WINONA, Minn. – The murder trial of Adam Fravel will be in Mankato with a jury chosen from Blue Earth County. The choice of a new venue had been awaited since June, when Judge Nancy Buytendorp of Winona agreed with Fravel’s attorney that a fair trial would be difficult if not impossible Winona. Judge Buytendorp laid out this schedule:
> September 3: A pre-trial conference, without a jury, will be at the Winona County Courthouse. Buytendorp will caucus with attorneys to sort through lingering issues.
> October 7: Jury selection will begin in Mankato with Judge Buytendorp presiding. A courtroom has been scheduled at the Blue Earth County Justice Center. Three weeks have been set aside for the trial.
Adam Fravel, age 30, has been charged with killing Madeline Kingsbury at their Winona townhouse in March 2023 and concealing her corpse 40 miles away in in the woods near Mabel, where be grew up. He was arrested after the body was found 10 weeks later. Emotions against Fravel ran high in Winona. His attorneys asked that the trial be relocated to a less prejudiced place. The new trial venue, in Mankato, is 140 miles from Winona. Both counties are in the Third Judicial District of Minnesota and operate with common practices and procedures under the same supervising judge in Rochester. For the trial Fravel will be relocated from his Winona cell to Mankato ahead of the trial.
Verbatim
Judge Buytendorp: “After careful consideration, the Court finds that Blue Earth County is best positioned to ensure the impartiality required for a fair trial and is well-suited to accommodate this Winona County case. Pretrial shall be held at the Winona County Courthouse.”