MANKATO, Minn. — The disappearance of Madeline Kingsbury captured the nation’s attention and on Monday the father of her children will go on trial for her murder.
The 26-year-old mother of two went missing last year after dropping her children off at daycare in Winona.
Hundreds of people participated in the extensive searches.
Kingsbury’s remains were found more than two months later near the Iowa border, and Adam Fravel, her former partner and the father of her children, was arrested. He was later charged with first and second degree murder in connection with her death.
Monday is the first day of jury selection at the Blue Earth County Justice Center. In June, a Winona County judge granted Fravel’s request to change locationciting “extensive pre-trial publicity and the substantial involvement of the Winona community in this case.”
Joe Tamburino, an attorney not involved in the case, said Fravel’s attorneys will have to deal with evidence that he allegedly abused Kingsbury before she went missing.
“They’re going to argue that what happened in the past doesn’t mean he committed the murder,” Tamburino said. “That is absolutely true. What the prosecutor is going to argue is, “Look, point 2.” [accusing Fravel of a pattern of abuse] is about this. “It’s about a pattern of domestic violence, which means that in the current indictment you can take into account past domestic violence, if it has occurred.”
The trial was moved from Winona to Mankato to have a more impartial jury pool.
The judge also ruled that no public displays of support for Kingsbury will be allowed in court.
“Even though it is an extremely serious and very sad case, you don’t want a jury to decide it based on emotion,” Tamburino said. “Their decision must be based on evidence.”
Kingsbury’s sister wrote on Facebook last week that she and her family will not be in the courtroom for most of the trial as they will testify as witnesses, but she wrote: “Although we cannot physically be there to represent Madeline… .Just know that our thoughts will be with you every moment. As always, we thank everyone for the tremendous amount of support.”
A conviction for Fravel could mean life in prison without parole.
David Schuman
