Latest news with #FabioSementilli
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
Co-conspirator in prominent LA hairdresser's death sentenced to 16 years to life
The third person connected to the 2017 Woodland Hills murder of famed hairdresser Fabio Sementilli was sentenced on Tuesday to 16 years to life in prison. Christopher Austin, 39, pleaded no contest in January to second-degree murder in a plea deal reached with prosecutors. Austin was part of the trio that killed Fabio Sementilli and served as a key prosecution witness in the trial of Sementilli's wife, Monica. Last month, jurors found Monica Sementilli guilty of first-degree murder, and that the 53-year-old masterminded the stabbing death of her husband for financial gain. Her lover, Robert Louis Baker, now 63, was sentenced to life in prison in 2023 for stabbing and killing Fabio Sementilli in his own home. He had pleaded no contest to one count each of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He also admitted the special circumstance allegations of murder for financial gain and murder while lying in wait. The prosecution said that the two lovers conspired to kill him, with plans to obtain the husband's life insurance proceeds, around $1.6 million. Baker, a convicted sex offender and former adult movie actor, testified as part of the defense that his lover had nothing to do with the planning or the murder of her husband. He said he murdered his lover's husband because he "wanted her to be around me and with me more -- like all the time." Baker had solicited Austin to assist him in killing Fabio Sementilli. Austin testified that his longtime friend, Baker, told him that Monica Sementilli wanted her husband dead, but Austin said that he did not personally speak to her about the crime. He told jurors that he and Baker stabbed the hairdresser to death after Monica Sementilli left the home unlocked. Fabio Sementilli was an established hairdresser who served as vice president of education for Wella, the salon professional division of Procter and Gamble. Fabio Sementilli was 49 years old when he died. He and Monica Sementilli had two daughters together.
NBC News
16-04-2025
- NBC News
Watch the Dateline episode 'The Widow of Woodland Hills' now
It was a heartbreaking scene, when the 16-year-old found her father slumped over in his favorite chair on the patio in their backyard. His name was Fabio Sementilli, and on January 23, 2017, he was murdered in cold blood in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The teen called 911, but it was too late. Fabio had been stabbed multiple times. There was no hope of reviving him. When police arrived, they followed the trail of blood. It went through the house, through the kitchen, down a hallway, into a bedroom. Blood was everywhere -- on the floor, in the kitchen sink. Fabio hadn't stood a chance. The murder had robbed Fabio's children of their father and left his wife a widow. An investigation would uncover lust, greed, and betrayal. And a neighbor's security camera would help investigators identify the unlikely suspects and an illicit affair… But would justice be served? To find out what happened, you can watch the full episode 'The Widow of Woodland Hills,' which is available now on can also watch on the NBC app or listen to the full story on our podcast. Plus, learn more about the LAPD's Special Investigation Section (SIS). And watch Fabio's loved ones reflect on his life and legacy. Then listen to this week's episode of Talking Dateline with Blayne Alexander and Josh Mankiewicz, in which they take you behind the scenes of the episode and answer questions from social media.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged murder conspirators seen in photos at crime scene
CASE UPDATE: On April 11, 2025, a jury found Monica Sementill, 53, guilty of murder and conspiracy for masterminding the murder of her husband Fabio, with special circumstances of murder for financial gain and murder while lying in wait. Greg Fisher is a "48 Hours" producer. He investigated the murder of Fabio Sementilli for the episode, "Who killed Fabio?" In these photos taken last February, Monica Sementilli, 46, and Robert Baker, 55, are seen on the patio at a family memorial only days after the murder of Monica's husband, world-famous hairdresser Fabio Sementilli, 49. He had been brutally stabbed to death at his Los Angeles home while smoking a cigar on that same patio. Four months later, Monica Sementilli and Rob Baker were arrested, accused of being secret lovers who planned Fabio's killing. Relatives and close friends wondered about Baker, an unfamiliar face at the gathering which followed Fabio Sementilli's funeral. He was introduced as a friend of Monica Sementilli's from the gym, who spent time that evening attending to the grieving widow. "There was already suspicion of this character from friends of the family. And there was a picture taken of him that night. And I believe that picture was sent to the LAPD," explains Luigi Sementilli, Fabio's son from a prior marriage who attended the gathering. "48 Hours" has learned that a neighbor took these photos surreptitiously and forwarded them to the police, suggesting that Baker might be a possible suspect. "48 Hours" obtained copies of the photos, which have not been made public previously. One of the photos clearly shows Baker has a bandage on his left index finger. "(Baker) had a bandage on his hand. Based on what I heard, that was what raised the suspicion. There was enough suspicion there that someone decided, 'We should take a picture of this guy," Luigi Sementilli told CBS News. The felony complaint which charges Monica Sementilli and Baker with murder and conspiracy to commit murder states that "while stabbing victim Fabio Sementill to death, defendant Robert Louis Baker cut his left index finger." The complaint explains that blood from that cut finger is what cracked the case. Police say Baker left blood and DNA at the scene of the murder, as well as in Fabio Sementilli's stolen Porsche, which the killers used as a getaway vehicle and discarded in a nearby part of Los Angeles four hours after the murder. The DNA led directly to Baker, who had a criminal record. While this secretly-snapped photo may well have been an enticing lead for detectives, LAPD never let on to friends and family, nor the suspects, that Baker was a suspect. Instead, they watched the couple under surveillance while carrying out a ruse aimed at lowering the guard of their suspects. LAPD detectives allowed the family to think that Fabio Sementilli's murder may have been part of a pernicious Los Angeles crime wave of what are called "knock-knock burglaries." Skilled thieves target specific homes and literally knock on the door and otherwise check to find a time when nobody is home, then the crooks burglarize the home quickly looking for jewelry and cash. The knock-knock burglars hit expensive homes which usually have elaborate video surveillance systems so the crooks wear masks and hoodies to cover their identities. Even the local media reported that Fabio Sementilli might have been murdered by knock-knock burglars. These surveillance photos of two people who police say are Rob Baker and a male accomplice captured them entering the Sementilli home. Hiding their faces in hoodies, they bear an incredible similarity to many of the knock-knock burglars caught on tape. The LAPD believed early on that the burglary was staged to send them down the wrong investigative trail. Detectives kept it to themselves, instead the LAPD let the suspects think that investigators had fallen for what police perceived to be a trick. Meanwhile, police were following Monica Sementilli to Las Vegas where they say she spent a weekend with Baker. Police claim they learned that Monica Sementilli gave Baker the codes for remote access to her home security system and that each of them monitored it on the day of the murder to facilitate the crime. Sementilli's lawyers disputed this evidence in court and argued that her association with Baker did not constitute a conspiracy to commit murder. Fabio Sementilli's family continued to support his wife, unaware that police were methodically building a case against her as the alleged mastermind of the crime. Fabio and Monica Sementilli had moved to Los Angeles from Toronto, Canada. Fabio Sementilli had been promoted as an executive for the beauty giant Wella, based in Los Angeles. The Sementillis had two teenage daughters and lived in a million dollar home with a pool in the toney Woodland Hills neighborhood. Luigi Sementilli, a masters student in philosophy who still lives in Canada, was entitled to a life insurance policy which his father had taken out for him as part of the divorce settlement from Luigi's mother, Fabio Sementilli's first wife. Monica asked Luigi to borrow $30,000 from the funds while Fabio Sementilli's life insurance policy was being held up pending the police investigation. Luigi offered to help, but Monica was arrested before the money was transferred. In court, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman explained that Fabio Sementilli's $1.6 million life insurance policy was the motive for Monica Sementilli and Baker to kill Fabio. Although, Monica Sementilli's lawyers challenged this motive theory. Mirella Rota is Fabio Sementilli's sister, also a hair dresser who competed alongside her brother at international competitions. She told CBS News that Monica Sementelli was someone she loved and cherished for two decades. After the murder, Rota says she remembers trying her best to support Monica when she was disconsolate with her own grief. Together they attended a private memorial for Fabio Sementilli held at Wella's Los Angeles headquarters. In honor of her slain husband, Monica sang the Frank Sinatra song "My Way" in front of a crowd of approximately 100 mourners paying their respects. In June, Monica Sementilli and Rota attended a national hairdresser convention in Toronto to jointly accept a posthumous lifetime achievement award for Fabio Sementilli. The two sisters-in-law were unaware that the LAPD was wrapping up their case against Monica Sementilli and Baker. Days after receiving the award and returning home to Los Angeles, Monica Sementilli and Baker were arrested. Rota says the family was blind-sided never imagining their sister-in-law could have been involved: "I go to bed scared of nightmares. And I wake up trying to remember anything that could make any sense." Since June, Monica Sementilli and Baker have remained in custody in Los Angeles awaiting trial. The felony complaint charges them with murder and murder conspiracy, laying out 56 separate overt acts which DDA Silverman says constitute the murder conspiracy between the alleged lovers. Blair Berk, the Hollywood celebrity defense attorney who is representing Harvey Weinstein, is one of Monica Sementilli's lawyers. At a Feb. 27 hearing arguing to have the complaint dismissed against her client, Berk characterized evidence in the case as "poppycock." "The evidence is as consistent with my client's innocence as with her guilt, and there is no evidence of conspiracy," Berk argued. In response, DDA Silverman countered that "circumstantial evidence doesn't appear to be something Ms. Berk understands." Silverman said that circumstantial evidence must be viewed in totality to establish its validity. Judge Scott Gordon denied the defense motion and sent the case to trial in Judge Ronald Coen's courtroom. The next hearing is scheduled for March 27 and trial could come by the end of the year. Both Monica Sementilli and Baker have pleaded not guilty. Baker's lawyer refused comment. Sementilli's lawyers have also declined to comment except for one statement that another of her attorneys, Leonard Levine, made after the initial arraignment: "The only relevant question is whether my client had anything to do with the death of her husband and that she adamantly denies." Police say the second man in that surveillance video, whom they identify as an accomplice of Baker's, has not been identified. Police are still investigating and searching for leads as to his identity. 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USA Today
12-04-2025
- USA Today
Wife of famed California hairdresser found guilty of his murder: 'Cold and calculated'
Wife of famed California hairdresser found guilty of his murder: 'Cold and calculated' 'Today marks the day of healing,' Fabio Sementilli's sister, Mirella Sementilli, told a local Los Angeles TV station after a guilty verdict in his murder. 'My brother can now rest in peace.' Show Caption Hide Caption California woman fatally stabbed in apparent sword attack The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating after a woman was stabbed to death in an apparent sword attack. The wife of a renowned hairdresser was found guilty of his murder in California, concluding a 10-week jury trial, county officials said. Monica Sementilli was convicted of one count of murder on Friday in connection to the fatal stabbing of her husband, Fabio Sementilli, in 2017, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced. Additionally, the 51-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, he said. Due to the guilty verdict, Sementilli is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Hochman. 'This was a cold and calculated crime motivated by greed and betrayal,' the DA said in a news release. 'Today's verdict ensures that those responsible for this ruthless act will be held accountable. Our office remains steadfast in the pursuit of justice for victims and their families. We extend our deepest sympathies to Fabio Sementilli's loved ones as they continue to mourn his tragic loss.' Fabio Sementilli's death stemmed from an extramarital affair his wife was having with her co-defendant, Robert Louis Baker, Hochman said. The two conspired to kill the 49-year-old hairdresser in his Woodland Hills home, he added. As the guilty verdict was read, Sementilli gasped and broke down in tears, while clutching her hands over her mouth, according to Los Angeles Times reporters in the California courtroom. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 23. "Today marks the day of healing," Fabio Sementilli's sister, Mirella Sementilli, told ABC 7. "Justice was served today. It's the most beautiful day for our family. Our spirits are lifted. My brother can now rest in peace and the murderers that have deceived him are exactly where they belong today." Crash investigation: What we have learned about the New York City helicopter crash Robert Baker: 'I murdered him because I wanted her' On Jan. 23, 2017, Baker stabbed Fabio Sementilli to death as the hairdresser sat on his patio, according to the DA. Baker then fled the scene in the hairdresser's Porsche, which was eventually found abandoned miles away, he said. Baker pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, with special circumstances, for the stabbing and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Hochman stated. 'I murdered him because I wanted her,' Baker testified last month, per the LA Times. 'She had nothing to do with it.' Fabio Sementilli was killed shortly before his 20th wedding anniversary, Fox 11 reported. His wife grieved him and denied all wrongdoing, despite sexting Baker and sending her lover nude photos of herself during the funeral service in Toronto, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said at the trial, the LA Times reported. Sementilli's case was investigated, prosecuted over eight years Before identifying Sementilli as a suspect in her husband's murder, police originally thought the hairdresser was killed in a botched home invasion by "knock-knock burglars" who were robbing expensive homes in San Fernando Valley at the time, the Times reported. Sementilli's husband suffered multiple injuries to his face, jawline, neck, chest and thigh due to the attack, the outlet added. What puzzled investigators was that Fabio Sementilli's $8,000 Rolex was left on his wrist after the suspected home invasion, according to the Times. Blood from the scene ultimately linked to Baker, a convicted sex offender and former porn star who began an affair with Sementilli after serving as her racquetball coach at a West Hills fitness club, the outlet said. Sementilli was painted by prosecutors as the "mastermind" behind her husband's killing due to her gaining $1.6 million in life insurance payouts, according to the Times. To further this narrative, Silverman presented video evidence during the trial showing Sementilli watching a live feed of the area shortly before the stabbing to ensure Baker had a clear path to her husband, the outlet reported. "These experienced prosecutors and detectives investigated and prosecuted this case over eight years, painstakingly putting together each piece of this murder puzzle to overcome the lies and deception of Monica Sementilli and her lover who thought they had made a clean getaway," Silverman said in the DA office's release.
