Father convicted of killing 9-year-old Montreal girl awaits sentencing in New York

In a trial held in Elizabethtown, New York, Luciano Frattolin was found guilty of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse for the death of his nine-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin. The jury reached its decision after about an hour of deliberation, concluding that Frattolin had drowned the child in a marshy area of upstate New York. During the proceedings, the defense argued that police had failed to investigate alleged kidnapping claims, but prosecutors countered with vehicle location records, cellphone logs and surveillance footage that disproved the story.

Judge Tatiana Coffinger is set to issue the sentencing today and will also rule on a motion seeking to set aside the guilty verdict. District Attorney Michael Langey indicated that the murder charge could carry a life term with parole eligibility after a minimum of either 15 or 25 years.