Who is Luciano Frattolin, the Montreal father accused of murdering his daughter?
A Montreal businessman has been charged with second-degree murder and the concealment of a corpse after the body of his nine-year daughter, Melina, was found over the weekend in New York state, where the two were are vacation. Here's what to know.
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Who is the accused?
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Luciano Frattolin, 45, is the founder of Gambella Coffee, a company based in Montreal and named after a coffee-growing region in Ethiopia where he was born.
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The website for the company appears to have been taken down, but an archived version of the site includes a biography of the founder. It calls Frattolin 'an experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record of building diverse, high-performance businesses. With a background in the humanities and social sciences, his formal education, together with his pragmatic understanding about the complexities of life, motivates him to maintain an understanding of the world grounded in a distinct cross-cultural ethos.'
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The site adds that he is the son of an Ethiopian mother and an Italian father, and that he spent his childhood 'running between rows of crimson coffee buds on the Ethiopian family plantation, and the neoclassical architecture of his father's Milano.' It says that his father died when Frattolin was just 17, and that he 'reconciled the difficulties he faced during his youth by embodying the Nietzschean attitude of, 'That which does not kill him makes him stronger.''
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The company's Instagram account remains active, as does an account for Frattolin.
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New York State Police said Frattolin has dual citizenship in Ethiopia and Italy and a Canadian visa.
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Does the site mention his daughter?
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It does, referring to her as 'the light of his life' and 'the inspiration for … well, everything.' It adds: ' Seeing the world through her eyes has also helped Luciano look for creative ways to reinforce and empower Melina to know, feel, and understand her own unique individual beauty and intellect, while also teaching her to celebrate those same virtues inherent in the world's diversity. On a lighter note, Melina has also taught Luciano to let go of his rigid tendencies to keep everything in 'perfect order' — his love for Melina's messy art projects and chaotic ensemble of toys supersedes his love for a meticulously spotless home.'
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