She was convicted and sentenced to life in jail with out parole for the brutal homicide of her celeb hair stylist husband – and it was all for his cash
He was a hairstylist for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt (Picture: Fabio Sementilli/Fb)
The screams of his teenage daughter alerted authorities after she found her father’s lifeless physique, triggering the homicide trial that gripped the nation.
Shortly earlier than 5pm on what gave the impression to be an peculiar night on January 23, 2017, Isabella Sementilli, then 16, returned house to find her dad alone and unresponsive.
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Moments later, emergency providers acquired a frantic name from a distressed younger lady, stating: “My dad is outdoors, and he is bleeding. He will not get up!”
What remained unknown to her at that on the spot was that her father, Canadian-born celeb hairstylist Fabio Sementilli, had been murdered. Not solely had he been savagely killed, however the perpetrator behind the plot was her personal mom.
Upon arriving on the scene in Woodland Hills, California, officers found 49 12 months previous Fabio with a number of stab wounds whereas the rest of the property was in full chaos.
He had been stabbed seven occasions from behind, immediately beside his favorite location at house, the patio chair.
Los Angeles Police Division detective Barry Telis described it as a “shock assault,” which initially recommended to investigators it may be a housebreaking. Considerably, Fabio’s Porsche was nowhere to be discovered, which strengthened this speculation.
Nevertheless, because the investigation progressed, quite a few warning indicators emerged, and so they all indicated Monica’s involvement. But no person may comprehend why an apparently contented couple would meet such a devastating destiny.
Monica was questioned on the day of her husband’s killing and informed police she had departed their household residence to run an errand round 3.30pm. She claimed that upon returning house, she encountered her distraught daughter chatting with 999.
It wasn’t till she held a memorial service days afterwards that sure attendees started to notice her peculiar conduct. Lori Picilli, Fabio’s sister, alleged she witnessed Monica conversing with Robert Baker, a private coach from her gymnasium, and the pair gave the impression to be “very shut”.
Robert Louis Baker (Picture: LAPD)
Monica Sementilli (Picture: LAPD)
When detectives began investigating, they found the 63-year-old coach and Monica shared a earlier profession within the grownup movie trade collectively.
When the Porsche was found 5 miles from the property, deserted, authorities managed to acquire a match for Baker’s DNA, situated contained in the motor.
Officers made quite a few observations of the duo assembly in pubs and suspected he might need been one of many two people captured on safety digital camera footage the night of the killing.
Whereas their very own property’s footage was interfered with to keep away from recording something from that night time, different neighbouring footage captured two individuals close to Fabio’s residence simply minutes earlier than he was savagely murdered.
Monica carried on publicly grieving her husband’s dying, sharing tributes on social media, and urging police to launch his eye-watering £1.6 million life insurance coverage settlement. Detective Telis remembers this behaviour: “She was not like, ‘Who killed my husband?’ It was, ‘I would like the cash. Present me the cash,” Individuals experiences.
In 2017, each Monica and Baker had been arrested, marking the beginning of a prolonged trial riddled with devastating twists and turns. Monica was charged with orchestrating her husband’s homicide, whereas Baker confronted a first-degree homicide cost.
Each entered not responsible pleas as they awaited trials that had been postponed for a number of years. Nevertheless, in 2023, Baker made an sudden change to a ‘no contest’ plea.
They shared two kids collectively (Picture: Fabio Sementilli/Fb)
This vital shift meant Baker not legally disputed the fees introduced towards him, successfully pleading responsible in a technical sense, with out formally admitting culpability for the crime. Following this growth, he was handed a life sentence.
Years after looking for the mysterious second particular person captured within the video footage, investigators efficiently recognized a person named Christopher Austin, a detailed affiliate of Baker’s and his confederate within the killing.
He subsequently confessed, and each he and Monica had been sentenced to life imprisonment with out the potential of parole.
The spouse of Fabio Sementilli was finally convicted on April 11, 2025, eight years after her husband’s surprising dying.
But, years on, each of her daughters, Gessica and Isabella, whom she shared with Fabio, contest the decision and steadfastly preserve their perception of their mom’s innocence.
As the remainder of Fabio’s household struggled to come back to phrases with the tragedy, a relative informed reporters: “Monica grieved with us. She held us tight. We had been all shocked to the core.”
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