Adam Fravel to be sentenced in murder of Madeline Kingsbury: How to watch
Madeline Kingsbury's family thanks community after guilty verdict [RAW]
After Adam Fravel was found guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder, Madeline Kingsbury's family thanked the community of Winona who supported them and Maddi's children. Here's their full comments following the guilty verdict.
WINONA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Adam Fravel will learn his fate this week as he is sentenced in the murder of his former partner and mother of his two children, Madeline Kingsbury, in southern Minnesota.
What to know
Fravel will appear in court on Tuesday morning to be sentenced after being convicted of murder in Kingsbury's killing.
A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree murder with a past pattern of domestic abuse, second-degree murder with intent, and second-degree murder while committing a felony.
Premeditated first-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Live coverage
A judge has granted media outlets, including FOX 9, the ability to live stream the hearing.
FOX 9 will stream the entire hearing. It is slated to be held at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday in Winona County.
Background
Madeline Kingsbury went missing on March 31, 2023. She was last seen alive dropping her children off at day care on that morning.
She returned home but never logged on for remote work and was never heard from again.
Fravel, who was moving out of Kingsbury's home after a break-up, claimed Kingsbury had been alive when he left home that morning to bring items to a storage locker. When he returned to Kingsbury's home early that afternoon, Fravel said Kingsbury wasn't there.
However, authorities say Fravel's timeline didn't match the surveillance video detectives were able to uncover during the investigation.
Video obtained by FOX 9 shows investigators grilling Fravel during questioning, with Fravel denying involvement in the disappearance.
Search efforts
After efforts by law enforcement and hundreds of volunteers, Kingsbury's body was discovered months later by a Fillmore County deputy near Fravel's parents' home in Mabel, Minn.
Investigators say her body was wrapped in a bedsheet with a towel knotted around her head, which prosecutors say was used to suffocate her. Fravel was arrested shortly after, and he was later indicted on charges of first-degree murder.
The trial
In August 2024, Fravel’s defense team successfully petitioned Winona County Judge Nancy Buytendorp to move the trial to Blue Earth County – a move said to further ensure an unbiased jury.
The trial began in October with the prosecution bringing forth several witnesses including police officers and investigators who worked on the case, as well as, family and friends who described Kingsbury's relationship with Fravel as abusive.
During closing arguments, the prosecution told jurors that Fravel had the motive, means and opportunity to kill Kingsbury. Prosecutors argued Fravel was abusive and controlling, and that he was jealous after Kingsbury told him she’d begun a new relationship.
Fravel did not testify in his own defense, exercising his right to remain silent. His defense team rested its case on Wednesday, arguing that investigators had "tunnel vision" who only focused on Fravel from the start and ignored anything that didn't fit into that narrative.