Madeline Kingsbury case: Jury selection gets underway Monday
BLUE EARTH CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - Jury selection is underway in Mankato in the murder case of Madeline Kingsbury, the 28-year-old woman whose disappearance in the spring of 2023 brought out thousands to help search.
What we know
Due to the widespread attention the case received, the trial was moved to Blue Earth County in order to find enough impartial jurors.
Kingsbury’s body was discovered in early June 2023 in a culvert in Fillmore County, south of Winona, wrapped in a bedsheet that matched one missing from her home.
Her ex-boyfriend, Adam Fravel, 30, is charged with two counts each of first and second-degree murder.
Travel and Kingsbury lived together in Winona and shared two young children. He was arrested and charged just days after her body was found on rural property near the home of Fravel’s parents.
On the day Kingsbury disappeared, Fravel was seen changing the license plates on Kingsbury’s minivan. He was then spotted on various cameras driving south towards his family’s home near Mabel.
Prosecutors say Fravel was abusive of Kingsbury prior to her disappearance and death.
What’s ahead?
Testimony is expected from friends of "Maddi" who say Fravel had assaulted her and warned her she could wind up like Gabby Petito, another high-profile case of a woman murdered by her fiancée.
In the criminal complaint against Fravel, one friend of Kingsbury describes being on a video call with Maddi and witnessing Fravel berate her and then hit her in the face.
Testimony is also expected from friends who say they saw bruises on Maddi, and that she would often cover them up or make excuses for how she got them.
Witnesses will also testify that Kingsbury had begun a new relationship and was in the process of moving out of the home she shared with Fravel.
On Monday, 106 potential jurors filled out questionnaires.
On Tuesday, attorneys will begin individual questioning of potential jurors, with 17 people ultimately being seated: 12 jurors and five alternates.
A total of 167 potential witnesses are slated to potentially speak, though that doesn’t mean all of them will necessarily testify.
Opening statements are set for Oct. 14, but could come late this week if jury selection wraps up.
The trial is slated to take three to four weeks.