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After a three-week trial, the jury in the trial of Adam Fravel found him guilty of four charges for the murder of Madeline Kingsbury. 

Kingsbury was the mother of Fravel’s children. The case attracted national attention and was moved from Winona to Mankato as a result.

Before a packed court room, the jury foreperson announced guilty verdicts on charges of: premeditated 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.

Parties deliver closing arguments in Adam Fravel trial

Kingsbury disappeared at the end of March 2023 and was the subject of a widespread search. Her body was found four months later in a culvert near Fravel’s parents home in Fillmore County in southeast Minnesota. Law enforcement then arrested Fravel.  

Sentencing is set for Dec. 17 in Winona. Fravel faces a mandatory life sentence.

Members of the Kingsbury and Fravel families were present at the reading of the verdict. Some Fravel family members burst into tears when the guilty verdicts were handed down.

Speaking later to reporters outside the courthouse David Kingsbury, Madeline’s father, says justice has been served but it won’t bring his daughter back. 

“Fravel can’t be punished enough,” he said. “We’ve lost a daughter, mother, aunt, sister. Children are scarred ... not just Eliana and Noah, but the children in our extended family wonder why. His life is wasted, ruin and devastation to two families. There’s no joy here, but we’re glad at the result.”

Winona Police Chief Tom Williams, who was involved in the search for Kingsbury, welcomed the verdict.  

“To say that this was a huge undertaking would be a great understatement,” he said. “The number of man hours that went into this by law enforcement from many different counties, state agencies and we cannot be forgetful of the number of citizens that also stepped up to the plate to help us with this investigation.”

Correction (Dec. 13, 2024): An earlier version of this story misstated the sentence for Adam Fravel’s conviction. The above story has been updated.

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Jurors deliberated for less than a day before returning guilty verdicts on four charges including premediated first-degree murder.

Adam Fravel found guilty on all charges in Kingsbury murder

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