The murder trial for Luciano Frattolin, a Canadian coffee entrepreneur accused of drowning his 9-year-old daughter in an upstate New York pond, commenced Thursday with opening statements.
Frattolin, 46, of Montreal, is accused of killing his daughter, Melina, while on a trip to the Lake George area last July and subsequently filing a false kidnapping report. A jury was selected, and attorneys delivered their opening statements at Essex County criminal court in Elizabethtown.
New York State Police reported finding inconsistencies in Frattolin's account after he initially claimed his daughter had been abducted before returning her to her mother in Montreal. Authorities later discovered Melina's body concealed under a log in a remote pond near Ticonderoga. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation by drowning.
Frattolin has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.
Background
Prior to her death, Frattolin reportedly faced challenges with child support payments and made public statements that seemed to blame his daughter for disrupting his life. The girl's mother is expected to testify during the trial. Frattolin, who was born in Ethiopia, had previously described himself as a successful coffee company owner but informed a judge last summer that he was financially unable to afford legal representation.
His Montreal-based coffee company, Gabella Coffee, featured a corporate bio page where Frattolin had previously expressed affection for Melina, referring to her as “beautiful” and “the light of his life.”
Defense Strategy
Defense lawyers plan to argue that authorities disregarded evidence after Frattolin reported his daughter missing. The specific content of the opening statements was not immediately available.