Minnesota Man Who Told Ex She’d “End Up Like Gabby Petito” Convicted of Killing Her
A Minnesota man who allegedly once compared his ex-girlfriend to high-profile homicide victim Gabby Petito has been found guilty in her murder.
On Nov. 7, jurors convicted Adam Fravel of first-degree murder in the death of Madeline "Maddi" Kingsbury, who went missing in March 2023 after taking her and Fravel’s two children to daycare in Winona, Minn., according to a local NBC News affiliate reporter in the courtroom.
Three months after her disappearance, the 26-year-old’s remains were found in June 2023 in a wooded area roughly an hour outside of the city and Fravel was subsequently arrested.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the state obtained by E! News, Fravel, 30, told local authorities he was “infatuated” with the Petito case, in which the 22-year-old travel influencer disappeared while on a road trip with fiancé Brian Laundrie in 2021. Laundrie, 23, died by suicide not long after her remains were found, with him leaving a note taking “responsibility” for her death, the FBI said.
Fravel admitted to police that he made a statement to Kingsbury about ending up like Petito, though he claimed the comment was a joke, per the complaint.
E! News has reached out to Fravel’s attorney for comment but has not heard back.
Following the verdict, which occurred after just nine hours of deliberations, Kingsbury’s family spoke out about the tragedy.
“As for the verdict today, of course we’re glad of it (but) it’s a bit of a Pyrrhic victory,” her father, David Kingsbury, said outside the court, per NBC News. “We’re not going to get Madeline back. Fravel can’t be punished enough.”
“His life has wasted, ruined and [brought] devastation to two families,” he continued. “There’s no joy here, but we’re glad of the result.”
In an effort to keep her memory alive, the family announced the Madeline Kingsbury Foundation, with the mission of helping other victims of domestic violence.
“Her name is going to carry on,” the victim’s mother, Krista Hultgren, told reporters, “for a very, very long time.”
Fravel is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17 and faces life in prison, per NBC News’ affiliate reporter.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/) or call 1-800-799-7233.