ELIZABETHTOWN — The Canadian man accused of murdering his 9-year-old daughter near Ticonderoga made a brief appearance in Essex County Court Tuesday to ask for a bail hearing.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, of Montreal was brought to court by Essex County Sheriff’s deputies from the county jail where he’s been held since his July 21 arrest.
His court appearance Tuesday afternoon was a status conference intended to set dates for legal filings before his trial, which was set for Jan. 5.
Essex County Assistant Public Defender Eric Weyand told Hamilton County Judge Tatiana Coffinger, specially presiding, that he intends to file a written bail application on Frattolin’s behalf. Frattolin also asked for bail in July but was denied by the court.
Wearing a gray suit and tie, Frattolin answered brief questions from the judge about his identity and representation by Weyand.
Frattolin has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse in the death of his daughter Melina, whose body was found in a shallow pond July 20 in the town of Ticonderoga. An autopsy showed she had been drowned.
Frattolin originally reported his daughter missing and abducted by two men in a white van near Lake George, but New York State Police concluded the story was false and arrested him.
Essex County DA Michael Langey is prosecuting the case against Frattolin.
Court records reveal Frattolin is a defendant in five civil legal proceedings in Canada and had been sued for $150,000 in unpaid bills related to his business, Gambella Coffee. He also owed back child support to his wife, who had custody of Melina following their 2019 separation.
Frattolin and Melina were on vacation in the United States when she was killed.