Montreal man sentenced to life in prison for killing his nine-year-old daughter in New York

Years before parole eligibility

25 years

Judge Tatiana Coffinger sentenced Luciano Frattolin to life in prison, with no parole for 25 years, after rejecting a motion to set aside the guilty verdict. He had left his daughter Melina in a marsh in rural New York.

Background

The girl lived in Montreal with her mother and went on a road trip to the US with her father in July 2025. On the night they were due home, he told police she had been kidnapped after he stopped his car by the road.

Evidence used at trial

• Car location data
• Cellphone data
• Surveillance camera footage

The prosecution used car location data, cellphone data and surveillance footage to show his story was false. A jury in Essex County Court convicted him of second-degree murder and concealing a human corpse.

What's next

The defence filed a notice of appeal after the sentence.