Today, a Montreal man is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of the tragic drowning of his nine-year-old daughter in a rural area of Upstate New York. Luciano Frattolin was convicted of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse by a jury in Elizabethtown. The court determined that he had unlawfully caused the death of Melina Frattolin by drowning her in a marsh.
Judge Tatiana Coffinger is scheduled to deliver the sentencing and address a motion to set aside the guilty verdict. Throughout the trial, the defense attempted to challenge the investigation conducted by local police, claiming that the daughter had been kidnapped. However, the prosecution presented evidence from police officers and experts, including car location data and surveillance footage, to disprove Frattolin’s account and establish his culpability.
District Attorney Michael Langey has indicated that Frattolin may receive a life sentence for the murder charge, with the possibility of parole after a minimum term of either 15 or 25 years.
