Madeline Kingsbury's family gives emotional testimony before sentencing of Adam Fravel
WINONA, Minn. — Adam Fravel was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday afternoon for the 2023 murder of Madeline Kingsbury, the mother of his two young children.
Before Fravel, 30, learned his punishment, family and friends of Madeline Kingsbury, 26, gave emotional victim impact statements inside a Winona County courtroom, where the proceedings were filmed and livestreamed at the urging of her family.
Madeline Kingsbury's family was pivotal in both the investigation into her disappearance and the subsequent murder trial, with her parents — Krista Hultgren and David Kingsbury — testifying about the domestic abuse their daughter suffered at Fravel's hands towards the end of their seven-year relationship.
Madeline Kingsbury's sister, Megan Kingsbury, also reached hundreds of thousands with her TikTok posts throughout the ordeal that began on March 31, 2023.
On Tuesday morning, the Facebook group Finding Madeline Kingsbury — which has been sharing updates and information on the case, as well as posting messages from Madeline Kingsbury's family — posted this message:
"Today, we head into the final chapter of our journey for justice for Maddi. While we will never, ever get our Maddi back, today is the day of sentencing for the person responsible for her murder. It's hard to find the right words to describe the bittersweet reality we face every single day since the conviction — it's more than just a loss; it's a mix of grief, relief, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude for each and every one of you who has stood by Maddi's side throughout this entire process."
Kingsbury's parents told CBS News this spring that at the time of her disappearance, their daughter worked as a clinical research coordinator at the Mayo Clinic in addition to being a graduate student at the University of Minnesota.
Madeline Kingsbury's mother: "I will never understand why Adam took Madeline's life."
Krista Hultgren, Madeling Kingsbury's mother, was the first to read her impact statement on Tuesday afternoon.
"The defendant could have stopped but he didn't. He could have treated Madeline like the extraordinary person she was, but he didn't. He could have given Maddi and the kids a good life, but he didn't," she said.
She remembered Madeline Kingsbury celebrating her daughter's fifth birthday just days before her disappearance.
"Madeline posted a picture on March 26, 2023, of her daughter enjoying birthday cake on her fifth birthday. We were all there," Hultgren said. "How sickening that just days later, Madeline was gone and Noah had only recently weaned from nursing and was barely 2 years old. I will never forget that gut feeling or pit in my stomach."
Hultgren went on to say she has been unable to work since her daughter's disappearance due to the physical and mental stress she has been through.
"The defendant's sentence is far from satisfying. It does not bring me joy, it does not ease my pain and suffering," she said. "However, a life sentence is just. He will need to live without his children, his family, his friends, his conveniences, he will live with what he did. And I pray he feels the weight of that for life."
Madeline Kingsbury's stepsister: "Maddi was a deeply caring and thoughtful sister"
Holly Waterston, Madeline Kingsbury's stepsister, spoke next.
"Our lives will forever be defined in terms of before Maddi went missing and after. None of us will ever be the same people we were before this horrific nightmare started," she said.
Waterston described Madeline Kingsbury as "deeply caring and thoughtful," saying she welcomed her and her other sister, Heather, with open arms.
"Maddi brought an enormous amount of light and laughter to our lives, backyard games, pool parties at Granpa Goi's house and family celebrations will never be the same," Waterston said.
She went on to talk about the pain of having to explain to her own children what happened to their aunt as well as Madeline Kingsbury's children, her niece and nephew.
"Nothing prepared me to try to comfort my nephew who will never again be able to see hear or hug his mommy because there is in fact a real-life monster who killed his mommy," Waterston said.
Waterston called Fravel's actions "disgusting, sickening and particularly cruel" before asking for the mandatory maximum sentence.
Madeline Kingsbury's father: Few things as "difficult to bear as the death of your child"
Madeline Kingsbury's father, David Kingsbury, spoke about the anger and "gut-wrenching grief" he has gone through.
"There's really no words that adequately describe what impact this has had," he said.
David Kingsbury and his wife took in Madeline Kingsbury's children after a battle for custody with Fravel — before his arrest.
"She would send me messages and it always came up on my phone that it was from the world's greatest kid," David Kingsbury said. "She truly was and always will be the apple of my eye."
Megan Kingsbury describes pain of losing her sister
Madeline Kingsbury's sister, Megan Kingsbury, gave her testimony after her father. She described learning about her sister's death after months of searching for her.
"I'll always remember how I fell to the floor and I'll always remember the absolute feeling of emptiness in the days and weeks after," she said.
She remembered accompanying her father to the funeral home where Madeline Kingsbury would be created.
"Watching my father collapse under her and say how sorry he was over and over again and singing 'You Are My Sunshine' to her one last time," Megan Kingsbury said. "How can I tell you what it was like to accompany her right to the end, helping to guide her into the incinerator because we refused to let her be alone anymore."
Megan Kingsbury says she has since started trauma therapy and been diagnosed with PTSD.
"Madeline will forever be remembered and loved her children will know who their mother is and was," she said.
Stepmother says Madeline Kingsbury had a "genuinely beautiful" soul
Madeline Kingsbury's stepmother, Cathy Kingsbury, spoke next. She talked about the first night she and her husband, Madeline Kingsbury's father, took in her stepdaughter's children.
"In the middle of the night, Ellie started crying, 'I want mommy.' Noah heard her and started whimpering, 'Mommy, mommy.' I rushed to their bed to comfort them while trying the best that I could to hold in my tears and my anguish for their sake," she said. "It was a horrific night that no one should ever have to experience in their lifetime."
Cathy Kingsbury described Madeline Kingsbury as a mother who loved her children more than anything else.
"Maddi was undoubtedly one of the most genuinely beautiful souls I've ever known in my life," she said. "I'm grateful for the time that I had with her and that I was able to be loved by her. I couldn't have loved Maddi more if she had been my biological child, this funky little spirit of a girl had my heart from the beginning."
Cathy Kingsbury says she and David Kingsbury have worked hard to make sure Madeline Kingsbury's children are happy and thriving despite the tragedy.
"All of us in Maddi's immediate family, her extended family and her friends will make sure that the children will grow up knowing their mother's love."
Steven Kingsbury: His sister was a "gift" to the world around her
The last statement from Madeline Kingsbury's family on Tuesday afternoon was from her brother, Steven Kingsbury, read by a victim coordinator.
Madeline Kingsbury's murder has created a multigenerational wound that may never heal, he said.
"Madeline had everything to look forward to: a promising career path and the joy of raising her children to adulthood. Maybe even to see grandchildren of her own one day," Steven Kingsbury said. "There's truly no limit on how much of a gift she was and would have been to those who loved her, those she loved and the world around her."
Watch "The Disappearance of Maddi Kingsbury"
CBS News' "48 Hours" has also been tracking this case since Kingsbury disappeared. On Tuesday night, they're airing their hour-long investigation on the new "48 Hours" streaming channel.
Watch "The Disappearance of Maddi Kingsbury" at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. CT, wherever you stream CBS News Minnesota – including the CBS News app, Pluto and Paramount Plus.
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.
