Opening statements begin in trial of Adam Fravel, accused of killing ex-girlfriend Madeline Kingsbury
MANKATO, Minn. — A jury has been seated and opening statements were underway Thursday morning in the trial of Adam Fravel, a 29-year-old man accused of killing Madeline Kingsbury, who was his ex-girlfriend and mother of his children.
Jury selection took over a week, but the final juror was seated on Wednesday afternoon. In all, 11 men and six women were selected to be part of the jury; five of them are alternates. The jurors range in age from their upper 20s to their 60s.
Prosecutors on Thursday laid out their plan, saying they have dozens of witnesses to call, including close friends and family. They also have video evidence, doorbell camera video evidence, cameras from neighbors and from the daycare showing the last moments of Kingsbury before she went missing.
Defense attorneys in their opening statement pushed for the jury not to think just of the sheer volume of witnesses — expected to be around 75 — but the quality of the witnesses.
Kingsbury, 26, went missing in March of last year after dropping her kids off at a daycare in Winona. Hundreds of people searched for her, and eventually her remains were found two months later near the Iowa border.
Fravel was later charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection to her death.
Lead prosecuting attorney Philip Prokopowicz said Kingsbury's new relationship with an old friend from college led Fravel to commit what he called "homicidal violence."
Fravel has continued to maintain his innocence and his defense attorneys doubled down on the plea in their opening statement.
"This is a case about tunnel vision, revisionist history and about secret truths," Zachary Bauer said.
Witnesses on Thursday included Winona police officers, who recalled the early moments after Kingsbury was reported missing. Jurors were also shown body camera footage of officers' first interactions with Fravel.
In June, a Winona County judge granted Fravel's change of venue request due to "extensive pretrial publicity." On Oct. 7, 120 potential jurors made their way to the Blue Earth County Justice Center in Mankato.
The defense and prosecution had each potential juror fill out a 13-page questionnaire with general questions about where they lived, their occupation and about who they are as a person, as well as their hobbies and news consumption habits. The questionnaire also asks about their knowledge of the case, if they've formed an opinion on it or posted about it online.
Jury selection took longer than expected; opening statements were set to begin on Monday. They began on Thursday at 9 a.m. The trial is expected to take about a month.
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.