Murdered 9-year-old begged not to go on trip with dad months before he allegedly killed her, mom testifies

The mother of 9-year-old Melina Frattolin testified Tuesday that her daughter did not want to travel overseas with her father months before prosecutors say he killed the girl during a summer trip to New York.

Kali Galanis told jurors in Essex County Court that her ex-partner, Luciano Frattolin, wanted to take Melina to his native Ethiopia for two weeks in January 2025. But Galanis said the trip never happened after her daughter objected.

"She didn't want to go," Galanis testified, adding that she also became increasingly uneasy about the proposed trip.

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Galanis' testimony offered jurors a glimpse into the family's disagreements over Melina's travel arrangements and her growing concerns about Frattolin's travel plans with their daughter months before Melina's death.

Galanis said she had concerns about allowing Melina to travel internationally with Frattolin after the couple separated in 2019. She testified that her attorney warned her about cases in which estranged parents took children overseas and refused to return them.

Galanis testified that Frattolin later proposed extending the Ethiopia trip. She said conversations with Melina about the trip ultimately convinced her to cancel it.

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"I became uncomfortable," Galanis testified.

"I was not ok with that anymore," she said of the proposed trip.

Instead, Frattolin suggested taking Melina on a vacation through the northeastern United States, Galanis testified.

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Authorities have said Frattolin and Melina traveled through Connecticut and New York before the child was scheduled to return home to Quebec.

Prosecutors allege that on the day Melina was scheduled to return home to Quebec, Frattolin falsely reported that she had been abducted by two men in a white van, prompting an Amber Alert. Investigators later determined there was no evidence she had been kidnapped, authorities said. Melina's body was later found partially submerged in shallow water near Eagle Lake in Ticonderoga.

Frattolin has pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of concealment of a human corpse.

The trial also heard testimony Monday from New York State Police investigator Daniel Mauro, who said Frattolin remarked during questioning that "it would've been easier" to kill his daughter overseas, including in Italy or Ethiopia.

Mauro testified the comment came after investigators asked Frattolin whether he had any reason to harm his daughter.

Frattolin's trial is continuing in Essex County Court.