Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 9 Jaw-Dropping Moments as Wife Gets Life for Love Triangle Murder

Episode Date: June 24, 2025

A jury in Los Angeles County found Monica Sementelli guilty of orchestrating the murder of her celebrity hairstylist husband, Fabio Sementelli. Fabio was stabbed to death in January 2017 in his backyard. Monica's lover, Robert Baker, testified he enlisted his friend to help him kill Fabio so he could be with Monica. Fabio's family unleashed their grief on Monica at her sentencing. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through the biggest moments from the hearing in this episode of Crime Fix a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CRIMEFIX at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/crimefixHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Producer:Jordan ChaconCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this law and crimes series ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple podcasts or Spotify. She is a complete and utter stupid bitch. Watching her dress like a slut for Baker, living six months off of blood money. Only a devil can manipulate a reality to suit her comforts." That's Fabio Semantelli's sister letting out eight years of anger and grief in a courtroom as Monica Semantelli learns her punishment for the murder of her celebrity hairstylist

husband while Monica's daughter stands by her. "...my mother was the best. She did everything for me." I go through the most emotional and shocking moments from the hearing and how much time Monica Sementelli will spend behind bars. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Anjana Levy. Fabio Sementelli, he was loved by many, many people. He was a hairstylist in Los Angeles who built a business from the ground up and rose to the top of his profession,

ending up as an executive at a major hair product company. He was married to his wife Monica. They had two daughters and he also had a son from his first marriage. But on January 23rd, 2017, Fabio Semantelli's seemingly picture-perfect wife came to an end. Two men went to Fabio's home where he was sitting in the backyard and stabbed him. One of those men was someone Fabio knew, Robert Baker. The second man was Christopher Austin,

a friend of Baker's, who testified that he agreed to help his friend for money. But why would Baker and Austin do this? Prosecutors in Los Angeles County said it was all about money and a woman. Monica Cementelli, Fabio's wife. Monica was having an affair with Robert Baker, a convicted sex offender and former adult film star. Baker testified at Monica's trial earlier this year.

I murdered him because I wanted her. Well, you kind of had her already, but not the way you wanted or what? Absolutely. I didn't have her the way I wanted her. I wanted her. Now, the jury didn't buy Baker's story that it was all his idea, and they found Monica Semantelli guilty of planning Fabio's murder. This week, it was time for Monica Semantelli to learn her punishment for conspiring to murder her husband, the man to whom she was married, for nearly 20 years, and vowed to love till death do us part. And let me tell you, Fabio Sementelli's sisters, they did not hold back.

They are angry and grieving. And this was their chance to let Monica know how she has destroyed their lives. But before I get to what they had to say, I'll start with Monica Semantelli's lawyer, Leonard Levine, who started by asking for the most lenient sentence. Without Mr. Baker, this terrible murder does not occur. Without Mrs. Levine, I believe it still could have occurred and would have occurred. Mrs. Ventilli, I believe, still could have occurred and would have occurred. Yet known for that, obviously, contact with her husband.

Their background speaks for itself by the unfortunate end which occurred in terms of their relationship. And as far as I'm concerned, this case does not happen, this terrible murder does not occur without Mr. Baker coming into her life. Which she obviously has suffered and will continue to suffer the consequences.

It was a choice, she made, a terrible choice. And the results we know. Obviously she has no prior record or history unlike Mr. Baker. So we'd ask the court to impose a less serious sentence of 25 years to life as opposed to life without parole, which I believe the court does have the discretion to do. So Monica's lawyer, he wanted a sentence of 25 years to life instead of life without parole.

And as you can imagine, the DA had something to say about that. This case was about the ultimate betrayal. This was one that I'm sure Fabio Cementilli never could have imagined in his wildest nightmares was coming that his wife was literally plotting his murder with her lover. It's an absolute betrayal, not only of Fabio Cementilli, the victim in this case, but of her children who have been brainwashed by her lies and her deception. And that's their choice. They're adults now.

If they choose not to face the truth, that's on them. But we're here to do a job. We've done our job. The jury did their job. And we're here to hold the defendant, the main player, the heavy in this case, responsible for her actions. She used her family, her children, her parents, her sister to do her dirty work for her, to lie to their father in order to cover up this scandalous affair that she had been having for at least a year,

and God knows what else she used them for. She manipulated everybody, all of her friends, all of her family, anybody who came into contact with her for the most minor of things, such as buying a vehicle. Our content shows you just how important personal safety is, and that's especially true when it comes to protecting your privacy online. You would be absolutely shocked

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from data brokers. Those are huge companies that sell and trade your info without your permission. Incogni actually found more than 50 brokers with my information, and here's the kicker. These data brokers, they actually have to remove you from their database if you ask them to. Now, you're probably thinking, Anjanette, who in the heck has time to contact a data broker? Well, that again is where Incogni comes in. They contact these companies for

you to get your online safety back. You do not have to do a thing, and then they alert you after the request has been completed. After signing up, I get virtually no spam now, so I highly recommend giving Incogni a try. Right now, anyone who uses code crimefix at incogni.com slash crimefix gets 60% off. That's code crimefix at incogni.com slash crimefix for 60% off an annual plan. That was Los Angeles County Deputy DA Beth Silverman. She had more to say about Monica Semantelli and Robert Baker. What we have in this case, just to be clear, although I think it was very clear through

the trial, was the fact that this defendant and Robert Baker are a perfect match. You have two sociopaths who are completely incapable of any feeling of remorse or guilt. Then it was time for family members of Fabio Cementelli to speak, including his niece, by marriage. As Fabio's niece, I have lived almost a decade with unimaginable grief, betrayal, and pain. I am here not only as a family member who loved Fabio deeply but also as a colleague in the hair industry who witnessed his brilliance firsthand. My life was shattered the day he was taken from us. In a way so brutal

so senseless and so deliberate it defies comprehension. On January 23rd, 2017, almost nine years ago, life as I knew it ended. That was the day my uncle Fabio Cementilli was brutally stabbed to death in the backyard of his own home on my birthday. The same home where he had built a life, raised a family, and welcomed people with open arms. And the same home where his wife, Monica Semantilli, the woman he trusted more than anyone, conspired

to have him murdered. Fabio Semantilli was everything his killer, Monica Semantilli, is not. He was kind, he was loyal, he was generous, he lifted people up. He didn't destroy them. He led with integrity. He loved with his whole heart. He made people feel seen, valued, safe, and inspired. Fabio brought joy, wisdom, and light to the world and everyone around him. Monica Semantilli brings darkness, manipulation, deceit, destruction, and death. Fabio gave his entire life to building others up. Monica spent years secretly tearing his life down.

Fabio was loved. Monica is despised. Fabio Semantilli wasn't my uncle by blood, but he was my uncle in every way that truly mattered. He was family. He taught me to believe in myself, to chase my dreams, and to build honest relationships. He showed me the importance of family, family created through friendship, through work, and through love.

He taught me about an industry he loved deeply. Fabio Cementelli's family is in so much pain living without him and then waiting all of these years to see some sort of accountability. While we see pain from some family members, from others we see anger and the feelings of betrayal. Here's one of Fabio's sisters, Loretta Piccolo. I stand before you as a sister whose life was shattered by an unimaginable betrayal.

I am filled with pain, bitterness and heartbreak. On January 23rd, 2017, my brother Fabio was ambushed in his own backyard, stabbed multiple times. One of those wounds pierced straight through his heart. They silenced him, held his eyes closed, covered his mouth, and he never stood a chance. And the person responsible wasn't a stranger. It was the woman we had welcomed into our family for over 20 years, his wife Monica.

I am ashamed to admit that Monica was my sister-in-law for two decades. We treated her like family and she betrayed all of us. That day she told Fabio she was going out to get dinner and left the front door unlocked so that her lover and accomplice could enter the home. Monica walked out knowing full well that within minutes her husband Fabio will be viciously attacked and held down. Only a demon could orchestrate the murder of a loving husband, then savagely time it so her own daughter would come home to find her father's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood.

Then Loretta Piccolo addresses Monica directly. Who does a woman who had everything desire a dirty life of multiple partners? Sex-crazed men act like a slut, wearing sleazy outfits. You had it all, Monica, and you threw it away. You burnt it to the ground. For what?

Lust, greed, attention? and you threw it away. You burnt it to the ground. For what? Lust? Greed? Attention? There's a darkness living inside of you that no mortal can understand your evil treason. You're rotten through and through. No amount of pretending, lying or manipulating will ever hide the truth we all saw and heard. She is demonic for the merciless crime of my vulnerable defenseless man. Loretta's tone changes when she ends her statement by paying tribute to her late brother. Fabio's strength was his presence. Steady, warm, unforgettable. He had a bold, radiant force that drew people in and made you truly feel seen. His laughter was the soundtrack of every room he entered, deep, joyful, full of life. You always wanted to be near Fabio, because wherever Fabio was, that's where the party was.

I miss him more than I can ever express. I want to thank him for being the greatest brother, the heart, the soul of this family. We will never stop speaking his name. I love my brother Fabio. We share childhood memories and laughter that only siblings who truly adored each other know. I could call him at any time, he'd answer, how are you my beautiful sister? He would make me laugh. It's all the little things he did that left a mark on my heart for him. And he should still be with us today. My heart is permanently broken. He mentored people across the world. He gave without ever expecting anything in return. I am forever proud of my brother, especially when people from all over the globe share on how Fabio changed their lives, how his kindness, wisdom, and generosity left a lasting mark.

As Fabio grew older, he held a broken family together with strength, laughter and love, never once complaining. My brother was so excited to turn 50 in 2017, and it is agonizing to reminisce of the 50th birthday celebration that never happened. All he wanted was to go to Pebble Beach. How can I ever forget this deceit? How will I ever heal? When will there ever be rest for my heart? I turn to you Judge Bowen to facilitate a sentence fit for the monster who took away his right to live.

Then it was Fabia's other sister, Morella's turn to speak. And I want to apologize in advance if some of my words may offend. Now let me tell you, Morella Semantelli, she did not hold back. There has been no deeper pain than losing Fabia at the hands of betrayal from the woman he honored. What Monica did shattered more than just my life.

The details of her lies tore through my heart as I sat in this courtroom. Every single day, I feel pain as I think of Fabio of what he might have felt and saw as his life flashed before him just before his death. The faces of Baker and Austin repeatedly attacking him and knowing that Monica was behind his heinous attack. It haunts me to think how much my brother suffered that it brings me to my knees.

He was sitting in a special chair, the one place he treasured, and it tears a strip from my soul, thinking about Monica's sentencing and how I pray she has a life in a prison for her life sentence. Morella Semantelli said she felt Monica Semantelli had manipulated her family and the daughters she shared with Fabio.

As I learned, Monica and her entire family refused to even say his name. As if pretending he never existed relieves them of their guilt. I've watched in horror, and I've been put through hell as Monica and the Christian Tini family taught Fabio's daughters not to grieve, not to cry, and not to honor their father and ignore the facts and the evidence. Having no respect for authority, this court, and the pursuit of justice. Sometimes I wish I could just shake them to show them that they are being lied to. They withheld Fabio's property, a

memento from my dying mother. Her heart was broken and none of them cared. My nieces should be asking the questions, why did our mother bring that predator into our home? Why did she let him sit at our home table? Why did she let him sleep in their father's bed? They should have been fighting to uncover how their mother could be capable of something so vile. Monica destroyed their foundation, their sense of truth, and their ability to grieve. It's heartbreakingly clear she never protected her daughters. Then Morella told Monica how she truly feels about her.

She had the audacity to demand a trial and parade around like a woman wronged. And in the end, she exposed not only her shameful affair, but the truth of the kind of mother she was. She is a complete and utter stupid bitch. Watching her dress like a slut for Baker, living six months off of blood money, only a devil can manipulate a reality to suit her comforts. In all my worst nightmares, I could never have fathomed this calculated plan.

Monica, you are a demon. She can't even look at me. And all your actions and your deceit has told us so. I hope every blood dollar you and your Krishantini family have is used on meds. Traded a beautiful life for trashy garages, dirty beds, pinot grigio for tubes of semen from a repulsive convicted sex offender.

You didn't just kill Fabio, you humiliated him. You let him carry guilt for working hard while you carried on with a degenerate sex offender. You didn't just kill Fabio. You betrayed him in the most despicable way. Then you held my grieving mother and you pretended to mourn Fabio when you were the killer. On June 14, after your arrest,

our lives became a living hell and your family treated us like predators and not the victims we are. She traded lust for love, family for filth, decency for destruction. She masterminded this egregious murder on my brother. She resorted to murder to make room for Baker. She did this because no one would have accepted that deplorable man. Had she ever divorced Fabio, especially her discerning family,

that is why she needed Fabio's life insurance money to dress him up and make him look like a successful man. She enjoyed Baker treating her like a whore, shopping at thrift stores for slutty, skanky clothes. This sleazeball had $40 in the bank. She even paid for the restaurant bills and the hotel bills, all while leaving her girls home alone. What mother does that? But Monica Sementelli's daughters are standing behind her.

Isabella spoke about both of her parents. I had the best childhood thanks to my mom and my dad. I had the most supportive parents who created a safe and loving home. My father was a man that I respected, trusted, and leaned on for comfort. He was front row with my mom, laughing and clapping at all of my school plays. He always asked me about my life, my friends. He truly cared to know about his daughter. Despite traveling a lot,

my father made an effort to be present when he was home. He really listened to me. He taught me how to stand up for myself while still being respectful and told me from a young age that the only opinion about myself that matters is my own. When you go to judge somebody, look in the mirror because that's usually what you want to fix about yourself. I'm grateful to have learned that so young. I get my hard work ethic from my father. He would jokingly ask who would become the hairdresser

in the family and continue his legacy. I didn't know at the time that I would be the one following in his footsteps, but I thank him for guiding me to find my passion and lifelong career. I will continue my father's legacy in the hair industry, filling some big shoes, but in my own way. To those who knew my father, you also know how funny he was. My tears were turned to laughter in seconds. I'm confident I can speak on behalf of my sister and brother that we had the best father. Not many people got to know my father when he was home with his family. Once the suit and tie came off, that was the real Fabio I knew.

Then Isabella spoke specifically about her mother. My mother was the best. She did everything for me. She gave up her career, left her family all to support my dad and give us a good life. She encouraged me to try new things, drove me to and from school, friends' houses, rehearsals, helped me with homework, all with a smile on her face. She built up my self-esteem after a heartbreak. She let me wear her dresses to school dances. She was reliable, and I trusted her with anything. She cooked dinner from scratch almost every night and really emphasized the importance of sitting at dinner together every night as a family. She hosted dinners for my father's

colleagues at our home often, even some of them sitting at our table for holidays. She is my biggest cheerleader and one of the most selfless women I know. Non-judgmental, there to listen and to support me. Her family was her life, and I'm grateful for that every day. Many people think because I stand by my mother that I don't miss my father. Let me say right now to those watching, that is false.

Monica Semantelli sobbed as her oldest daughter spoke in support of her. In the end, the judge had the final word and he made it clear who he believed was ultimately responsible for Fabio's murder. Listening to the evidence in this matter, I do find that the defendant was the prime mover in this execution of a human being, and consequently, in utilizing my discretion, I do impose the more serious of the sentences. Although this is not before me, Penal Code Section 1385.1 states that a court does not have discretion to strike a special circumstance that is found true by the jury. The legislature has in its wisdom had such bills before it that would take away this

lack of discretion. For purposes of any future legislature, I must state now that if I had the discretion to respect special circumstance in this particular case, I would not. For the crime of suspending the conviction in Cal 1, I may have violated section 187, subject A, murder in the first degree, but the special circumstances have been found true for subject 192.2, subject A, subject 1. In 190.2, subject A, subject 15, we sentence to the court as follows. The evasion is denied for the reasons I have stated.

I am sentenced to stay in prison for the term prescribed by law, which is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Christopher Austin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and testified against Monica at her trial. He got 16 years to life in prison. Monica Simentele will appeal her sentence, but for now, she's on her way to a California prison. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Anjana Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.