California woman who masterminded hair-mogul husband's murder sentenced to life without parole
A woman who masterminded the killing of her husband, an internationally known hairdresser and beauty company executive, at their Los Angeles home eight years ago was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Monica Sementilli, 53, was convicted in April of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the 2017 stabbing death of Fabio Sementilli in their backyard in the upscale Woodlands Hills neighborhood. He was found by their daughter in a pool of blood with multiple wounds to his face, jawline, neck, chest and thigh.
Prosecutors said Monica Sementilli conspired with her lover and former racquetball coach, Robert Baker, to kill her 49-year-old husband for a $1.6 million insurance policy.
Baker, now 63, pleaded no contest in July 2023 to murder and conspiracy charges. He is serving life without the possibility of parole.
Baker testified at her trial that the mother of two had nothing to do with the plot to kill her husband. 'I murdered him because I wanted her,' Baker told the court.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen rejected a defense bid to have Sementilli sentenced to 25 years to life, calling her the 'mastermind in this conspiracy to commit murder,' the Los Angeles Times reported. Coen said Baker, who carried out the attack, 'did not have the intelligence to plan the brutal, well-thought-out slaughter.'
The Canadian-born Fabio Sementilli worked for decades as a trendsetting hair stylist and served as vice president of education for beauty products giant Coty Inc.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'The stranger who raped me shouldn't be deported early'
On a summer's night in July 2019, Kate was out with one of her best friends. They had cocktails and went dancing. That evening, she was taken to a stranger's flat and man responsible, Albanian national Miridon Bera, was convicted and jailed in March 2023, but may now be transferred to prison in his home country after serving a little over two years of his eight-and-a-half-year sentence in the - who has waived her anonymity, but whose name we have changed - was told at the point of conviction that Bera would be deported at the end of his she has since been shocked to discover he could be deported even Home Office has told the BBC "foreign national offenders who commit serious sexual crimes face deportation at the earliest opportunity".However, Kate feels strongly that Bera should serve the rest of his sentence in the UK before being Readers may find some details in this story distressing It had all started as a typical twentysomething night out for the two close friends in their home town of Colchester: drinks at Wetherspoon's and Turtle Bay, followed by was at the final bar, Walkabout, that Kate's memory "went dark"."I then remember having a few lightning flashes of what I then came to realise quite quickly was being raped," she says."I couldn't hold myself up at the time, and I had to have people carry me out of his flat."It was the next morning when I had that sinking feeling. The pain between my thighs confirmed what I already knew. I took my blood- and vomit-stained clothes home and told my parents I had been raped."After going to police, and being examined by officers at a specialist facility, Kate was given a multitude of treatments to protect her from sexually-transmitted diseases, as well as the morning-after pill. Police quickly arrested Bera. In September 2020, more than a year after the attack, he was charged with rape, which he denied, and Kate, the wait for a trial was crushing."It took more than three years - through multiple jobs, through moving house, through multiple other milestones," she says."I had therapy, medication - which I'm still on to this day - and turned to suicide support services to help. 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In a statement to the BBC, the Home Office said sexual violence was "a devastating crime"."We recognise the immense bravery shown by victims throughout their pursuit of justice," a spokesperson said."Protecting victims remains central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade."Foreign national offenders who commit serious sexual crimes face deportation at the earliest opportunity." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
an hour ago
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The Independent
an hour ago
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Brazil confronts military officers accused of plotting a coup in historic trial
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Cid says that in the days after Bolsonaro lost to Lula, he was called to Braga Netto's office and handed a bag of cash to distribute to Bolsonaro supporters camped outside the military headquarters. Braga Netto denies the account and calls Cid a traitor. The two men were summoned to the Supreme Court on Tuesday for a confrontation, a step in Brazilian legal procedure in which the judge and both parties can interrogate witnesses about discrepancies in their testimony. The examination was conducted behind closed doors by order of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is chair the coup probe and did not provide more details about the decision. Brazilian law allows closed court hearings when matters of national security or deeply personal matters are involved. Braga Netto arrived at the court in the country's capital of Brasilia from his jail cell in Rio de Janeiro, where he has been detained for obstructing investigations since December. 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And Bolsonaro, despite facing a tangle of serious legal charges, remains the face of the country's opposition to President Lula. The last Brazilian general to be jailed was Argemiro de Assis Brasil, who was arrested in 1964 for opposing the coup d'etat in which the military seized power. Since the beginning of the proceedings, members of the military establishment have claimed the Supreme Court trial is an embarrassment to the armed forces. 'Such questioning doesn't help the armed forces,' said Gen. Roberto Peternelli, a former congressman affiliated with Bolsonaro's Liberal Party. 'In my perspective, it ends up harming the country.' The accused sought to avoid civilian court by seeking a trial at the country's Superior Military Tribunal, where legal experts say they were more likely to find sympathy. The military court, which handles only a few dozen cases a year, refused the cases. 'Members of the military court understood that, though perpetrated by military personnel, these are not military crimes,' said Alexandre Knopfholz, a law professor at UniCuritiba. Millions of Brazilians have seen the case play out on TV over the past two years, from raids in which federal police arrest suspects and seize documents to court testimony. Still, some experts doubt that Cid and Braga Netto would end up serving out full sentences behind bars, even if they are found guilty. 'This is the middle of the probe. We should not forget that every coup-mongering military man in Brazilian history was pardoned,' said Fabio Victor, author of a book about the links between the military and politics after Brazil's transition to democracy in 1985. But he acknowledged: 'The fact that generals have become defendants for an attempted coup does show some evolution.' ____ Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.
