Fravel on Trial, Day 14: Fravel’s defense team threatens to request a mistrial
(ABC 6 News)- Adam Fravel’s murder trial continued on Thursday, his defense team threatening to request a mistrial if certain phrases are said in court.
Fravel’s attorney, Zach Bauer, made several objections during witness testimony over the last week as some witnesses refer to Madeline Kingsbury as “Maddi” or “Madeline” instead of “Kingsbury”, as instructed by the court.
On Thursday morning, an agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension referred to the couple’s home as a “crime scene.” Bauer telling the judge, “we will request a mistrial if this continues.”
Kingsbury’s family members are exempt from this rule and can call Kingsbury by her first name. They are set to take the stand on Monday, Oct. 28.
On Thursday, the jury also heard about specific data pulled from electronic devices belonging to Fravel and Kingsbury.
Two photos taken from Kingsbury’s phone show her two children and a blue and white polka dot towel. The towel shown is very similar to the stained towel presented on Wednesday in autopsy photos, seen tied in a slipknot around Kingsbury’s head.
The defense pointing out the photos have no location data attached.
A trail camera was also presented. It showed a clear picture of Fravel riding a UTV about a week after she went missing on private property, near where her remains were found, with what appeared to be a handle of a shovel in the back.
According to court documents, the UTV was seized by police and two cadaver dogs alerted to it as well as the shovel.
Fravel’s defense team argued the handle could attach to any farm tool.
ABC 6 News will be in Mankato for the duration of the trial, and full coverage can be found here.