic violence, including in September 2021 when Fravel grabbed Kingsbury by the throat from behind and pushed her onto a couch while they were watching a documentary about Gabby Petito, the Florida blogger whose boyfriend she was had killed and hid her body earlier this year.

Kingsbury and her children then stayed with her parents, David and Cathy Kingsbury, at their home.

David Kingsbury told the court that he urged Madeline to report the incident to the police, but she never did. Kingsbury said he believes Madeline “softened” her description of the incident after she had time to think about her future with Fravel and how leaving him would affect her children's relationship with him.

Zach Bauer, Fravel's defense attorney, dismissed the incident as a bad joke gone wrong, pointing out that Fravel apologized shortly after the incident and told her it was a joke. But prosecutors say the incident, as well as others seen by friends on video calls, fit a pattern of domestic violence. That's a key part of one of the murder charges Fravel faces.