Melina Frattolin’s Dad Learns Fate for Killing 9-Year-Old, Hiding Body Under RockKC BakerThu, October 15, 2026 at 3:34 PM UTC
Luciano Frattolin in court; Melina Galanis FrattolinCredit: WCAX Channel 3 News/Youtube; New York State PoliceLuciano Frattolin, 46, murdered his daughter, Melina Galanis Frattolin, during a trip to upstate New York in July 2025
Luciano Frattolin was sentenced in the murder of his 9-year-old daughter Melina
He initially told police his daughter had been kidnapped during a vacation. Her body was later found under a rock
Frattolin’s attorney filed a notice of appeal after the sentencing
The Canadian man who claimed his 9-year-old daughter was kidnapped while on vacation has received the maximum sentence for drowning her in a swamp in July 2025 and hiding her body under a rock.
On Wed., Oct. 14, Judge Tatiana Coffinger sentenced Luciano Frattolin, 46, to 25 years to life in the death of his daughter, Melina Galanis Frattolin, during a vacation in New York State.
Frattolin was convicted in August of second-degree murder and concealing a human corpse.
“We will never know what happened on the evening of July 19, 2025,” Judge Coffinger told Frattolin in Essex County Supreme Court in Elizabethtown, N.Y., WNYT reports.
“We do know that in a moment Melina needed her father the most, you failed to protect her,” the judeg continued, per the outlet. “Instead, Mr. Frattolin you live in a world of self made delusion, of wealth and image, when the greatest accomplishment of your life could have been to be a great father. It is not what you are going to be remembered for.”
The judge handed down the maximum sentence for second-degree murder with an additional term of one to three years for concealing a human corpse, which will be served consecutively, Syracuse.com reports.
“I hope at some point in your life you will realize what you have done,” the judge told Frattolin.
In July 2025, Frattolin took Melina on vacation to upstate New York.
At the time, Melina was living in Montreal with her mother, Kali Galanis, who had sole custody of her.
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Frattolin initially wanted to take Melina to his native Ethiopia, but she told her mother she didn’t want to go.
“I became aware of some troubling things the defendant said to Melina. I became uncomfortable,” Galanis testified during the trial, The Press-Republican reported.
Given Melina’s apprehension about traveling overseas with her father, Galanis agreed to let Frattolin take her on vacation in upstate New York.
On July 11, 2025, Luciano and Melina left for their trip. They were supposed to return to Montreal at about 6 p.m. on Friday, July 19, 2025, but never showed up.
On July 19, 2025, Luciano called 911 to report that his daughter was missing, saying he believed she had been kidnapped by two men in a van while they were visiting the Lake George area, according to the New York State Police.
Melina’s body was found the next day in a pond in Ticonderoga.
An autopsy revealed that her cause of death was asphyxia due to drowning and her manner of death was homicide, state police said.
Luciano was arrested the next day and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Frattolin declined to make a statement when the judge asked him if he wanted to say anything before she sentenced him, WNYT reports.
During the sentencing, Melina’s family sat inside the packed courtroom, holding each other and crying softly, News10 reports.
Outside the courthouse, Essex County District Attorney Michael Langey read a statement on their behalf which read, “We continue to suffer deeply since the day Melina was brutally murdered,” WCAX reports.
“Nothing can bring Melina back, but we are relieved that this chapter is over. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who worked on the case. Your dedication and persistence, your efforts helped bring a measure of justice for our family.”
Frattolin’s attorney issued a notice of appeal after the sentencing, CBC reports.
Source: Crime