- Luciano Frattolin was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his nine-year-old daughter from Montreal.
- The jury also convicted Frattolin of concealing his daughter’s body.
- Frattolin is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 and will remain in custody.
- Frattolin reported his daughter missing on July 19, 2025, claiming she was kidnapped by two men in a white van.
- Melina Frattolin's body was found the next day near Ticonderoga, N.Y., in a marsh, partially covered by a fallen tree with a rock on her chest.
- Investigators later arrested Frattolin for the child's murder.
- The trial entered its fourth week, with lawyers making final arguments.
Luciano Frattolin, 46, was found guilty of second-degree murder and concealing the body of his nine-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin, during a trial that lasted about three weeks. The jury deliberated for about an hour before reaching the verdict.1
Melina's body was discovered in a marsh in rural New York, partially covered by a fallen tree and a large rock on her chest. The girl had been reported missing by Frattolin on July 19, 2025, during a weeklong trip in the United States. He initially claimed she was kidnapped by two men in a white van, but investigators later arrested him for her murder.
Family members in the courtroom reacted emotionally to the verdict, with some sobbing and holding onto each other. Frattolin, standing between his attorneys, maintained a neutral expression, shaking his head slightly before being taken away in handcuffs. “It was a tough case,” said Eric Weyand, one of Frattolin’s lawyers, outside the courtroom. Frattolin is set to be sentenced on Oct. 14 and will remain in custody until then.
“The jury deliberated for about an hour after a three-week trial, and Frattolin's lawyer Eric Weyand called it 'a tough case.' Melina Frattolin's body was found in a marsh near Ticonderoga, N.Y., with a large rock on her chest, after her father reported her kidnapped by two men in a white van.”
CP24
