This story was originally reported by Carly Newton and published in the Plattsburgh, N.Y., Press-Republican.
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. — Luciano Frattolin will serve the maximum sentence in prison for the murder of his nine-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin, in July 2025.
Melina was found dead in a shallow body of water off State Route 74 in the town of Ticonderoga, N.Y., on July 20, 2025.
Frattolin, 46, of Montreal, was found guilty of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse after a lengthy murder trial in Essex County Court in August.
Standing in the same court Wednesday morning, he was sentenced by Judge Tatiana Coffinger.
For the second-degree murder charge, he received an indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
For the charge of concealment of a human corpse, Frattolin received a consecutive sentence of one to three years in prison.
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Frattolin was represented by defence attorney Brian Pilatzke out of Warren County and Eric Weyand from the Essex County Public Defender’s Office, who assisted with the case.
Essex County district attorney Michael Langey said he was satisfied with the sentences Frattolin received.
“It is the maximum you can get in New York. There is a murder in the first degree charge that this didn’t fit. New York has a statute where if you kill certain types of people, it elevates it to murder first. Children aren’t listed in those categories, so hopefully, as a result of this, maybe that can change,” Langey told the media after the sentencing.
“But the judge did give him the maximum; he can serve up to life, and hopefully the parole board doesn’t parole him (after 25 years) and he does serve the rest of his life in prison.”
This story will be updated.