Adam Fravel found guilty of murdering Maddi Kingsbury after change of venue and long, painful trial

Fravel will face life in prison. I put together a report using a lot of the trial's exhibits here.

“If anything happens to me, know Adam did it. I would never leave my kids.” That quote stuck with me when the horrifying details of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeline Kingsbury began streaming out last year.

When the trial of Adam Fravel finally took place this fall at the Blue Earth County Courthouse this fall, that quote was actually one of the bits of testimony the jury was *not* allowed to hear. Although the evidence was stacked pretty high against Fravel from the beginning that he murdered Maddi — his ex-girlfriend and mother of his two children — this case was still challenging because it involved allegations of domestic abuse made by Maddi’s friends and family members.

Most of those allegations were second-hand, told to them by Maddi, who never called 911 or made a formal abuse complaint against Fravel at any point during their tumultuous relationship. After listening to a preview of the testimony in a pretrial hearing, Judge Nancy Buytendorp determined whose testimony could be used in front of the jury — and about which incidents the witnesses could testify.

Special prosecutor Phil Prokopowicz’s trial strategy was quite brilliant. He got the abuse testimony and evidence allowed into the case because he charged Fravel with 1st Degree Murder after having a pattern of domestic abuse. The more serious charge was actually 1st Degree Premeditated Murder, but the abuse evidence certainly helped provide proof of premeditation.

In turn, Prokopowicz’ charging decision gave him a distinct advantage. The jury would hear evidence it might not have if he *only* charged premeditated murder. And if the jury wouldn’t find enough proof that a “pattern” of abuse existed, it wouldn’t matter as long as they voted guilty on the premeditated charge.

In the end, the jury voted guilty on all counts, which validated the testimony of Maddi’s friends who have struggled so much over the last year and a half.

Just listen to what one friend told me after the verdict:

This week, Judge Buytendorp released most of the exhibits that the jury considered in reaching their verdict. (She sealed the graphic images, plus anything showing Maddi’s children.)

I put together this story to give you a sense of some of what proved Fravel’s guilt:

And if you would like to go through this case in its entirety, I hosted an episode of [UN]SOLVED that starts from the beginning when Maddi disappeared, the community came together, and police eventually solved the case. Check out that half-hour episode here: