Coffee CEO Convicted of Murdering 9-Year-Old Daughter, Faces Life in Prison
Coffee company founder Luciano Frattolin was convicted Monday of murdering his 9-year-old daughter after prosecutors accused him of drowning the girl in a shallow swamp and attempting to cover up her death with a kidnapping story.
Frattolin, 46, the founder of organic coffee brand Gambella, was found guilty of second-degree murder and concealment of a body in connection with the July 2025 death of his daughter, Melina.
Jurors deliberated for approximately one hour before returning the guilty verdict.
Frattolin now faces the possibility of life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Frattolin, of Montreal, Canada, took his daughter on a trip through the northeastern US before killing her as part of an alleged attempt to get revenge on his ex-wife.
“Melina’s short life came to a violent end,” Essex County District Attorney Michael Langey said during closing arguments, according to the Daily Mail.
Melina’s body was discovered July 19, 2025, hidden beneath a log in a remote pond near Ticonderoga, New York.
Frattolin initially told authorities that his daughter had been kidnapped.
He contacted authorities around 9:30 p.m. on the night of her death and claimed Melina had been forced into a white van near Lake George, New York. He said he chased the vehicle for approximately 15 to 20 minutes before stopping to contact authorities.
The claim triggered a large-scale search, with law enforcement officers stopping white vans throughout the region as they searched for the missing child.
Frattolin initially cooperated with investigators, allowing authorities to search his rental vehicle and cellphone.
But prosecutors said his account began to change as investigators uncovered evidence contradicting portions of his story.
Cellphone and vehicle data reportedly placed Frattolin near the area where Melina’s body was eventually discovered. Investigators said he spent nearly an hour in the area.
Frattolin allegedly told investigators that he and his daughter had stopped there while looking for somewhere to hike or swim.
Investigators also uncovered evidence surrounding the final communications from Melina’s cellphone.
Melina’s mother, Kali Galanis, had been tracking her daughter’s location but lost access after Melina and Frattolin stopped at a McDonald’s in Saratoga Springs earlier that evening.
Authorities determined the restaurant was the last location where Melina’s phone showed activity.
Prosecutors also presented surveillance footage they said showed Frattolin wearing different clothing at the restaurant than he was wearing after reporting his daughter missing.
Investigators later recovered wet clothing and shoes belonging to Frattolin inside a garbage bag near Interstate 87.
New York State Police investigator Daniel Mauro testified that Frattolin made another startling comment while being questioned about his daughter’s disappearance.
According to Mauro, Frattolin said it “would’ve been easier” to murder Melina overseas in Italy or Ethiopia.
Authorities also discovered handwritten notes inside the Toyota Prius Frattolin rented for the trip, according to the Daily Mail.
One referred to “ending the madness” and another stated, “Don’t let Melina suffer anymore.”
During the trial, Galanis testified that her daughter had previously resisted traveling overseas with her father.
Frattolin had wanted to take Melina to his native Ethiopia for two weeks in January 2025, according to Galanis, but the child told her mother she did not want to go.
Galanis said she eventually refused to allow the overseas trip after becoming concerned about the possibility that her daughter might not be returned.
Frattolin later proposed taking Melina to New York instead, and Galanis agreed.
Prosecutors portrayed the resulting trip as part of Frattolin’s plan to kill his daughter, while Frattolin maintained that Melina had been kidnapped.
Following approximately an hour of deliberations Monday, jurors rejected his account and convicted him of murder.
Family members reportedly sobbed and embraced one another in the courtroom as the verdict was announced.
Frattolin is scheduled to learn his sentence Oct. 14 and faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars.
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