Winona area residents react to the conviction of Adam Fravel

WINONA, Minn. — In a Mankato courtroom Thursday, those deeply affected by the March 2023 disappearance of Winona resident Madeline Kingsbury received long-awaited news.

A jury determined that Adam Fravel, the father of Kingsbury's two children, murdered her.

He was convicted of two first-degree and two second-degree murder charges and is expected to serve a mandatory life sentence in prison.

Those who worked on the case felt relief when the verdicts were read.

"Ultimately, to be able to bring this to some level of closure for the family is a great relief for us and a huge accomplishment," said Tom Williams, Winona's chief of police.

He said the courtroom was full. Both Kingsbury's and Fravel's families were present.

"You could probably cut the tension in there with a knife," Williams said, adding that the anxiety rose as the verdicts were presented to the judge.

Winona County Emergency Management director Ben Klinger described the atmosphere as silent and somber.

That changed when the guilty verdicts were read.

"There was a huge sigh of relief, obviously on the Kingsbury side, and obviously, probably a high sense of being very upset on the Fravel side," Williams said.

"It was a very physical kind of reaction, like we were all very tense and tight, and as soon as that first guilty came out, it was like a breath of fresh air," said Holly Stamschror, a friend of Kingsbury. "And it made me hope for the next one and the next one and the next one. And when all four were read, it was just like very validating, and what we knew all along."

"Each verdict that was getting read was like another weight lifted," said Abbie Perlinger, who helped with the searches and became friends with some of Kingsbury's friends, including Stamschror.

Perlinger noted that the verdicts felt heavy, too, as the reality that Kingsbury was not coming home sunk in.

She recalled looking at Fravel while the verdicts were being read. "He was red faced. It did look like some tears."

Stamschror was satisfied with the verdicts, knowing that there is now justice for Kingsbury.

"It's hard, because I felt like, with this all being done, I would feel very validated, and it's still just like, yes, we got her justice, but we can never get her back," Stamschror said. "I can never hug my friend again. I can never speak to her again. And yes, this is extremely good news, but now I have to remember and kind of go back to my healing process of grieving."

Jay Rasmussen, Winona's deputy chief of police, the moment verdict was read was "surreal."

"I remember a week into this case that we could not find her, and how frustrating that was, and not be able to sleep at night because you knew she was somewhere and it was cold outside," Rasmussen said. "That's what came to me when they read that verdict."

While his mind was back in that hard moment, he said he thought, "We did it. Oh my gosh, we did it. This is finally over. This family finally gets justice. And we got to help with that."

"I mean we were privileged and honored to be able to help this family get justice for Maddi," he said.

"Every member of the Winona Police Department was impacted by this incident," Rasmussen said.

It wasn't just the department that came together though.

The list of organizations involved the Winona County Emergency Management, Winona County Sheriff's Office, Fillmore County Sheriff's Office, Houston County Sheriff's Office, a violent crime enforcement team, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Department of Natural Resources.

The public also played a key role in the case, as they worked to bring Kingsbury home after she disappeared on March 31, 2023.

Thousands from near and far came to search for her.

Eventually, she was found June 7, 2023.

"There's a sense of pride when your community comes together," Williams said. He is also proud of the police department and agencies that helped.

"The number of people that assisted us is unbelievable," Williams said.

Klinger agreed.

"Everybody played a really big role in making this happen," he said.

Even though the trial took place over 130 miles away from Winona, due to a change of venue, area residents were aware of the verdicts moments after they were announced Thursday.

Michelle Mahan, who went to Winona's Lake Park Bandshell to be with others when the news was shared, said that she felt relief, but also "very saddened."

"Because she was Winona's daughter," Mahan said, "we all felt like she was our own child."

Mahan, who lives in Dakota, had participated in the search efforts, while also providing support to Kingsbury's family.

Also at the gathering, Pam Obieglo shared that she was "elated" about the verdict — happy that the jury found him guilty on all of the charges that he was facing.

Obieglo said that she's been following the case from the start and had blue lights shining at her home in honor of Kingsbury.

"I've got two daughters of my own. It just really hit home," Obieglo said.

Even those who live outside of Winona County were excited.

Durand, Wisconsin, resident Bethany Olson helped coordinate the band shell gathering.

After Kingsbury's disappearance, Olson joined a search group.

She first heard about the case due to Kingsbury's sister Megan's posts on TikTok.

"I jumped in to help in any way that I could," Olson stated. "One year before Maddi's disappearance, I lost a friend who was murdered at the hands of her estranged husband. Like Maddi, my friend had two young children. This really hit home for me."

"I would get my kids on the bus and then go spend the day searching for her.... After my kids went to bed, our search group jumped on video chat to do extensive research," she stated.

She explained that the group had the goals of bringing Kingsbury home and ensuring that Fravel was "held accountable."

"Today justice was served," Olson stated. "It will not bring her back, but Adam will be where he belongs."