Minnesota Supreme Court denies Madeline Kingsbury’s killer’s request for new trial

WINONA COUNTY, Minn. (TCN) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court has denied convicted murderer Adam Fravel’s appeal for a new trial.

Madeline Kingsbury, 27, was reported missing on April 1, 2023. She had been scheduled to pick up her two children, ages 2 and 5, but never arrived at the day care center. A search of her home revealed she had left her phone, wallet, and computer, and there was no sign of a struggle. She was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Adam Fravel, and was the family’s primary income earner. 

The couple broke up, she began dating someone new, and was in the process of searching for a new apartment when she disappeared. Kingsbury had reportedly told friends Fravel was obsessed with the Gabby Petito case and threatened that if she did not listen to him, she would end up like Petito, who was strangled by her boyfriend. 

Kingsbury’s body was found in a wooded area in June 2023. She had been wrapped in a sheet and towel and was in a culvert along a gravel road. Fravel was arrested and charged with murder. In 2024, he was convicted of first-degree domestic abuse murder, first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder, and second-degree felony murder. KMSP reports he was sentenced to life in prison on Dec. 17, 2024. 

In his appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, Favel argued there were errors associated with each of his charges and that he should be granted a new trial, according to KMSP. His team said there was insufficient evidence to prove three of his murder charges and that those charges should be vacated. 

On April 29, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld the conviction and denied Fravel’s request for a new trial. KMSP reports that the court’s ruling states, “Fravel is not entitled to a new trial on any of his claims… because — when viewed as a whole — Fravel premeditated and intended to cause Kingsbury’s death and did so with extreme indifference to human life.”

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