Luciano Frattolin murder trial hinges on phone and GPS data

In the New York murder trial of Luciano Frattolin, prosecutors presented digital evidence that maps the final hours of his nine‑year‑old daughter, Melina Frattolin. Phone records show the device was used extensively during the week she spent with her father, then went silent around 5:30 p.m. on the day she was reported missing, an hour before the father filed a kidnapping report. GPS data from a rental car and carrier logs were combined with a forensic video timeline to trace the movements of the phone and vehicle to a marsh in Ticonderoga where Melina’s body was later found.

The defense challenged gaps in the location data and the animation linking GPS points, but the judge allowed jurors to view the presentation. Luciano Frattolin, a 46‑year‑old Montreal resident, has pleaded not guilty to second‑degree murder and concealment of a human corpse and remains held without bail. The case has drawn emotional responses on both sides of the Canada‑U.S. border, with vigils and tributes for the girl.

The trial, now entering its final weeks, continues to focus on whether the digital evidence conclusively places Frattolin at the scene during the critical hours before Melina’s death.