The mother of 9-year-old Melina Frattolin testified on Tuesday, July 29, 2026, that her daughter did not want to travel overseas with her father, Luciano Frattolin, months before prosecutors allege he killed the girl during a summer trip in New York.

Kali Galanis told jurors in Essex County Court that her ex-partner, Luciano Frattolin, had planned to take Melina to his native Ethiopia for two weeks in January 2025. However, the trip never occurred because Melina objected to it. "She didn't want to go," Galanis testified, adding that she herself became increasingly uneasy about the proposed trip.

Galanis expressed concerns about allowing Melina to travel internationally with Frattolin after the couple separated in 2019. Her testimony highlighted family disagreements over Melina's travel arrangements and growing worries about Frattolin's plans with their daughter months before Melina's death near Lake George, New York.

Luciano Frattolin is currently on trial in Essex County, New York, facing charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse in connection with Melina's death. During the trial, New York State Police investigator Daniel Mauro testified that Frattolin remarked during questioning that "it would've been easier" to kill his daughter overseas, including in Italy or Ethiopia.

Sources