Attorneys give opening statements in murder trial of Minnesota man accused of killing his girlfriend

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Attorneys give opening statements in murder trial of Minnesota man accused of killing his girlfriend

2024-10-18 03:23 Last Updated At：03:30

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Attorneys delivered opening statements on Thursday in the high-profile murder trial of the former boyfriend of a Minnesota woman whose body was found hidden in a rural area of the state in 2023.

Adam Fravel, 30, is on trial for first-degree murder. He was arrested in June 2023, days after deputies found the body of Madeline Kingsbury in a wooded area a few miles away from a property owned by Fravel’s parents. Police found Kingsbury’s body in a gray fitted bed sheet that had been closed with black Gorilla tape. A medical examiner concluded she likely died of asphyxiation. The 26-year-old Kingsbury vanished in March 2023, after dropping off her and Fravel’s two young children at day care in Winona, a southeastern Minnesota town of about 26,000 residents.

Kingsbury’s disappearance garnered national attention and thousands of people joined in the search for her. A judge granted a request from Fravel’s attorneys to have the case moved out of Winona, where many members of community helped search for Kingsbury. The trial will instead take place in Mankato, Minnesota, about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from Winona.

At the Blue Earth County District Court in Mankato, prosecutors and Fravel's defense attorneys painted dueling portraits of the couple's domestic life and the police investigation that led to Fravel's arrest.

Phil Prokopowicz, a special prosecutor handling the case for the Winona County Attorney’s Office, said Fravel killed Kingsbury after she attempted to leave him. He said Kingsbury was a successful working mother who had become frustrated with Fravel's alleged abusive behavior and inadequate contributions to their family. Prokopowicz said the prosecution would call witnesses who saw Fravel hit Kingsbury and scream at her.

Prokopowicz revealed that Kingsbury met another man on a dating app, which prompted her to end her relationship with Fravel, KARE-TV reported. He added that Kingsbury took steps to terminate her lease where she lived with Fravel, and that she had found a townhouse where she and the children were to move.

Zach Bauer, Fravel's attorney, said investigators ignored evidence that pointed to his client's innocence. He said he would challenge the prosecution’s version of how and where the body was found, and who may have had access to the remote site a few miles away from a property owned by Fravel’s parents.

Police said they investigated hundreds of tips and that digital evidence, including phone and computer records, helped lead to the discovery of the body.

Responding to allegations of domestic abuse, Bauer said the couple had normal disagreements. He plans to show jurors text messages from Kingsbury to her sister saying she was going to marry Fravel. Kingsbury and Fravel eventually agreed to separate but were doing so in a cooperative manner, he added.

Attorneys argued before a full courtroom Thursday. Fravel wore a gray suit and glasses as Kingsbury's family, community members and journalists looked on, KIMT-TV reported.

Cissy Houston mourned by Dionne Warwick, politicians and more at longtime church

2024-10-18 03:24 Last Updated At：03:30

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Dionne Warwick, BeBe Winans, Darlene Love and a massive choir helped celebrate the life of gospel icon Cissy Houston during a music-filled memorial Thursday in the Duchess of Gospel’s hometown of Newark.

The ceremony at New Hope Baptist Church — where Houston was a congregant and choir leader for decades — was decorated with framed photos of Houston and her coffin was placed in front of the pulpit. The church also held daughter Whitney Houston's funeral more than a decade ago.

“She gave so much. She gave me the right to be me,” said Warwick, 83, the 91-year-old Houston’s niece.

“Cissy, I’m going to miss you,” she added, asking her aunt to greet her passed relatives. “They're all waiting for you. Your gave us your heart and soul.”

Houston, a two-time Grammy-winning soul and gospel artist who sang with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, died Oct. 7. In her honor, her oldest son, Gary, sang “Freedom” and Love sang “It Is Well with My Soul.” Her goddaughters said they would carry on her tradition of wearing purple eyeshadow proudly.

A portrait emerged from the speakers of a woman of great faith and deep love but also one who suffered fools poorly. “No one else could cut you in Jesus’ name,” Winans joked as the mourners roared. “You didn’t have to say words. She could cut you with her eyes.”

He also told a story of her compassion: When Whitney Houston died, Winans got a call from Cissy. “I’m just calling to check on you,” she told him. ”At that moment, her strength became my strength. It was just who she was.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka read a proclamation created in her honor and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called Houston a “musical legend” who “embodied the very soul of New Jersey.”

“While each one of us are born with a voice, only a select few of us are endowed with a voice that is powerful enough to reach into the hearts of millions and millions of listeners around the world, a voice that is powerful enough to soothe the pain of heartbreak or to carry the euphoria of falling in love,” Murphy said.

A church performer from an early age, Houston was part of a family gospel act before breaking through in popular music in the 1960s as a member of the prominent backing group The Sweet Inspirations, with Doris Troy and niece Dee Dee Warwick. The group sang backup for a variety of soul singers including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls and The Drifters. They also sang backup for Dionne Warwick.

Houston’s many credits included Franklin’s “Think” and ”(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” The Sweet Inspirations also sang on stage with Presley.

The Sweet Inspirations had their own top 20 single with the soul-rock “Sweet Inspiration,” made in the Memphis studio where Franklin and Springfield, among others, recorded hits. They released four albums just in the late ’60s.

Houston became an in-demand session singer and recorded more than 600 songs in multiple genres throughout her career. Her vocals can be heard on tracks alongside a wide range of artists including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her own daughter.

“What she represents is so powerful that it continues to echo to this day,” said the Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. “She worked with the Irish and African Americans and Italians and Latino and Jewish brothers and sister because she believed in a patchwork and quiltwork of diversity. Unlike others who try to negate the beauty and value of all of us coming together.”

Six pallbearers carried her coffin as the choir sang “He Shall Lead His Flock.”

Attorneys give opening statements in murder trial of Minnesota man accused of killing his girlfriend

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Attorneys give opening statements in murder trial of Minnesota man accused of killing his girlfriend

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