Maddi Kingsbury | Ex-Lover of Wannabe Pilot Obsessed with Gabby Petito Goes Missing

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[00:00:30] This is True Crime Psychology and Personality, where we discuss the pathology behind some of the most horrific crimes

[00:00:38] and those who committed them from a scientifically informed perspective.

[00:00:43] I'm Dr. Todd Grande.

[00:00:45] I have a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision

[00:00:48] and I'm a licensed professional counselor of mental health.

[00:00:51] Dr. Todd Grande, that's my YouTube channel.

[00:00:55] Today's question is, can I analyze the case of Maddie Kingsbury?

[00:00:59] First, I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the crime, then offer my analysis.

[00:01:05] Madeleine Jane Kingsbury was born on June 1, 1996 and lived in the state of Minnesota.

[00:01:11] She went by the name Maddie.

[00:01:13] After graduating from Farmington High School, Maddie attended Winona State University.

[00:01:19] Winona is about two hours southeast of St. Paul.

[00:01:22] At the university, she became romantically involved with a fellow student named Adam Taylor Fravel.

[00:01:29] He was about a year and a half older than her, having been born on January 29, 1994.

[00:01:35] The couple had a tumultuous relationship, which was described as on again, off again.

[00:01:40] They had a daughter named Ellie and a son named Noah.

[00:01:44] The family lived on Kerry Drive in Winona and would appear to be a duplex.

[00:01:49] Maddie found a job as a clinical research coordinator.

[00:01:52] She worked an hour away in Rochester, Minnesota on Monday and Friday.

[00:01:57] Tuesday through Thursday, she worked from home in an office downstairs.

[00:02:01] Maddie was hoping to advance her career.

[00:02:04] Therefore, she was working on her master's degree in public health administration.

[00:02:08] Adam had experience with technology, but he dreamed of being a pilot.

[00:02:12] He was taking flying lessons in an effort to achieve that goal.

[00:02:16] Financially, the relationship between Maddie and Adam was imbalanced with Maddie earning most of the money.

[00:02:22] Over time, the relationship between the couple deteriorated.

[00:02:26] They went to therapy together, but it wasn't enough.

[00:02:29] By March 2023, Maddie and Adam were in the process of separating.

[00:02:34] In the middle of this month, Maddie found a new lover named Spencer, who also lived in Winona.

[00:02:40] She was planning on moving out of the home she shared with Adam and into an apartment.

[00:02:46] Now moving to the timeline of the crime on March 31 2023 at 8 20 p.m.

[00:02:52] A friend of Maddie's named Katie contacted the police and expressed concerns about Maddie's safety.

[00:02:59] Katie lost contact with her that day and went to Maddie's residence.

[00:03:04] Her minivan was in the driveway, but no one answered the door.

[00:03:07] The friend also mentioned that Maddie was having difficulties with her lover Adam Fravel.

[00:03:13] Here's what the police found during the course of their investigation.

[00:03:17] There were no signs of a struggle in Maddie's residence, although the place was cluttered.

[00:03:22] Maddie's cell phone, laptop, computer, purse and jacket were found in the residence.

[00:03:28] The last activity on her cell phone was on March 31 at 8 15 a.m. when she sent a text message to her sister.

[00:03:36] Adam said that he last saw Maddie on the morning of March 31.

[00:03:40] They took their children to daycare and then drove home.

[00:03:43] Maddie told him that she had a meeting online and after that she was going to Rochester for work.

[00:03:49] Adam claimed that he left the residence in Maddie's minivan at about 10 15 a.m.

[00:03:55] to take some of his property to his parents' house.

[00:03:57] His parents lived about an hour south in the town of Maybell, Minnesota.

[00:04:03] When he was about 11 miles from his parents' house, Adam realized that some of the items

[00:04:07] he loaded into the minivan were supposed to go to a storage area.

[00:04:11] This prompted him to turn around and drive back to the residence he shared with Maddie.

[00:04:17] After arriving at about 11 30 a.m., Adam did not see Maddie.

[00:04:21] He noticed that his car was still there.

[00:04:24] Maddie was supposed to take his car to work.

[00:04:27] He assumed that she must have carpooled instead.

[00:04:30] Later, he picked up his children from daycare.

[00:04:33] Video surveillance from the daycare confirmed that Maddie and Adam dropped their children off at 8.05 a.m.

[00:04:39] and Adam picked them up alone at 4.21 p.m.

[00:04:43] The police made a few discoveries by collecting various videos from surveillance cameras in Winona and other areas.

[00:04:50] On March 31 at 9.44 a.m., Maddie's minivan was captured.

[00:04:55] One video in her driveway.

[00:04:58] A person in a light-colored jacket walked up to the front of the van and removed the license plate.

[00:05:03] Three minutes later, this person put a license plate on the vehicle.

[00:05:08] At 9.55 a.m., the person entered the minivan.

[00:05:11] By 10 a.m., the minivan was gone.

[00:05:14] At 10.02 a.m., the minivan was captured at a gas station.

[00:05:18] The person wearing the light-colored jacket looked a lot like Adam.

[00:05:23] The license plate on the minivan was the one registered to Adam's car.

[00:05:28] The minivan was back at Maddie's residence at 10.31 a.m. and departed at 11.26 a.m.

[00:05:34] Between 11.44 and 11.59 a.m., the minivan was captured driving south on Highway 43.

[00:05:41] This is one of the roads that a person would use if they were traveling to Maybell from Winona.

[00:05:47] At 12.44 p.m., the minivan was captured traveling north on Highway 43, heading toward Winona.

[00:05:54] The 45 minutes between 11.59 a.m. and 12.44 p.m. were unaccounted for.

[00:06:01] The minivan was not far from Maybell when it disappeared for that time.

[00:06:06] At 1.28 p.m., the minivan was captured at Maddie's residence.

[00:06:11] It seemed clear that Adam was involved in Maddie's disappearance,

[00:06:14] but the police did not know where her body was.

[00:06:17] This would change on June 7, 2023,

[00:06:20] when a police officer discovered Maddie's remains not far from the home of Adam's parents.

[00:06:26] She was found along a public gravel road in an area that Adam's family used to maintain.

[00:06:32] Adam Fravel was arrested and charged with murder in the second degree.

[00:06:36] In October 2023, he received an upgrade when he was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder.

[00:06:43] At the time I'm making this video, Adam's trial is scheduled to start in the fall of 2024.

[00:06:50] Now moving to my analysis, Adam Fravel maintains the presumption of innocence

[00:06:54] and he has denied being involved in the murder.

[00:06:57] He has a few supporters who believe that investigators focused too much attention on Adam

[00:07:01] and dismissed other possible suspects.

[00:07:04] The state, of course, disagrees.

[00:07:06] They believe that the evidence clearly points to Adam's guilt.

[00:07:10] This brings me to the question, is Adam guilty of murder?

[00:07:14] Let's take a look at the evidence both foreneged against the idea that he is guilty,

[00:07:17] starting with the inculpatory factors.

[00:07:20] The relationship between Maddie and Adam was characterized by arguing and maybe even violence.

[00:07:26] Maddie complained to others that Adam was unhelpful.

[00:07:29] For example, he did not clean or assist with caring for the children.

[00:07:34] There was a significant income disparity between the couple.

[00:07:37] Adam was financially dependent on Maddie.

[00:07:40] According to a friend of Maddie's, sometime in 2020 or 2021,

[00:07:45] while Maddie was on a video call at her home, Adam entered the room and struck Maddie

[00:07:50] across the face with his hand.

[00:07:52] Evidently, Adam did not realize that the friend could see him through the camera.

[00:07:57] Investigators found a screenshot of text messages that were exchanged between Maddie

[00:08:01] and Adam on September 21, 2021.

[00:08:05] Maddie told Adam that she was not okay with him putting his hands around her neck

[00:08:09] and pushing her down.

[00:08:11] Adam replied, you'll adjust.

[00:08:14] Maddie wrote the blank I will and indicated that if Adam did that again,

[00:08:19] he could go somewhere else.

[00:08:21] Adam appeared to be obsessed with the Gabby Petito case.

[00:08:24] Gabby was a young woman who was murdered by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie,

[00:08:28] on a cross-country trip.

[00:08:30] The murder was heavily covered by the media.

[00:08:32] Maddie told a friend that in December 2022,

[00:08:36] Adam told her that she would end up like Gabby Petito.

[00:08:40] On multiple occasions, this friend observed bruises on Maddie.

[00:08:45] 30 days before the murder, Maddie visited a friend who was in a hospital room

[00:08:50] where Maddie worked.

[00:08:51] She told the friend that everything was bad with Adam at the house

[00:08:55] and that he had been beating the blank out of her for years.

[00:08:59] Maddie said that if anything were to happen to her,

[00:09:01] know that Adam did it.

[00:09:03] She would never leave her kids.

[00:09:05] On March 25, six days before the murder,

[00:09:08] Maddie told Adam that she was dating Spencer.

[00:09:11] Having a romantic rival gave Adam a motive for murder.

[00:09:15] On March 30, 2023, the day before the murder,

[00:09:20] Adam removed tracking applications from his phone

[00:09:23] and disabled location services.

[00:09:25] On the day of the murder,

[00:09:27] someone switched the license plates on Maddie's minivan

[00:09:30] at a residence.

[00:09:31] The plate that was on there was registered to Adam's vehicle.

[00:09:35] The person who switched the plates was almost certainly Adam

[00:09:38] based on how he was identified a few minutes later

[00:09:41] in the minivan at a nearby gas station.

[00:09:44] Adam claimed that he was going to his parents' house that day.

[00:09:47] Maddie's remains were discovered on land

[00:09:50] that Adam's family used to maintain.

[00:09:53] This land was near where the minivan went missing for 45 minutes

[00:09:56] while Adam was driving on March 31.

[00:09:59] Adam's excuse for turning around in that area

[00:10:02] was difficult to believe.

[00:10:03] Even if he discovered items intended for storage in the minivan,

[00:10:07] that was no reason to drive all the way back to his residence.

[00:10:10] A gray sheet that was wrapped around Maddie's remains

[00:10:13] matched betting found in her home.

[00:10:15] An air mattress in the home was missing a fitted sheet.

[00:10:19] On April 1, the police noticed six fresh scratches on Adam's face.

[00:10:24] The day before at 6.51 p.m.,

[00:10:27] Adam searched the internet using his phone for the question,

[00:10:30] Are dog scratches on face dangerous?

[00:10:34] This makes it seem as though he was trying to document

[00:10:37] his explanation in advance.

[00:10:39] There had been surveillance cameras inside the residence

[00:10:42] shared by Maddie and Adam,

[00:10:44] but after she was murdered,

[00:10:46] the police found that those cameras had been ripped

[00:10:48] right out of the drywall.

[00:10:50] The SD cards that had been in the cameras were missing.

[00:10:54] One of Adam's family members said

[00:10:56] the police should have taken a closer look at Spencer

[00:10:58] as a potential suspect,

[00:11:00] but Spencer's alibi was confirmed.

[00:11:03] He was at work during the time of the murder.

[00:11:06] Items that Maddie normally carried with her,

[00:11:08] like her cell phone and her purse,

[00:11:10] were found in her residence.

[00:11:12] This makes it seem like she disappeared from this location.

[00:11:15] If Adam was not involved,

[00:11:17] who else would have taken Maddie from her home

[00:11:19] and murdered her?

[00:11:21] Moving to the exculpatory factors,

[00:11:23] there were no witnesses to the murder, no video.

[00:11:25] If Maddie was killed in her residence,

[00:11:27] why were there no signs of a struggle there?

[00:11:30] Adam admitted mentioning Gabby Petito,

[00:11:33] but said he was only joking.

[00:11:35] That's pretty much it for exculpatory factors.

[00:11:39] When considering the evidence in this case,

[00:11:41] do I believe that Adam was guilty?

[00:11:43] Yes, I believe he was guilty of first degree murder

[00:11:46] beyond a reasonable doubt.

[00:11:48] However, as I mentioned,

[00:11:49] Adam maintains the presumption of innocence.

[00:11:52] What do I think happened in this case?

[00:11:54] This is just a theory, my opinion.

[00:11:56] In the beginning of her relationship with Adam,

[00:11:59] Maddie had high hopes that things would work out.

[00:12:02] Over time, it became clear that Adam was not a suitable romantic partner.

[00:12:07] Adam allegedly mistreated Maddie,

[00:12:09] including choking her on one occasion.

[00:12:12] Maddie was alarmed and discouraged by the mistreatment.

[00:12:15] However, she did not want to give up on the relationship.

[00:12:18] Adam minimized his bad behavior

[00:12:20] and Maddie desperately wanted to believe him.

[00:12:23] The couple went to counseling,

[00:12:24] which was helpful to some degree.

[00:12:27] Maddie told a friend of hers

[00:12:28] that she was committed to the counseling

[00:12:30] and was doing her best to make the relationship work.

[00:12:33] Despite this commitment,

[00:12:35] Maddie eventually decided it was time to move on.

[00:12:37] She found a new romantic partner

[00:12:39] and kept this secret from Adam.

[00:12:42] But she felt guilty and told him.

[00:12:45] She explained why she told Adam by saying

[00:12:47] that she just couldn't keep lying.

[00:12:50] On March 30, 2023,

[00:12:52] Maddie obtained a new cell phone

[00:12:54] which led to Adam inquiring

[00:12:55] as to why she stopped sharing location data.

[00:12:59] By this point, it was clear to Adam

[00:13:01] that he had lost control over Maddie.

[00:13:04] She had a new lover.

[00:13:05] She would not let Adam track her phone

[00:13:07] and she was getting ready to move out.

[00:13:10] Adam's reign of terror

[00:13:11] was coming to its conclusion,

[00:13:13] which was unacceptable to him.

[00:13:15] His solution was to commit murder

[00:13:17] just like his hero, Brian Laundrie.

[00:13:20] Both before and after the murder,

[00:13:22] Adam made a haphazard

[00:13:23] and clumsy effort to cover his tracks.

[00:13:26] He thought that he was some type of technology wizard,

[00:13:29] but his assessment was wildly inaccurate.

[00:13:32] The police were able to track his movements easily.

[00:13:35] Just like Brian Laundrie,

[00:13:36] it was painfully obvious that Adam was guilty.

[00:13:40] Now moving to my final thoughts.

[00:13:42] Relationships tie into survival in many ways.

[00:13:45] For example, they are connected to social standing,

[00:13:48] financial status, mental health,

[00:13:50] a sense of purpose

[00:13:51] and a sense of stability.

[00:13:53] When Adam allegedly choked Maddie,

[00:13:55] that would have been an appropriate time for her to leave,

[00:13:58] but it's difficult for people in Maddie's position

[00:14:01] to enforce that type of deal breaker.

[00:14:04] Sometimes it's challenging to imagine how a loved one

[00:14:07] could become lethal.

[00:14:08] Maddie and Adam had two very different conceptualizations

[00:14:12] of their relationship.

[00:14:13] Maddie wanted to be on good terms with Adam,

[00:14:16] even if they were not going to be together romantically.

[00:14:18] She even felt guilty when she lied to him

[00:14:20] about finding a new lover.

[00:14:22] Adam, on the other hand,

[00:14:24] viewed Maddie as an object

[00:14:26] that he owned.

[00:14:27] He was simply unwilling to let her go.

[00:14:30] When Maddie gazed upon Adam,

[00:14:32] she failed to see Brian Laundrie.

[00:14:34] When Adam looked at Maddie,

[00:14:36] he saw Gabby Petito.

[00:14:46] This has been true crime psychology and personality

[00:14:50] from Ars Lunga Media.

[00:14:52] This content is for educational

[00:14:54] and entertainment purposes only.

[00:14:57] Ars Lunga, Vita Brevis.

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