WINONA, Minn — A pretrial hearing was held today in Winona for the first degree murder case against Adam Fravel. The purpose of the two-day hearing is to decide what evidence will be allowed at trial, and who can testify.
Fravel was in the courtroom Tuesday in an orange jumpsuit, shaved head and a beard. He is facing charges of first-degree murder for the killing of Maddie Kingsbury, the mother of his two children, in March 2023. On Tuesday, Kingsbury's family testified that in September, 2021, she informed them that Fravel physically harmed her.
The prosecution showed a screenshot taken in September, 2021 of a text exchange between Kingsbury and Fravel. In that exchange Maddie said "I'm not OK with you putting your hands around my neck and pushing me down in front of the kids." Adam responded with "you will adjust."
Kingsbury's stepmother Catherine Kingsbury testified Maddie had a red mark on her neck after the September 2021 incident. Kingsbury's sister, Megan, also testified about that incident, saying Maddie told her that she was going to end up like Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old who was killed by her fiancé.
The pretrial hearing continues Wednesday with additional friends and family of Kingsbury set to testify. The trial is scheduled for October in Mankato.