[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Justice has finally been served in the case of Maddi Kingsbury.
If you need a refresher on this horrifying case, back in March 2023, the 26-year-old momma went missing. She went to drop off her little ones at daycare around 8 a.m. along with her baby daddy Adam Fravel. After this, her co-workers and family got suspicious when she didn’t answer her phone — and moreso when she never came to pick up her kids from daycare. She was missing for about three months when, in June of that year, a body was found off the side of the road just a few minutes away from her home. And it was confirmed to be Maddi. So sad.
Related: Leilani Simon Found Guilty Of Murdering Toddler Son Quinton
At the time, law enforcement arrested her boyfriend and charged him with second-degree murder. This charge was eventually upped to first-degree in October 2023. And now we finally have some closure in the case… On Thursday, a Minnesota jury found Adam guilty!
The verdict came at the end of a harrowing trial in which prosectuors laid out the facts of the case, as well as the man’s twisted obsession with Gabby Petito‘s murder, per NBC News.
One of the victim’s friends, Hailey Scott, brought up Fravel’s fascination with the YouTuber‘s case in court — particularly the grisly details of how Brian Laundrie had strangled his girlfriend with his bare hands. Hailey testified:
“Adam had an infatuation, and I would call it an obsession, with the Gabby Petito case. He had actually turned and grabbed her by the throat and pinned her down and told her that if she wasn’t careful that she would end up just like her.”
“End up just like” a murder victim?? So chilling… and telling. Prosecutors revealed Maddi was strangled, only with a towel, and medical examiners concluded her death was likely due to asphyxiation — similar to how Gabby died.
Maddi never reported anything to police, but her loved ones were rightfully concerned after the choking incident. Fravel tried to backtrack and say he was just “trying to make a joke” — but clearly few bought it. More testimony made Fravel look even worse. Multiple witnesses came forward to claim they’d seen him hit Maddi while on FaceTime, and one even testified that she was planning to leave him when she disappeared.
Fravel ended up not testifying in his defense, but his lawyers tried to argue there were no signs of abuse or a struggle in the home. We guess that didn’t work since there was evidence — apart from her telling the story to loved ones, she had serious bruising on her neck.
Ultimately, the jury didn’t buy his denial. They found him guilty of first-degree murder. Next up, he’s set to be sentenced on December 17.
We hope this verdict can bring some semblance of peace to Maddi’s loved ones. May she rest in peace.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Winona Police Department/Winona County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook/Gabby Petito/Instagram]
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