Madeline Kingsbury case: Jury deliberates Adam Fravel's fate

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Jury deliberations continue Thursday morning in Adam Fravel's trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Madeline Kingsbury .

What's new?

Fravel is facing 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.

The jury in Mankato sat through a three-week trial and received the case just after 2 p.m. on Wednesday. After hours of deliberation, the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision by the 9:30 p.m. deadline and left for the evening.

The jury is sequestered during the deliberation portion of the trial, which was scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. on Thursday.

Kingsbury was reported missing in March 2023, and investigators say Fravel was the last person to see her alive, and he lied about what he was doing on the day of her disappearance.

Her body was found four months later in a culvert near Fravel's parents' home in Fillmore County. Investigators say Kingsbury's body was found wrapped in a bedsheet with a towel knotted around her head, which prosecutors say was used to suffocate her.

The trial

At trial, witnesses included Kingsbury's family and friends , who testified about Fravel's efforts to control the relationship through physical violence and emotional manipulation.

Fravel chose not to testify during the trial.

During closing arguments, the prosecution told jurors that Fravel had the motive, means and opportunity to kill Maddi, his on-and-off girlfriend of seven years, and the mother of their two children.

Prosecutors argued Fravel was abusive and controlling, and that he was jealous after Maddi told him she'd begun a new relationship.

However, the defense argued that investigators had "tunnel vision" and only focused on Fravel from the start, and ignored anything that didn't fit into that narrative.