Key testimony: Kali Galanis says her 9-year-old daughter Melina begged not to travel abroad with her father months before prosecutors allege he killed her during a summer trip in New York. Galanis canceled a planned Ethiopia trip after Melina objected and after legal concerns about international travel following the couple's 2019 split. Prosecutors allege Frattolin staged a false abduction that triggered an Amber Alert; Melina's body was later found near Eagle Lake. Frattolin has pleaded not guilty and the trial is ongoing.
Mother Testifies 9-Year-Old Begged Not to Travel With Father Months Before Alleged Killing
Murdered 9-year-old begged not to go on trip with dad months before he allegedly killed her, mom testifies
Kali Galanis testified in Essex County Court that her 9-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin, begged not to travel abroad with her father months before prosecutors say Melina was killed during a summer trip in New York.
Galanis told jurors that her former partner, Luciano Frattolin, had proposed a two-week trip to his native Ethiopia for January 2025. She said the trip was canceled after Melina objected and after Galanis said she became increasingly uneasy about international travel with her ex following their 2019 separation.
“She didn't want to go,”
Galanis said her attorney had warned her about cases in which estranged parents took children overseas and then refused to return them. According to her testimony, Frattolin later suggested extending the proposed Ethiopia trip; after conversations with Melina, Galanis said she decided she was no longer comfortable with the plan and canceled it.
Instead, Frattolin proposed a domestic vacation through the northeastern United States. Authorities say Frattolin and Melina traveled through Connecticut and New York before Melina was due to return home to Quebec.
Prosecutors allege that on the day Melina was scheduled to go back to Quebec, Frattolin falsely reported that she had been abducted by two men in a white van, triggering an Amber Alert. Investigators later found no evidence that a kidnapping had occurred.
Melina's body was subsequently discovered partially submerged in shallow water near Eagle Lake in Ticonderoga, authorities reported. Frattolin has pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of concealment of a human corpse; those charges are pending trial.
During earlier questioning, New York State Police investigator Daniel Mauro testified that Frattolin remarked it "would've been easier" to kill his daughter overseas, mentioning Italy or Ethiopia. Mauro said the comment followed investigators' questions about whether Frattolin had any reason to harm Melina.
The trial in Essex County Court is ongoing.
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