Adam Fravel was found guilty of murder in the Madeline Kingsbury case

BLUE EARTH COUNTY, Minn. (CBS Minnesota) – A jury has found Adam Fravel, the 30-year-old southeastern Minnesota man charged with murder in the death of 26-year-old Madeline Kingsbury, guilty of murder.

The verdict was handed down Thursday morning in a Blue Earth County courtroom. Fravel was guilty on all four counts:

• First degree murder in domestic violence and a history of domestic violence
• First degree premeditated murder
• Second degree murder without premeditation
• Second-degree murder, unintentional in the commission of a felony.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17 and faces a possible life sentence.

Both the state and defense made closing arguments Wednesday in a Mankato courtroom. The jury deliberated throughout Wednesday before adjourning for the night.

Kingsbury went missing in March 2023 after dropping off the two children she shared with Fravel at a daycare in Winona. Fravel denied any involvement in her disappearance, but was arrested on charges two days after her remains were found near his family's property in the town of Mabel, near the Iowa border.

A major focus of the trial, which was moved to Blue Earth County following a successful petition by Fravel's attorneys to ensure jury impartiality, was allegations of domestic violence committed by Fravel during their seven-year relationship.

Kingsbury's family members testified that she had accused him of strangling her in front of her children in 2021, and Kingsbury's boyfriend had told the investigation that they saw Fravel hit her during a video call.

Part of the defense's closing argument claimed that there were no signs of a struggle in the home Fravel and Kingsbury shared. During the trial, his team had also requested the removal of certain pieces of evidence, including photographs of passages from her diary.

Prosecutors claimed there was indisputable evidence that Fravel was responsible for Kingsbury's death and that he planned it, citing his alleged “obsession” with the murder of Gabby Petito and Kingsbury's budding relationship with an old college friend .

Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.

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