Luciano Frattolin: Dad Who Killed His Daughter Was Struggling to Pay Child Support as He Tells Court He's Broke and Can't Hire a Lawyer
Luciano Frattolin, 45, who once claimed himself to be a successful coffee business owner living a lavish lifestyle, appeared in court on Monday facing charges of killing his daughter Melina during a trip to upstate New York. He told a judge that he couldn't hire a lawyer. This came as it was revealed that Frattolin hid his daughter's body in a remote pond after telling cops that two men had kidnapped her.
Motive Behind Murder
Luciano Frattolin's mugshot after his arrest X
Frattolin, who was born in Ethiopia, praised Melina on the official website of his Montreal-based coffee business, Gambella Coffee, describing her as "beautiful" and "the light of his life." However, the write-up also revealed unsettling clues about his troubled mental state.
He admitted struggling to cope with his daughter's "messy art projects" and "chaotic" toys, because of his obsession with keeping "perfect order" in his home.
Luciano Frattolin with his daughter Melina Instagram
In the biography — which has since been removed from the web — he also referenced a life marked by deep personal struggles, mentioning experiences with "racism," "feelings of isolation," and the loss of his father as a teenager.
Frattolin hints at a "unfortunate event" in 2019 that he claimed had a serious impact on his mental health and forced him onto a "long and arduous" path toward healing.
Police revealed during a press conference on Monday that he became estranged from his ex-wife that same year. Alongside emotional turmoil and a strained relationship with his former spouse, Frattolin was also dealing with over $200,000 in debt linked to his business ventures in Montreal.
Since 2020, the struggling businessman had been renting a property in Montreal's trendy Mile End neighborhood, which he subleased on Airbnb, according to La Presse. He hired two property managers to run the venture, including handling rent payments—allowing him to use the remaining income to cover child support, according to court records reviewed by the outlet.
Struggling to Survive
However, his lease was terminated by the landlord in August 2024 after he fell behind by $26,000 in rent. He was subsequently barred from accessing the property, where he claimed he kept his daughter's winter clothes and toys.
Melina Frattolin X
Frattolin is now suing the property managers for more than $115,000, alleging they misused the rental unit without his consent and failed to pay the rent as agreed, according to Le Devoir.
In response, the property managers accused Frattolin planned to empty his bank account and leave the country — a claim he has denied.
A former staff member at Dépanneur Café, a coffee shop previously owned by Frattolin, said he had been splitting his time between Italy and Canada over the past year and a half. Frattolin reportedly still owes the Bank of Nova Scotia around $83,000 related to that business.
Luciano Frattolin with his daughter Melina Instagram
The bank also claims he is responsible for another $97,000 in unpaid credit card debt from Café Gambella, a second coffee venture that shares its name with his online coffee brand.
However, Frattolin's Instagram painted a starkly different picture of his finances, filled with images of luxurious travel, high-end sports cars, and captions like "I'm truly addicted to Porsche."
He and his daughter were on a vacation in the Lake George area shortly before she was killed — just about 30 miles from where her body was later discovered.
Prior to the grim discovery, police said Frattolin had filed a false report claiming that Milena had been abducted by two men in a white van near Exit 22 on I-87 — less than an hour after she had spoken to her mother by phone before their scheduled flight back to Quebec.
Captain Robert McConnell said that Frattolin killed his daughter Melina on Saturday night while they were vacationing near the scenic town of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains, roughly 60 miles north of Albany.
Luciano Frattolin with his daughter Melina Instagram
Frattolin and Melina had entered the U.S. legally and had been on vacation since July 11, with plans to return to Quebec on Sunday.
On Monday, Frattolin pleaded not guilty in court.
He was charged with second-degree murder — a crime that could result in a life sentence under New York law — along with a charge for hiding a human corpse. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 25.
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