The trial of Madeline Kingsbury’s ex-boyfriend began Monday after the young mother’s remains were found on the side of the road just over a year ago.
The Kingsbury case shocked the nation when the 26-year-old mother of two disappeared after dropping off her five-year-old daughter and two-year-old boy at daycare at the end of March 31, 2023.
Her remains were found on June 7 in a remote area near the home where her ex, Adam Fravel, 30, grew up in Mabel, Minnesota.
Kingsbury’s lifeless body was wrapped in a fitted sheet and sealed with Gorilla tape that matched the tape found at his ex’s home.
Fravel, who has maintained his innocence, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to the Winona County Detention Center.
Now, Fravel, who was seen dressed in a suit and looking friendly, will spend weeks inside a courtroom at the Blue Earth County Justice Center as jurors determine his fate for murdering the mother of his children.
The trial of Madeline Kingsbury’s ex-boyfriend began Monday, just over a year after she was found dead on the side of a road in Minnesota (pictured: Adam Fravel, 29, smiling as he entered court).
The Kingsbury case shocked the nation when the 26-year-old mother of two disappeared after dropping her children off at daycare in late March 2023.
Jury selection began Monday when 158 qualified jurors entered the courtroom and were questioned to determine if they will take their seats during Fravel’s trial. KTTC reported.
Each juror had to complete a questionnaire before being questioned individually by Judge Nancy Buytendorp, the defense and the state.
The 96-question sheet asks each juror about their personal background and knowledge of the case.
The jury will be reduced to 12 people, including some alternate jurors, and selection is expected to be completed in three or four days.
In an unprecedented turn of events, Fravel’s attorneys argued that his trial would be held outside of Winona County, where the case took place, due to the sheer volume of public interest.
“The court is now asking many of those same people to serve as jurors in a case in which they, or people they know, invested time and/or money in the search for Mr. Fravel’s alleged victim,” the court previously wrote. attorney Zachary Bauer in a motion earlier this year.
There are more than 150 witnesses involved in the case, including relatives of Kingsbury. They will not be allowed into the courtroom until they are called to testify in the case.
Fravel will spend weeks inside a courtroom at the Blue Earth County Justice Center (pictured) as the jury determines his fate for murdering the mother of his children.
Kingsbury’s lifeless body was wrapped in a fitted sheet and sealed with Gorilla tape that matched the tape found at his ex’s home.
Shortly after Kingsbury’s disappearance, Fravel was immediately suspected of having been involved, as he was the last to see her alive.
The criminal complaint against the father of Kingsbury’s two children indicated that the Gorilla tape used on the top of the sheet matched one found in his home.
Fravel, who has maintained his innocence, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. (pictured: Fravel in June 2023)
The color and width were the same, the complaint states.
At his home, gray pillowcases that matched the fitted sheet Kingsbury was found on were found on an air mattress.
The sheet that accompanied the pillowcases was nowhere to be found at the time.
The criminal complaint shared other shocking revelations, including the claim that Fravel was “in love” with the Gabby Petito murder case.
He allegedly threatened Kingsbury and told him that if he didn’t ‘listen’ he would end up like Petito.
According to the complaint, police have video evidence of a person believed to be Fravel changing the license plate on Kingsbury’s truck the day he disappeared.
Shortly after Kingsbury’s disappearance, Fravel was immediately suspected of having been involved, as he was the last to see her alive.
The video reportedly shows the van leaving the house and driving away with license plates typically attached to a vehicle Fravel drives.
The van was then caught driving on Highway 43 in the same area where Kingsbury’s body was found two months later.
Police say there was a 45-minute gap in Fravel’s timeline and they believe that’s when the ex-boyfriend used to dispose of the body.
Fravel had also allegedly abused Kingsbury during their on-off relationship, which was fueled by jealousy.
At one point, a friend reported seeing Fravel punch Kingsbury in the face during a video call. That friend said Fravel didn’t know he was being watched.
Relatives of the woman said on another occasion that they saw him put his hands on her neck. After that incident, Kingsbury allegedly walked with red marks.
His friends said he also often covered his neck with sweaters when he was on video calls with other people.
A major search and rescue mission began for the young mother, as video obtained by police claims to show Fravel changing the license plate on Kingsbury’s van before driving to the area where she was found.
In September 2021, Fravel exchanged disturbing messages with Kingsbury in which he said she would get over a domestic violence incident.
“I really don’t agree with… the fact that you put your hand around my neck earlier and pushed me in front of the kids, so don’t do it,” Kingsbury wrote.
“You’ll adapt,” Fravel replied.
Additionally, the man told investigators that their relationship was not working and that Kingsbury was involved with someone else.
The long-awaited trial is expected to last until Nov. 1, as Fravel’s lawyers plan to argue that the case against their client is circumstantial.
His legal team plans to mention that there were no murder weapons involved, witnesses to the crime, and that much of the testimony against him is hearsay, the star tribune reported.
