Trial of man accused of killing his nine-year-old daughter to wrap up its second week

Luciano Frattolin is taken away in custody from the Essex County Court in Elizabethtown, New York on Friday, July 24, 2026. Luciano Frattolin is charged with 2nd-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov)

More testimonies are scheduled Wednesday in the trial of a man accused of killing his nine-year-old daughter last summer during a trip to New York.

Luciano Frattolin is charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse in the death of Melina Frattolin, who lived in Montreal.

• READ MORE: Police found blood on jacket Montreal girl was wearing when her body was found

The 46-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to both charges and has been held without bail since his arrest in July 2025.

His trial began two weeks ago, and the prosecution is expected to present the last of their witnesses.

On Tuesday, a forensic scientist from the New York State Police testified she found traces of blood on the jacket the girl was wearing when she died.

She did not specify whose blood was on the jacket.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026.