Minnesota man told his ex ‘she would end up like Gabby Petito.’ Now he’s been found guilty of murder

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A Minnesota man has been found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend, who he once threatened would end up like Gabby Petito, a young woman who was murdered by her abusive boyfriend.

On Thursday, a jury convicted Adam Fravel, 30, on four charges related to the murder of 26-year-old Madeline Kingsbury on March 31, 2023. The jury deliberated for ten hours before reaching their verdict.

Witnesses had told the jury that Fravel physically abused Kingsbury. One friend of Kingsbury’s testified that Favel once told the 26-year-old that, if she didn’t listen to him, she would end up like Petito, a 22-year-old who was killed by Brian Laundrie during a cross-country roadtrip they took in 2021.

Fravel will be sentenced on December 17. First degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Minnesota does not have the death penalty.

Kingsbury’s father, David, said Fravel “can’t be punished enough.”

“As for the verdict today, of course we’re glad of it [but] it’s a bit of a Pyrrhic victory,” he said, according to NBC News. “We’re not going to get Madeline back.”

Kingsbury’s family now plans to create a foundation to help victims of domestic violence.

"Her name is going to carry on for a very very long time," her mother Krista Hulthgren said, per NBC News.

Kingsbury disappeared last year after dropping off her and Fravels’ two children at daycare. Police launched massive efforts with thousands of volunteers helping authorities comb through more than 120,000 acres to find the 26-year-old.

Fravel was arrested after her body was found in a nearby wooded area on June 7, 2023.

Kingsbury’s brother, also named David, said he always knew Fravel was guilty, NBC News reports.

“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to trust the process and that the truth rises to the top and is evident, it always comes out, " he said.

Meanwhile, Fravel’s attorney called the verdict a “disappointing finish.”

"The family was emotional, obviously Mr. Fravel was emotional,” Zachary Bauer said.