Madeline Kingsbury’s ex-boyfriend, Adam Fravel, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole for her murder. Kingsbury, a 26-year-old mother, went missing in 2023 and was discovered deceased after a 69-day search.
District Judge Nancy Buytendorp in Winona, Minnesota, handed down the sentence to Fravel, 30, who was found guilty of premeditated first-degree murder in Mankato, located approximately 136 miles away, due to concerns about pretrial publicity, as reported by The Associated Press.
“Your actions have led to this severe sentence, which sends a strong message that such violence will not be accepted in our community,” remarked Buytendorp. She expressed her desire for the case to prompt a united effort to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Fravel, who did not testify in his defense at trial, told the judge during sentencing that he is innocent and “never caused harm to Maddie.”
“The crimes committed by Mr. Fravel shook the foundations of our community, shedding a very bright light on the extremes of domestic violence, and revealing the evil acts of a man who had no care as to how his actions would affect his children for their lifetimes,” Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman told the court, according to The AP.
Witnesses, who testified to seeing bruises on Kingsbury’s neck, also said that she was planning to leave Fravel for another man due to “alleged abusive behavior and inadequate financial contributions,” the outlet said.
Fravel’s attorney Zach Bauer told the judge they intend to appeal the sentence, arguing that the case focused on “tunnel vision, revisionist history and secret truths.”
Adam Fravel, 30, was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend Madeline Kingsbury, whose remains were located in June 2023 after a 69-day search. (Saskia Hatvany/Winona Daily News via AP, Pool)
The two children shared by Fravel and Kingsbury now live with her parents, who were in the courtroom during sentencing.
Kingsbury’s mother, Catherine, had the following statement read to the court on her behalf.
“I will never understand a father who could and did do this to his children. He took away a mother’s love, the type of love that only Maddie could give them. The knowledge of this horror will haunt me forever. All that Adam had to do was walk away and let Maddie go. He chose not to do that. He chose evil over good.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
