WINONA, Minn. — Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman has filed notice with the court that if Adam Fravel is found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend Maddi Kingsbury, prosecutors will seek an aggravated sentence.
Fravel is charged with second-degree murder, which carries a statutory maximum of 40 years in prison. However, Minnesota's sentencing guidelines call for a range of 21.75 to 30.5 years for someone with no prior criminal history. If there is a guilty verdict and the judge agrees an aggravating factor is present, they can then sentence beyond the guideline range.
The factor Sonneman cites in her notice is that the victim was treated with "particular cruelty" when Fravel allegedly concealed Maddi's body.
"Her loved ones, including family and friends, spent 69 days not knowing whether she was alive or dead. They were deprived of saying their final goodbyes in a timely manner before her body started decomposing after spending 69 days concealed in the woods. Moreover, Ms. Kingsbury's children, both under the age of 7, were left in a state of confusion and uncertainty as they did not know where their mother was, what happened to their mother, or why they could not spend time with her for 69 days before someone could attempt the heart-wrenching task of explaining to them that their mother was dead," Sonneman wrote in the court filing.
The notice includes new details about the way Maddi's body was hidden, stating that it was "wrapped in a sheet, partially encapsulated by a culvert, and appeared to have been covered by wooden debris."
In making the legal argument for the upward departure from the sentencing guidelines, Sonneman also noted that the concealment of a homicide victim's body, in and of itself, has been used to support the higher sentence.
Fravel is scheduled to be back in court for an omnibus hearing on July 20.
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