Prosecutors Near End of Case in Frattolin Murder Trial

The third week of the murder trial of Luciano Frattolin concluded in Elizabethtown, New York, on August 7, 2026, with prosecutors expected to finish presenting their case. Frattolin, a 46-year-old Montreal man, is charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse in the death of his nine-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin, during a trip to New York in July 2025. He has pleaded not guilty and has been held without bail since his arrest.

On the final day of the week, the jury watched a nearly five-hour video recreation of a route traveled by the accused, based on data from his phone and his car's location. This followed detailed testimony presented the previous day, Thursday, August 6, focusing on digital evidence from the phones of Melina, her father, and her mother, Kali Galanis.

An electronic devices analyst from the New York State Police, David Hungerford, testified that Melina's phone activity ceased hours before she was reported missing. The jury saw a selfie video the girl sent to her mother at approximately 4:30 p.m. on July 19, 2025, in which she appeared to be smiling and playing with her hair. Data indicated her phone was last used around 5:30 p.m....