John Jefferson
Background: Court illustration of Adam Fravel in court on Thursday, Nov. 7, for his verdict (KMSP/Cedric Hohnstadt). Inset: Maddi Kingsbury, the slain ex-girlfriend of Adam Fravel (Winona Police Department).
A Minnesota man accused of killing the mother of his two children after telling her she’d “end up like Gabby Petito” — who was killed by her boyfriend in a viral 2021 murder case — was found guilty of her murder on Thursday and now faces a mandatory life sentence.
Adam Fravel, 29, was convicted by a Winona County jury of all four charges he was facing for 26-year-old Madeline Kingsbury‘s death, including premeditated first-degree murder with a past pattern of domestic abuse and second-degree murder, following a monthlong jury trial, according to court records.
It took jurors roughly 10 hours to find Fravel guilty, per the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Friends and family of Kingsbury and Fravel were reportedly in attendance and weeping when the verdict was read out loud, as was Fravel. He and Kingsbury were said to have been together, on and off, for roughly seven years.
Kingsbury went missing on March 31 after dropping her children off at day care with Fravel, according to police. The kids were picked up by Fravel later in the day, but Kingsbury was not with him. Her car was reportedly found by a friend at the couple’s home, sitting in their driveway. Prosecutors said the last text message Kingsbury sent out was at 8:15 a.m. that morning, just 10 minutes after the children were dropped off.
Left: Missing mother of two, Madeline Kingsbury (Winona Police Department). Right: Adam Fravel appears in a mug shot (Winona County Sheriff’s Office).
Kingsbury’s remains were eventually found on June 7 in Fillmore County, on a property maintained by one of Fravel’s family members, according to Fravel’s criminal complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime. Her body was found by a sheriff’s deputy, wrapped in a sheet and black Gorilla tape, which matched items found in her home.
In Fravel’s complaint, authorities described how he once told Kingsbury, “If she did not listen up, she would end up like Gabby Petito.” Petito was a 22-year-old woman from New York who was murdered by her boyfriend in Wyoming during a cross-country van trip in 2021. Her death sparked international headlines and countless videos on social media.
“Fravel admitted being ‘infatuated’ with the Gabby Petito case,” the complaint says. “Fravel also admitted that he made a statement to Madeline about her ending up like Gabby Petito.”
Fravel is due back in court on Dec. 17 for his sentencing. His attorney, Zachary Bauer, was not immediately available for comment Thursday.
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