WINONA, Minn. — The attorneys for the man accused of killing Maddi Kingsbury continue to push for the trial to be moved out of Winona County, maintaining their claim that there would be a "reasonable likelihood that a fair trial cannot be had," according to the defense team's most recent motion.
In a request filed Friday, Adam Fravel's defense team says he couldn't get a fair trial because of the vast amount of media coverage, a public opinion survey and some material at Winona's Steamboat Days.
Fravel is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kingsbury, his former partner who was also the mother of the couple's two children.
Kingsbury disappeared on March 31, 2023, and her body was discovered weeks later in a remote wooded area just north of Mabel, Fravel's hometown. He was quickly arrested and charged with second-degree murder, but that was elevated to first-degree murder after Fravel was indicted by a Winona County grand jury.
According to the motion, 98.5% of the people surveyed in an public opinion poll interacted with a news story and "formed an opinion" from those stories. The state argued that that poll, which was brought to the court through the defendant's briefing and in-person testimony back in April, that the poll was a "snapshot in time." The defense also included screenshots of reports they claim were "false or misleading."
The defense also said there was material during 2023 Steamboat Days, including during the parade, with statements like "Justice for Maddi."
"Based on the evidence submitted and the arguments in this memorandum and other briefing by Defendant on this issue, the Defendant respectfully requests that the Court find that there is reasonable likelihood fair trial cannot be had in Winona County given the prejudicial pretrial materials and publications in this case," the defense team concluded in Friday's motion.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
