Fravel gets life sentence for murder of ex-girlfriend Kingsbury in Winona County

Adam Fravel has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2023 murder of his former girlfriend, Madeline Kingsbury.

Fravel received the mandatory life sentence from Winona County Judge Nancy Buytendorp during a hearing in Winona on Tuesday. In November, a jury in Mankato convicted Fravel in the killing of Kingsbury, who was reported missing in the spring of 2023.

Kingsbury’s concealed body was found in a culvert near Mabel, Minnesota two months later, following extensive searches involving thousands of volunteers.

The 30-year-old Fravel spoke briefly before he was sentenced, saying “I never caused harm to Maddi, and I am innocent.” Fravel’s defense attorney says the conviction will be appealed. Fravel and Kingsbury were the parents of two young children, who were placed in the custody of grandparents.

Relatives of Madeline Kingsbury spoke during Tuesday’s hearing, including her parents, her sister, and her step-sister. Madeline’s mother Krista Hultgren says Fravel treated Maddi “like she was nothing,” and the victim’s sister Megan Hancock called Fravel “the monster who took her.”