Adam Fravel has been found guilty of all four counts against him in the death of 26-year old Madeline Kingsbury, who vanished in the spring of 2023.
After closing arguments Wednesday, the jury received the case and deliberated for about seven hours before ending for the day. The reached a verdict Thursday morning and it was read just after 11:00 a.m.
The trial was moved to Blue Earth County due to the excessive publicity the case brought.
Fravel was charged with first-degree murder with premeditation, first-degree murder with a past pattern of domestic abuse, intentional second-degree murder without premeditation, and unintentional second-degree murder while committing a felony.
The trial came after a Winona County grand jury returned a first-degree murder indictment against Adam Fravel, the ex-boyfriend of Kingsbury. She was found dead in June of 2023.
Kingsbury was last seen March 31 of 2023 with Fravel dropping their two kids off at daycare in Winona where they lived. Her body wasn't found for another four months. It was wrapped in a bedsheet with a towel around her head that authorities say was used to strangle her.
Prosecutors painted a picture of Fravel as an abusive and controlling boyfriend in the case, who was both financially and emotionally dependent on Kingsbury.
A search warrant revealed she had reported his abuse to friends and family, and said if anything bad happened to her, he would be responsible.
The jury got the case Wednesday afternoon following a three week trial where the prosecution called 68 witnesses and the defense called five.
Fravel chose not to testify in his own defense. He'll receive a mandatory life sentence for his first-degree murder conviction.
Investigators alleged Fravel had been physically abusing Kingsbury and that she had told family and friends about it, warning them that if something terrible happened to her, Fravel would be the one responsible.