Canada cafe-owner dad, charged with murder of his daughter, tells judge he couldn't afford a lawyer, custody details hint at possible motive
New York State Police has not found any motive behind Canadian father Luciano Frattolin, 45, killing his 9-year-old daughter Melina Frattolin on the last day of their US vacation, but charged him with second-degree murder and then disposal of the body.
The father told the judge that he could not afford an attorney for himself. A not guilty plea was entered oin his behalf as the county's public defender appeared on behalf of him.
The father spoke briefly in the court telling judge Richard Carpenter that the address listed for him in Montreal was incorrect.
Timeline of 9-year-old's murder
The father and daughter arrived in the US on a vacation on July 11. They visited places in Connecticut and New York, including NYC. On Saturday, at around 5.30 pm, they were in Saratoga Springs, a restaurant surveillance camera showed. It was their last day of vacation and they were supposed to be in Montreal Sunday,
Around 6.30 pm, Melina called her mother and she was fine.
Police think Melina was killed between her phone call with her mother and when her father called the 911 at 9.58 pm Saturday. He told the police that he pulled over his car and went inside the woods to urinate. When he returned, he saw Melina was not there and two men forced her inside a white van. The 911 dall triggered an Amber alert as the frantic search for the nine-year-old began.
Police said the abduction story started to disintegrate as the investigation continued as Melina's body was found at around 10.50 am Sunday in the shallow end of a pond in Ticonderoga.
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Police said the body was concealed under a log and an autopsy would reveal how she was killed.
No motive found but daughter was supposed to be in mother's custody
Luciano Frattolin has no criminal record in Canada and his estranged wife also did not believe there was any danger to their daughter from him. Melina's mother was given the full custody of Melina when the parents split in 2019 but Melina's father was authorized to take the daughter out on a vacation.
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