ST. PAUL, Minn — Convicted Winona murderer Adam Fravel wants a new trial. In a 48-page document, his attorneys claim procedural errors by the judge and misconduct by prosecutors in Fravel’s 2024 trial for the death of Maddi Kingsbury, who was the mother their children. Fravel doesn’t have anything to lose: He’s serving a life sentence without possibility of parole. Among arguments for a new trial were allegations that:
> The judge abused her discretions by admitting hearsay into evidence that “unfairly tapped into mass hysteria.”
> A domestic abuse expert was allowed to testify about commonalities in domestic abuse cases that were so shallow as to be meaningless.
> The medical examiner who conducted Kingsbury’s autopsy offered inadmissible opinions while testifying.
> Prosecutors erred in closing arguments by telling jurors they could reach a verdict even with lingering doubts.
Fravel’s attorney, public defender Greg Scanlan, conceded in the new documents that the jury’s 2024 verdict for second-degree murder without intent was proven: Three other convictions, however — for second-degree murder and first-degree murder — merit re-evaluation. The appeal process will take a while. Attorneys for both sides will continue to make arguments in documents back and forth before final arguments to the state Supreme Court. These kinds of appeals can take months, sometimes years.
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