A New York jury has found a 46-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his nine-year-old daughter from Montreal. Luciano Frattolin was also convicted of concealing his daughter’s body. Some family members in the court let out sobs and held onto each other as they heard the verdict. Standing between his two attorneys, Frattolin kept a neutral expression, shaking his head slightly, before sitting down. He was taken away in handcuffs minutes later. The jury deliberated for about an hour following a trial that lasted about three weeks. “It was a tough case,” said Eric Weyand, one of Frattolin’s lawyers, outside the courtroom. Frattolin is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14, and will remain in custody. Melina Frattolin’s body was found last year in a marsh in a rural area of New York, partially covered by a fallen tree with a large rock on her chest. The girl and her father were nearing the end of a weeklong trip in the United States when Frattolin reported his daughter missing on July 19, 2025. Her body was found the next day near Ticonderoga, N.Y., about 400 kilometres north of New York City. Frattolin reported his daughter had been kidnapped by two men who drove off in a white van, but investigators later arrested him for the child’s murder. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2026.
