Man Who Told Ex-Girlfriend She'd 'End Up Like Gabby Petito' Is Convicted of Murdering Her

The ex-boyfriend of Madeline Kingsbury, who said the Minnesota mother of two would “end up like Gabby Petito” prior to her being found dead in 2023, has been convicted of murdering her, authorities said.

Adam Fravel, 30, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder on Thursday, Nov. 7 in connection with the death of 26-year-old Kingsbury, according to reports from KSTP, KARE 11 and The Minnesota Star Tribune.

The verdict came 10 hours after a jury began deliberations following a month-long trial, the Star Tribune reports. According to the outlet, Fravel faces life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.

Kingsbury went missing “under suspicious circumstances” on the morning of March 31, 2023, after dropping the pair’s two children off at daycare, PEOPLE previously reported.

At the time, Fravel denied any involvement in her disappearance. In a statement to ABC News, he said, “I want the mother of my 5-year-old and 2-year-old to be found and brought home safely. I want that more than anything.”

Kingsbury’s remains were later found on June 7 in a heavily wooded area off Highway 43 near Mabel, Minn., in Fillmore County. Fravel was arrested that same day “on probable cause” and charged two days later, authorities said.

According to a criminal complaint, Kingsbury was found near a rural property owned by Fravel’s parents. Her body was wrapped in “a gray fitted bed sheet” that came from her and Fravel’s home.

KARE 11 reports that a medical examiner testified during the trial that Kingsbury likely died of asphyxia, referencing a towel that was wrapped around her neck and covered half of her face.

A criminal complaint said that Fravel told police he and Kingsbury were newly separated and in the process of moving out of the Winona home they shared with their children after seven years of an “on-and-off relationship.”

In interviews with police, Fravel referenced another prominent case of a missing woman — Gabby Petito, per the complaint.

“Fravel admitted being ‘infatuated’ with the Gabby Petito case. Fravel also admitted that he had made a statement to Madeline about her ending up like Gabby Petito,” the complaint alleged, referencing the 22-year-old Petito, who was strangled to death by her fiancé Brian Laundrie in August 2021. “Fravel claimed he was trying to make a joke.”

Friends and family who testified in court referenced an instance of domestic abuse in September 2021 when Fravel put his hand around Kingsbury’s neck and pushed her, the Star Tribune reports. 

The defense argued there was no history of abuse and no indications of struggle at the crime scene, KTSP reports. Fravel’s attorney, Zachery Bauer, said he was “disappointed in the outcome,” referring to the verdict, per the outlet. 

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Kingsbury’s loved ones spoke in court, with her father saying after the verdict that “It’s a pyrrhic victory,” according to the Star Tribune. “We’re not going to get Madeline back. Fravel can’t be punished enough.”

The victim’s brother, Steven, added, “At the end of the day, you have to trust the process. The truth kind of rises to the top and the evidence, it always comes out,” per KTSP.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.