Fravel indicted on 1st-degree murder in Madeline Kingsbury’s death
The ex-boyfriend of Madeline Kingsbury is now charged with first-degree murder in connection to her death.
A grand jury in Winona County returned an indictment Monday, charging 29-year-old Adam Fravel with two counts of first-degree murder — one for premeditation and another for a past pattern of domestic abuse — and two counts of second-degree murder.
Fravel was charged by prosecutors with second-degree murder back in June, but first-degree charges require a grand jury proceeding in Minnesota. A second-degree murder conviction can carry up to 40 years in prison in Minnesota while first-degree murder is punishable by life in prison.
Kingsbury’s disappearance at the end of March spurred a massive search effort in southern Minnesota, with hundreds if not thousands of volunteers helping law enforcement teams comb land in Fillmore and Winona counties.
The 26-year-old’s body was found wrapped in a bed sheet on June 7 in a rural area between Choice and Mabel, about a mile off Highway 43 on a public gravel road.
Fravel was arrested that same night and formally charged two days later, and Kingsbury’s family released a statement expressing confidence that the person responsible for her death is in custody.
Charging documents noted that at least two people had been concerned in the past after seeing marks on Kingsbury’s face, and a friend reportedly saw Fravel hit Kingsbury in the face during a video call. Additionally, police found messages between the two where Kingsbury wrote that she wasn’t OK with Fravel abusing her and Fravel responded, “You’ll adjust.”
The documents also stated that Fravel made a comment saying Kingsbury would end up like Gabby Petito — a cross-country traveler who was killed by her boyfriend in Wyoming — if she didn’t listen and later told police he was “infatuated” with the Petito case.
Fravel is set to make his first appearance on the upgraded charges on Tuesday morning.
Kingsbury’s father, David, sent the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Monday.
“In 1942 when the tide of the war had finally turned in favor of the Allies after the battles of Stalingrad and El Alamein, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, famously said, ‘This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’
“We are grateful beyond measure for the diligence, dedication and efforts of the Winona County Attorney’s Office, law enforcement agencies at every level, other first responders, and the multitude of many ordinary people in the community who’ve volunteered their resources, time and prayers.
“Our family realizes that this is a long and arduous process. The pursuit of justice for Madeline is worth every ounce of strength and effort we can muster. Not just for her alone, but also for every person suffering from domestic violence and abuse. You have not heard the last from her. Her voice will remain LOUD!”
David Kingsbury