New York State Police officers testified Wednesday about what they saw before divers recovered the body of a nine-year-old Montreal girl submerged in shallow, muddy water in a rural area last summer.
Their testimony opened the latest day of a second-degree murder trial that began last week
Joseph Moeller, now a sergeant for the state police, was part of the police dive team who were among the first to see the body of Melina Frattolin who died in July 2025.
In front of the jury, he described being called into work on July 20 and sent to the location where the girl’s body was found.
“I was the first one to walk towards the scene,” said Moeller.
The girl’s father, Luciano Frattolin, is facing charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse in the case. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been held without bail since his arrest last July.
Murder trial begins for Montreal man accused of killing daughter in New York
The jury also viewed video footage of the scene, captured by Moeller as officers approached the girl’s body.
The video shows how Moeller waded into a marshy area, accompanied by three other divers walking in what he described as foot-deep muck.
The video also shows that the head and shoulders of the girl’s body were partly submerged under a log and that a large rock was on her torso.
Frattolin, 46, kept his head down as the video played in the courtroom.
The jury also heard testimony from an officer who found two white sneakers in the marsh, a few metres from where the body was found.
An investigator for state police later testified about what police discussed with Frattolin after his daughter’s body was found.
The jury also heard a recording of a conversation between investigators and Frattolin as they challenged him about his description of events.
“The more we ask you about this specific time of your travel, the more your story changes. Are you aware of that?” the investigator can be heard asking Frattolin during an interrogation.
