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.'
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 April 11 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."
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 in March, 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.