Monica Sementilli sentenced to life in prison for murder of her prominent LA hairdresser husband
The wife of famed hairdresser Fabio Sementilli was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for her part in his 2017 murder, where he was found stabbed to death in their Woodland Hills home.
A Los Angeles jury found Monica Sementilli guilty in April of first-degree murder and conspiracy for masterminding the crime, with special circumstances of murder for financial gain and murder while lying in wait. On Monday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen agreed that the evidence pointed to Sementilli being the mastermind.
"Defendant was the prime mover in this execution of a human being and consequently I am utilizing my discretion to impose the more serious of the sentences," the judge said. He rejected a request by the defense for a lesser sentence of 25 years to life in prison on the conspiracy charge rather than the murder charge.
Fabio Sementilli was 49 years old when he died. He and Monica Sementilli had two daughters together and were about to celebrate 20 years of marriage.
Sementilli, now 53, and her lover, Robert Baker, were arrested about five months after her husband was murdered. The two were found to have conspired to kill Fabio Sementilli to benefit from his $1.6 million life insurance plan and to continue their affair.
Baker, now 63, has already been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his part in the crime. He pleaded no contest in July 2023 to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and admitted to two special circumstance allegations.
At Sementilli's trial, Baker confessed, "I murdered him (Fabio Sementilli) because I wanted her." Defense called him to the stand as he maintained that the mother of two had nothing to do with the plan of her husband's murder.
He said he came up with the plan to murder Fabio Sementilli, saying, "I wanted her to be around me and with me more -- like all the time."
A third defendant, Christopher Austin, pleaded no contest in January to second-degree murder and is facing 16 years to life in state prison in connection with a plea deal reached with prosecutors.
Austin, now 39, testified that his longtime friend, Baker, told him that Sementilli wanted her husband dead, but Austin said that he did not personally speak to her about the crime. He also testified that he and Baker went to the Woodland Hills home after Baker received a text message.
"He said the front door should be open, meaning unlocked. He told me, he said, 'She's gonna leave the door open,'" Austin told jurors.
Austin admitted to his part in the killing at trial. "Baker covered his mouth and started stabbing him," he testified. "I covered his eyes and stabbed him once."
The love affair between Senentilli and Baker continued in jail, according to documents revealed in a "48 Hours" investigation of the case.
Prosecutors alleged that their ongoing love affair behind bars, including recordings made during police sting operations, represented further evidence of a committed murder conspiracy between the two.
Sementilli has remained jailed since her June 2017 arrest,
