WINONA, Minn. — The judge presiding over the Adam Fravel murder trial has banned courtroom spectators and witnesses from wearing clothing, ribbons, bracelets or buttons. Judge Nancy Buytendorp vowed not to allow anything that might elicit an emotional response from jurors. In a 23-page order, the judge also laid out other rules for proceedings in the pending trial for the 2023 slaying of of Maddi Kingsbury. Judge Buytendorp adopted most requests from Fravel’s attorney. These included excluding witnesses from the courtroom except for their testimony, lest they be influenced by other testimony. Judge Buytendorp said she will allow testimony about:
> Fravel not helping out around the house, taking care of their two children, or expenses.
> Kingsbury’s plans to end her relationship with Fravel.
> Kingsbury’s concerns about leaving him.
> Fravel threats to Kingsbury about the Gabby Petito murder case in Wyoming
> Incidents of domestic abuse.
These all are issues that have surfaced in months of news coverage of the case and in pre-trial hearings. The idea of moving the trial out of Winpna to Mankato, 140 miles away,, has been to empanel a distant jury that had not followed eh case closely.
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Buytendorp.Her biggest criminal case since being named a Winona County judge in 2008.