ELIZABETHTOWN, NY – In a chilling verdict, Canadian father Luciano Frattolin was declared guilty on Monday of drowning his 9-year-old daughter in a swamp in the Adirondacks. Prosecutors argued the macabre act was spurred by his desire for vengeance against his former wife.
The jury in Elizabethtown swiftly delivered their verdict against the disgraced coffee entrepreneur. Frattolin’s heinous crime involved the murder of his young daughter, Melina, followed by the disposal of her body near Ticonderoga during what was supposed to be a court-sanctioned vacation in July 2025. He fabricated an audacious story, alleging that Melina had been kidnapped, which ignited an extensive search throughout the Adirondacks.
Frattolin now stands to serve a life sentence, having been convicted of second-degree murder and the concealment of a corpse, after a trial filled with gripping testimonies in Essex County Court.
“Tragically, Melina’s life was cut short in a brutal act of violence,” remarked Essex County District Attorney Michael Langey during his closing arguments on Monday. He fixed a steely gaze on Frattolin in court, prompting the convicted father to look away.
Langey painted a haunting picture of the crime scene describing, “Her once neatly braided long black hair was found disheveled with mud, dirt, and grass clinging to it.”
Frattolin shook his head, at no point showing remorse for drowning the girl and then trying to cover up her body with a large rock.
The twisted dad had even considered taking the stand, but revealed Monday morning he’d begrudgingly decided not to.
“I really want to, but I was advised not to,” he told Judge Tatiana Coffinger of his decision not to testify.
Jurors deliberated for only about an hour before handing down their verdict.
Melina’s mom, Kali Galanis, had full custody over her after she broke off she and Frattolin’s long distance relationship in 2019.
In recent years, Kali had permitted Melina to see Luciano on yearly trips, such as one planned to Ethiopia last year until something prompted the Montreal-based Mom to cancel the plans, allowing them to take a trip to New York City instead.
Twisted, rambling notes Luciano left in his rented Prius the night he killed Melina spoke of “ending the madness” and a “Luciano Frattolin 2.0,” who was with a “10/10 blonde” and bought a Porsche.
“Let God decide. If you want to become famous. God, do not give me money until I end this evil. I mean big money, like two million,” he wrote in a note.
“Don’t let Melina suffer anymore,” he wrote in another.
Frattolin, a dual citizen of Ethiopia and Italy, had accused his ex-wife Kali Galanis of abusing the girl — then alleged she was framing him in Melina’s purported kidnapping.
“If she is behind this, she does this to make me look like a bad person,” Frattolin can be heard saying on a recording with investigators.
Jurors ultimately sided with prosecutors in finding that Frattolin’s narrative kept changing.