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Fravel’s attorneys ask judge to suppress evidence, change venue
Among the motions are requests for a change of venue, to suppress evidence and dismiss an indictment on charges of first-degree murder.
WINONA, Minn. — The defense team for accused murderer Adam Fravel is attempting to gut the state’s case against him through a series of motions filed in Winona County Court Friday.
Fravel is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his former partner Maddi Kingsbury, who was also the mother of the couple’s two children. Kingsbury disappeared March 31, 2023, and her body was discovered weeks later in a remote wooded area just north of Mabel, Fravel’s hometown. He was quickly arrested and charged with second-degree murder, but that was elevated to first-degree murder after Fravel was indicted by a Winona County grand jury.
On Friday, Fravel’s attorneys filed a number of motions in the case, asking the judge to:
- Order a new venue for his upcoming trial, maintaining that extensive media coverage in Winona County makes it impossible for Fravel to receive a fair and impartial trial.
- Suppress both evidence recovered from Fravel’s smartphone, saying statements made in the search warrant application for the phone were untruthful.
- Throw out a statement Fravel made to Rushford police, alleging that he was never read his Miranda rights.
- Dismiss a state motion to seek an aggravated sentence against Fravel for Maddi’s murder, challenging the prosecution’s stance that the murder was committed with particular cruelty.
- Negate the grand jury indictment on charges of first-degree murder, alleging that prosecutors presented jurors with insufficient evidence.
Maddi was 26 years old when she was last seen dropping off her son and daughter at daycare with Fravel the morning of March 31. Friends and family became concerned when they didn’t hear from her, and Kingsbury was eventually reported as missing.
Her case captured the hearts of people across the nation and the globe. Massive searches were conducted, with volunteers and law enforcement fanning out to search miles of remote country in southeastern Minnesota. Eventually, investigators used Fravel’s phone records to track his movements in the days following Maddi’s disappearance, and her body was discovered in some brush off Highway 43 just north of Mabel.
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Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
