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Ex-boyfriend of missing Minnesota mother charged with murder after body found

June 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WINONA COUNTY, Minn.) — A Minnesota man has been charged with murder in the death of the mother of his children, who was found dead in a rural area more than two months after she was reported missing, prosecutors said.

Adam Fravel, 29, is being held on a $2 million unconditional bond after being charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the death of Madeline Kingsbury, 26, prosecutors said.

Kingsbury was last seen alive the morning of March 31, when she and Fravel dropped their two young children off at a day care before returning to her home in Winona, police said. She was reported missing after a concerned friend requested a welfare check and police officer found Kingsbury’s cellphone, wallet and ID in her home but could not locate her.

After an extensive search, authorities located the body of Kingsbury on Wednesday concealed in brush in a wooded area north of Mabel, Minnesota, authorities said.

“She had a bright future, and Mr. Fravel took that from her,” Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman said during a Friday press conference announcing the charges.

Sonneman added that Fravel could be charged with first-degree murder at a later date, adding that the case is still ongoing.

Fravel told police that he and Kingsbury were in an on-and-off relationship for the past seven years but they had recently separated and were in the process of moving out of their shared home when she went missing, according to a complaint obtained by ABC News. Fravel indicated that two weeks prior to her disappearance, Kingsbury told him she had started a relationship with another man, the complaint stated.

Fravel had told investigators that the morning Kingsbury went missing, he left the house in Kingsbury’s van around 10 a.m., but when he returned later that day, she was not there, police said.

Police found Kingsbury on a property maintained by the Fravel family with a knotted towel wrapped around her head and neck, and her body was wrapped in a bed sheet identified as originating from Kingsbury and Fravel’s shared residence, according to the complaint.

The complaint stated that Fravel reportedly admitted to being “infatuated” with the case of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old travel blogger who authorities say was strangled to death by her boyfriend in August 2021 while the two were on a cross-country road trip. Petito’s boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, died by suicide.

“Fravel also admitted that he had made a statement to Madeline about her ending up like Gabby Petito,” the complaint stated. “Fravel claimed he was trying to make a joke.”

The complaint also included an excerpt from Kingsbury’s phone conversations in which she confronted Fravel about an alleged incident of domestic violence.

“You know I am not really OK with or over the fact that you put your hand around my neck and pushed me down in front of the kids earlier…” the message from Kingsbury to Fravel reads.

A preliminary autopsy determined that Kingsbury’s cause of death was homicide and homicidal violence, according to the complaint.

Fravel’s first court appearance is set for July 20.

In the weeks after Kingsbury was reported missing, Fravel denied having anything to do with her disappearance.

“Over the course of the last 12 days, my family and I have been subject to a myriad of accusations regarding the disappearance of the mother of my children,” Fravel said in a statement released by his attorney on April 14.

He said he has been cooperating with authorities and that investigators advised him not to attend press conferences or searches “due to safety concerns.”

Fravel and Kingsbury’s children, ages 2 and 5 at the time of their mother’s disappearance, are currently in the custody of Winona County and are with Kingsbury’s parents, ABC Saint Paul affiliate KSTP reported.

When asked about the custody of the children, Sonneman acknowledged that Fravel, who does not have custodial rights, might be able to get supervised and secured visitation rights of their children if he secures bail.

Unabomber Ted Kaczynski found dead in prison cell

June 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Ted Kaczynski, the convicted terrorist known as the Unabomber, was found dead in his prison cell Saturday morning, according to a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson. He was 81.

Kaczynski was previously in a maximum security facility in Colorado but was moved to a medical facility in North Carolina in December 2021 due to poor health.

Kaczynski, who went nearly 20 years without being captured until his arrest in 1996, was considered America’s most prolific bomber.

Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski placed or mailed 16 bombs that killed three people and injured 23 others, according to authorities.

In 1995, before he was identified as the Unabomber, he demanded newspapers to publish a long manuscript he had written, saying the killings would continue otherwise. Both the New York Times and Washington Post published the 35,000-word manifesto later that year at the recommendation of the U.S. Attorney General and the director of the FBI.

If it hadn’t been for the suspicions of his brother and sister-in-law, Kaczynski might never have been caught. Kaczynski’s sister-in-law, Linda Patrik, was one of the first to identify Kaczynski as the Unabomber after reading the Unabomber’s writing.

In an interview with “20/20 on ID Presents: Homicide” in 2016, Patrik recalled the first time she suspected Kaczynski was responsible for the serial bombings.

“I’d thought about the families that were bombed. There was one in which the package arrived to the man’s home and his little 2-year-old daughter was there. She was almost in the room when he opened the package. Luckily she left, and his wife left. And then he died,” Patrik said. “And there were others. And so I spent those days thinking about those people.”

Patrik said she recognized familiar-sounding ideas in the manuscript from letters her husband David Kaczynski had received from his brother. The family eventually decided to contact the FBI, and on April 3, 1995, a 9-man SWAT team apprehended Kaczynski in his cabin in Montana.

“When she said, ‘Well, I think maybe your brother’s the Unabomber,’ I thought, ‘Well, this is not anything to worry about. Ted’s never been violent. I’ve never seen him violent,'” David Kaczynski said in the interview. “I couldn’t imagine that he would do what the Unabomber had done.”

Ted Kaczynski went on trial in Sacramento, California, where the key issue was not his guilt but his sanity and whether he would be spared the death penalty. He pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for life in prison without parole in 1998.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Trump federal indictment: What happens next?

June 10, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI) — For the second time in two months, former President Donald Trump will be arraigned on criminal charges, this time in connection with his alleged mishandling of top secret documents after leaving office.

Trump was previously arraigned in April after he was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records by Manhattan prosecutors and is awaiting a trial that is expected to begin next year.

However, his pending case in a Florida federal court, which has been known to adhere to speedy trials, may be a swift one and have long-lasting effects on his bid for the White House and other investigations.

First court appearance in Miami

Trump is scheduled to be arraigned on his 37-count indictment on Tuesday and will appear before a judge in Miami.

He will surrender to the authorities, be processed and then be taken before the judge.

It is unlikely that Trump will be in handcuffs during this process.

The former president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and decried federal prosecutors, and is expected to plead not guilty.

“The U.S. Marshals are responsible for the protection of the federal judicial process, and we take that responsibility very seriously. Ensuring that judges can rule independently and free from harm or intimidation is paramount to the rule of law, and a fundamental mission of the USMS,” a spokesman for the U.S. Marshal Service told ABC News in a statement.

Following his plea, the judge will have the right to remand Trump on bail or release him on his own recognizance before adjourning for a future date.

Trump was released on his own recognizance following his arraignment in a Manhattan criminal court in April.

‘Rocket Docket’ court sets timeline expectations

Following Trump’s plea, the federal judge will adjourn the case for another date and allow attorneys an opportunity to review the indictment charges and make motions regarding the case, including seeking to have the charges dismissed or evidence suppressed.

It’s unknown when the next hearing or the trial date will be, but legal experts say based the on venue of the case, the Southern District of Florida, it may be soon.

The district is known to be a “rocket docket” court, a term used by legal professionals for venues that adhere to the swift trials.

“You can expect a criminal case to be resolved within six months of an indictment issuing,” Walter Norkin, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida, told ABC News. “The judges in the Southern District of Florida adhere very strictly to the Speedy Trial clock, which, with limited exceptions, requires trial or conviction to occur within 70 days.”

Special counsel Jack Smith also stressed that his office would push for a speedy trial “consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused,” during a news conference Friday after the indictment was unsealed.

“It’s very important for me to note that the defendants in this case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” he said.

Trials clash with campaign schedule

Trump has maintained that he will continue to campaign for the GOP ticket as the court cases and investigations continue.

In fact, he has boasted about his probes at several rallies, campaign emails and statements. He is also raising money off the indictment.

The timetable of the federal could affect key campaign events. The GOP has currently scheduled its first presidential debate for August 23.

Trump hasn’t immediately indicated if he will attend the event.

He is also under investigation in Georgia over election interference during the 2020 race, but it is not known if or when charges could be brought against Trump.

Trump’s case in Manhattan is slated for their criminal trial to begin in March 2024, just as the presidential primaries pick up.

ABC News’ Jack Date contributed to this report.

Trump federal indictment unsealed in classified documents probe

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors unsealed the indictment Friday against former President Donald Trump in connection with his handling of government documents.

The 38 charges against Trump and his aide Walt Nauta include conspiracy to obstruct justice and scheme to conceal, according to the document.

Trump is slated to be arraigned on Tuesday in a Florida federal court.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and criticized the Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney general’s office of conducting a political “witch hunt.”

Special Counsel Jack Smith is slated to make a statement about the indictment at 3 p.m.

Joran van der Sloot, suspect in Natalee Holloway case, pleads not guilty to extortion, wire fraud charges

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) — Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, appeared in court in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, pleading not guilty to federal extortion and wire fraud charges.

Holloway’s mom, Beth Holloway, looked on as van der Sloot, who is accused of trying to extort her, walked into the courtroom.

Van der Sloot, a Dutch citizen, chose not to use an interpreter in court, saying, “My English is perfect.”

Van der Sloot was flown to the U.S. on Thursday from Peru, where he had been serving a 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Plans for his extradition were announced last month.

“For 18 years, I have lived with the unbearable pain of Natalee’s loss,” Beth Holloway said in a statement Thursday. “Each day has been filled with unanswered questions and a longing for justice that has eluded us at every turn. But today, with her perpetrator’s extradition to the United States, I am hopeful that some small semblance of justice may finally be realized, even though no act of justice will heal the pain we’ve endured.”

Mark White, attorney for Holloway’s father, Dave Holloway, called the extortion and wire fraud case “some form of accountability,” but “not accountability for the ultimate transgression of what a lot of people think this person did to their child.”

White told ABC News on Thursday that he feels “more than 100%” certain that van der Sloot knows where Natalee Holloway’s body is located.

“Beth and Dave Holloway, they have been living every parent’s worst nightmare,” he said. “We all hope … that somehow the truth will come out.”

Holloway, an 18-year-old from Alabama, went missing in May 2005 on a high school graduation trip in Aruba. She was last seen with a group of young men, including van der Sloot, then 17.

Van der Sloot, who was detained as a suspect in Holloway’s disappearance and later released, was indicted by an Alabama federal grand jury in 2010 for allegedly trying to extort Holloway’s family.

Federal prosecutors alleged that in March 2010 van der Sloot contacted Beth Holloway through her lawyer and claimed he would reveal the location of the teen’s body in exchange for $250,000, with $25,000 paid upfront. During a recorded sting operation, Beth Holloway’s attorney, John Q. Kelly, met with van der Sloot at an Aruba hotel, giving him $10,000 in cash as Beth Holloway wired $15,000 to van der Sloot’s bank account, according to prosecutors.

Then, van der Sloot allegedly changed his story about the night he was with Natalee Holloway, prosecutors said. Van der Sloot claimed he had picked Natalee Holloway up, but she demanded to be put down, so he threw her to the ground. Van der Sloot said her head hit a rock and he claimed she died instantly from the impact, according to prosecutors.

Van der Sloot then took Kelly to a house and claimed that his father, who had since died, buried Natalee Holloway in the building’s foundation, prosecutors said.

Kelly later emailed van der Sloot, saying the information he had provided was “worthless,” according to prosecutors. Within days, van der Sloot left Aruba for Peru.

Van der Sloot will be held in U.S. Marshals custody until trial.

Trump valet Walt Nauta charged in special counsel probe: Sources

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — An aide to former President Donald Trump, Walt Nauta, has been charged by the special counsel as part of their probe into Trump’s alleged taking of classified information, sources tell ABC News.

Nauta, a former valet in the Trump White House who left his role to join the former president as a personal aide in early 2021, was indicted by the same grand jury in Florida that indicted Trump on Thursday, the sources say.

It is not immediately clear what the exact charges are and an attorney for Nauta declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

A federal grand jury voted to indict Trump on at least seven federal charges late Thursday as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The indictment comes after more than 100 documents with classified markings were found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022.

Trump praised Nauta in a Truth Social post on Friday afternoon, writing that he was a Navy veteran “who served proudly with me in the White House, retired as Senior Chief, and then transitioned into private life as a personal aide.”

“He has done a fantastic job!” Trump said.

Donald Trump’s lawsuit against former fixer Michael Cohen scheduled for trial in August 2024

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against his one-time lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is set for trial in August 2024, according to an order Friday by a federal judge in Florida.

Trump has accused Cohen of breaching his fiduciary duty and his lawsuit seeks at least a half-billion dollars in damages.

Cohen has sought to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it vindictive, frivolous and scattershot.

“This suit combines the worst of Mr. Trump’s vindictive impulses. The Complaint, frivolous and scattershot, is an abusive act of pure retaliation and witness intimidation, albeit a ham-fisted one,” Cohen’s attorneys Benjamin Brodsky and Danya Perry said in the motion to dismiss filed in May.

The judge has yet to rule on the motion to dismiss but set a trial date of Aug. 26, 2024, about a month after the Republican National Convention.

Trump accused Cohen of “egregious breaches of fiduciary duty and contract” in connection with the publication of books and the production of a podcast that “are intended to be embarrassing or detrimental” to Trump.

“Despite Cohen’s arguments to the contrary, the Complaint alleges that Cohen was conferred substantial benefits during his representation of the Plaintiff and utilized such benefits for purposes of obtaining selfish, financial profit at the expense of Plaintiff,” Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Britto, said in a statement earlier this month.

The civil trial would require neither Trump nor Cohen to be present, but it represents yet another legal entanglement for the former president as he again seeks the White House.

Judge Darrin Gayles also ordered Trump and Cohen to try and mediate their dispute prior to trial, setting a mediation deadline of May 2024.

How one woman is helping settle school lunch debt, advocating for universal free lunch

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Millions of dollars in unpaid school lunch debt have been mounting in districts across the country, and one Virginia mom is on a mission to settle the bill in her local community.

Adelle Settle feels a student’s ability to pay for their meal at the school cafeteria should never get in the way of their success.

“Food is so crucial and such a critical part of all of our lives,” Settle told ABC News’ Good Morning America.

For years, Settle has been raising money for schools one call or social media post at a time, to help students in Virginia focus on their studies and not their stomachs.

“I want to make sure that no school is left holding the lunch bag, so to speak, for so many kids that haven’t been able to pay their lunch debt,” she said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately 4.9 billion school lunches were served to children nationwide through the National School Lunch Program in fiscal year 2019, prior to the pandemic, with 74% provided for free or at a reduced rate. (The agency notes that “a higher share of the meals served in FY 2020 and FY 2021, [approximately 99% in 2021,] were served free or at a reduced-price, attributable in large part to a USDA pandemic waiver allowing for meals to be provided free of charge to all students.”)

This school year, students have amassed record lunch debt with districts across the country reporting $19.2 million in lunch debt accumulated since November of last year, according to a 2023 School Nutrition Trends Report by the School Nutrition Association.

“I got to believe that’s doubled or tripled since,” Lori Adkins, president of the School Nutrition Association, told GMA about the debt numbers. “When you’ve got an unpaid meal debt it’s got to be paid for. So, it will eventually fall to the general fund.”

In Prince William County, the second largest school district in Virginia, schools have already racked up more than $300,000 worth of lunch debt.

Adam Russo, the director of School Food and Nutrition Services in Prince William County, told GMA that’s “pretty typical,” especially in the wake of COVID-19.

“We knew our families were a little confused coming back from the pandemic and not understanding that meals had a cost associated with them,” he said, referring to the pandemic waivers, which the Trump administration previously extended through June 2021.

That provision was further extended under the Biden administration, but officially ran out at the beginning of this school year.

California was the first of five states to make universal school lunch permanent, starting in school year 2022-2023. Maine has also since made its school lunches permanently free.

At least three other states — Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico — have passed permanent free school lunch measures starting in school year 2023-2024, according to the Food Research and Action Center.

Dozens of other states have similar pending legislation.

Russo said “one of the biggest barriers” to getting students to sign up for these free and reduced meals is “pride.”

“They don’t necessarily want a handout from a government entity,” he said.

Settle echoed that sentiment.

“There were times where I might have just gone without lunch instead of applying for free and reduced because my mom was very proud and she didn’t want to take advantage of of any programs if she didn’t absolutely have to,” she said, recalling her own childhood.

Since starting her nonprofit “Settle the Debt” in 2017, Settle has raised more than $190,000 to pay off school lunch debt in her district — more than $50,000 this year alone — which has been a big help, she said, but serves as a bandage on a bigger problem.

She said she has also advocated for several pieces of legislation at the state level that, among other things, ensure students are fed and that their school lunches are not thrown out because they can’t pay for them.

Settle said she’ll know she’s done enough “when Settle the Debt is no longer needed and we can close our doors and not raise any more money for a school meal debt, because there’s no more need.”

‘Nowhere to escape’: Frontline workers contend with wildfire smoke, face repeat of pandemic divide

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As wildfire smoke bathed New York City in fumes on Wednesday afternoon, UPS driver Matt Leichenger said he suffered a wave of nausea in the back of his truck with hardly anything he could do about it.

“There’s nowhere you can escape to,” Leichenger told ABC News. “Unless you literally stop working and go inside. If you do that, it prolongs your day.”

Leichenger, who worked a 12-hour shift in Brooklyn that involved more than 100 stops, said he couldn’t keep the doors of the truck closed due to a lack of air conditioning. The experience reminded him of delivering during the pandemic, he said.

“You can’t outscore delivery work; you can’t do it remotely,” he said. “As we see climate events happening, we’re going to be on the frontlines of that, too.”

In a statement, UPS told ABC News that the company is “working on a variety of immediate actions, including the speedy distribution of masks for our employees in affected areas.”

“The well-being and safety of UPSers is our number one priority,” the statement added. “We are following developments closely and will continue to be in close contact with our people as the situation evolves.”

Tens of thousands of delivery workers carry items across New York City each day, alongside a host of employees in other outdoor trades like construction. Those workers join more than 300,000 retail employees who risk exposure to smoke that wafts through open doorways.

The threat faced by such workers contrasts with the relative safety of office employees capable of working from home, recreating a divide that emerged during the pandemic, Joshua Freeman, a professor emeritus of labor history at Queens College at the City University of New York.

“Because of the nature of certain people’s jobs, they simply need to be outside,” he said. “It highlights the disparity.”

The Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality index, or AQI, which ranges from 0 to 500 with escalating health risk as it goes higher, reached over 400 in New York City on Wednesday. As of Thursday afternoon, the AQI registered at 178. Levels under 100 are considered safe.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday extended an air quality health advisory until Friday night, urging people to limit their time outdoors and, when necessary, wear a mask.

“Much of the guidance being issued has not been adequate for workers who are being exposed to wildfire smoke all day,” the non-profit New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health said on Thursday.

“For those employers who are forcing their workers on the job when the work is not essential,” the group added. “We need to do better.”

Jordan Pollack, an employee at a Trader Joe’s in lower Manhattan, said early Wednesday afternoon she noticed that the basement-level store had begun to smell smoky.

“The air was just flowing through the automatic doors when they were opening and closing,” she said. “It was getting stuck in the basement.”

While lifting heavy boxes in the freezer section, Pollack said she felt lightheaded and short of breath, she said.

“It felt very apocalyptic,” she added.

She and some coworkers asked the managers if they could leave early with a full day’s pay, she said; but the managers declined. Ultimately, at around 5 p.m., 12 of the 20 employees on duty walked out in protest, she said.

In a statement, a Trader Joe’s spokesperson affirmed the company’s commitment to worker safety.

“Nothing is more important at Trader Joe’s than the safety of our Crew Members and customers. Trader Joe’s stores, including Essex Crossing, have high-quality air filtration systems, which are regularly serviced to ensure optimal operation,” the spokesperson said.

“Yesterday a few Crew Members indicated they were uncomfortable completing their scheduled shifts. As is our normal practice, any Crew Member wanting to go home was welcome to do so,” the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Pollack said she does not fault coworkers who declined to walk out.

“Most people can’t afford to take that risk,” she said. “They could have no choice to come into work under these conditions because otherwise they won’t be able to pay rent.”

“In the immediate present, that seems much more scary than the fact that your lungs are getting permanently damaged,” she added.

New seat designed to make flying easier for wheelchair users

June 9, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — For wheelchair users, taking a trip that involves flying can often be an undignified hassle. A partnership between a consortium and a major airliner is looking to change that.

Oftentimes at the gate, people who use power wheelchairs are lifted out of their seats into narrow wheelchairs designed specifically for airplane aisles, while their wheelchairs go in the cargo hold. In many instances, the wheelchairs are damaged in transit. But a consortium called Air4all and Delta Flight Products, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, are introducing a new seat design for passenger aircraft that will allow wheelchair users to sit in their wheelchairs on the plane.

The prototype of the seat is being shown this week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, and members of the consortium say there’s already interest from major airlines.

The Air4all consortium consists of Flying Disabled, a group that advocates for accessibility in aviation; PriestmanGoode, an aviation design company which took the lead on designing the chair; SWS Certification, a design organization; and Sunrise Medical, a wheelchair manufacturing and design company.

Chris Wood, the founder of Flying Disabled, said that he was inspired to work on an accessible seat by the difficulties his children, who use power wheelchairs, face when they fly.

“Whenever I traveled by flight with them, … it’s a kind of brutal and undignified process,” said Wood.

Nearly 50,000 wheelchairs and scooters were boarded on planes in February 2023, according to Department of Transportation data. Out of that, 767, or 1.54%, wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled.

Wood hopes these new seats will reduce that number.

The seats are designed for single-aisle aircraft. To accommodate someone using a wheelchair, the airline seat will fold up, allowing the wheelchair to be secured to the seat. The user would still have access to the headrest and tray tables. If the seat isn’t occupied by someone in a wheelchair, it can fold down into a regular airplane seat.

“We want to try to remove that awful process of traveling by air,” said Wood.

Wood acknowledged that air travel presented unique challenges.

“The rules of engagement and safety are very different,” said Wood. “This is not just strapping [the wheelchair] down in the back of the car and off we go.”

Wood said that there has been interest from major airlines and manufacturers. But it will still be a while before the seat becomes commercially available.

Delta said in a statement that the product was still in its “early development stages,” with 18 months of work ahead, including stringent safety and regulatory reviews.

“Delta will keep a keen eye on the progress of this concept being driven by our subsidiary — as we are always looking for ways to improve the travel experience for all customers,” said Delta in a statement.

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