Wife of murdered beauty exec maintains her innocence

19 hours ago 5

In 2017, Monica Sementilli had an enviable beingness — a luxurious location with a excavation and a Porsche successful the driveway — successful a posh country of Los Angeles.

But aft spending astir 8 years down bars waiting done ineligible delays and COVID, successful January 2025, Monica Sementilli went connected proceedings for the execution of her hubby — personage hairdresser and quality executive Fabio Sementilli.

As "48 Hours" contributor Michelle Miller reports, it's a tangled story. Her defenders accidental Monica Sementilli is an guiltless victim. But if you judge prosecutors, she's a criminal. Authorities picture a lawsuit of lust, greed, and murder. Whichever it is, the play unfolded connected Jan. 23, 2017.

Elyse Bleuel: There were occurrence trucks extracurricular of her house…and I was like, ohio gosh … determination was nary constabulary yet. It was conscionable the archetypal responders.

Elyse Bleuel was a person of Monica Simental's. "48 Hours" spoke with her successful 2018. She says Monica texted her to travel implicit the nighttime Fabio was killed.

Elyse Bleuel: it was her and her daughters … She conscionable kept saying that "he's gone, that I'm not a woman anymore" … I conscionable held her. I conscionable held her.

Elyse Bleuel: It was truthful painful, conscionable the weeping…the not being capable to breathe…she was beyond devastated… beyond devastated.

Monica's husband, Fabio, was slumped implicit his seat by the pool.

Michelle Miller: Had you seen the body? Had you seen?

Elyse Bleuel: Didn't …

Elyse Bleuel: I conscionable wanted to beryllium the champion imaginable comfort. … I didn't cognize however to comfortableness that. … she couldn't talk successful implicit sentences until similar the 4th day.

Detectives rapidly learned the victim, Fabio Sementilli, had been a superstar successful the quality business.

"48 Hours" spoke with those who knew him champion successful 2017. Fabio's sister, Mirella Rota

Mirella Rota: He was a blessed man. And helium wanted everybody astir him happy.

Luigi Sementilli: The champion mode to picture my dad, really, is similar a cupful of java successful the morning.

Luigi Sementilli is Fabio's lad from an earlier marriage.

Luigi Sementilli: He gets you going … helium lifts your spirits … helium gets you determined to complaint the upland of life.

Fabio Sementilli remembered arsenic a "cool dad" 01:05

Michelle Miller: Did your friends say, "Hey Luigi, is that your dad?"

Luigi Sementilli: Absolutely, yeah. It was benignant of a amusive thing, you know. … It's hard to debar him erstwhile you benignant successful Sementilli connected Google, it's precise hard … successful information erstwhile you benignant successful my name, Luigi Sementilli, the archetypal happening that comes up is his profile! (laughs)

Fabio and his sister Mirella began cutting hairsbreadth successful Toronto, Canada.

That's wherever Fabio met Monica, a lawsuit and constitution creator helium joined successful 1997.

Joe Mercurio: The wedding was incredible.

Restauranteur Joe Mercurio grew up with Fabio. He was champion antheral astatine Fabio's wedding to Monica.

Joe Mercurio: We were dancing close to the precise end.

Mirella Rota: We saw their narration arsenic a emotion story.

Fabio was besides successful emotion with his vocation — helium and his sister Mirella were getting famous.

In 2008, Fabio was promoted to an enforcement occupation astatine the quality elephantine Wella and moved his household to L.A. Pete Castellano was Fabio's colleague.

Pete Castellano: What happened was was the accidental … to truly let the things that helium wanted for his household to travel to beingness by taking connected a bigger role.

He and Monica settled into a beingness astir of america tin lone imagination about.

Michelle Miller: He drove a Porsche.

Mirella Rota: Yeah.

Michelle Miller: What antheral doesn't privation a Porsche successful Los Angeles?

Mirella Rota: You're perfectly right.

They were surviving the beingness and raising their 2 teenage daughters, Gessica and Isabella.

FABIO SEMENTILLI (video): My ain household portion is the astir most beloved to me.

Then came that January day. It was precocious day arsenic helium sat by the pool. Fabio was stabbed to death. His then-16-year-old girl Isabella discovered his body.

To investigators, the Sementilli lawsuit started retired a mystery. But from aboriginal on, they had astatine slightest 1 intriguing clue.

From a neighbor's information camera, they could spot 2 figures successful hoodies moving adjacent to the Sementilli's location astatine the clip of the murder. A small portion later, Fabio's Porsche was being driven away. Back then, Investigators didn't fishy Monica had thing to bash with Fabio's death. She wasn't adjacent location astatine the clip helium was killed. Instead, they looked astatine those 2 hooded figures.

At the clip of Fabio's execution successful 2017, L.A was plagued with break-ins from notorious teams of criminals.

Michelle Miller (watching video of a knock-knock burglary): What bash you telephone these guys?

Det. William Dunn: Well, we telephone them the knock-knock burglars.

Michelle Miller: So, this is LAPD footage?

Det. William Dunn: Yeah. They cognize what they're doing, and they cognize what they want.

Michelle Miller: I mean... they're moving wild!

They were hitting homes of celebrities each implicit Los Angeles.

CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE LEADS TO A SUSPECT

It was 2017, and, for years, the homes of L.A. celebrities were targeted.

LOCAL NEWS REPORT: At slightest 7 celebrities had hundreds of thousands of dollars' worthy of jewelry taken.

LOCAL NEWS REPORT: High-profile victims see $300,000 from erstwhile Lakers prima Derek Fisher, $175,000 for Nikki Minaj…and $2 cardinal from Alanis Morrissette's Brentwood home.

Det. William Dunn | LAPD (watching surveillance video of a knock-knock burglary): They're moving conscionable arsenic speedy arsenic they can.

Det. William Dunn: In and retired successful astir 3 minutes ... they ransack a bedroom, find immoderate jewelry and get out.

What is simply a knock-knock burglary? 01:38

William Dunn, a Los Angeles Police Department detective astatine the time, had hours of videotape of the knock-knock burglars successful enactment each implicit affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods, including 1 from a location conscionable a fewer miles from Fabio's, months aft his murder.

Michelle Miller (watching surveillance video of a knock-knock burglary): They look to cognize what to look for.

Det. William Dunn: Right, they're looking for jewelry. They're looking for cash.

Michelle Miller: Look astatine him!

Det. William Dunn: Yeah, spot he's checking clothes, he's feelin the apparel to spot if somebody's enactment jewelry oregon currency successful immoderate of the pockets.

Det. William Dunn: See? Now he's seeing that safe.

Michelle Miller: Ah!

Det. William Dunn: See, and present helium gets – helium tells his buddy. Hey, look astatine what we've found. Now look astatine however galore seconds, and this is simply a existent dense safe. … but they're precise determined … they enactment a batch of effort into it and it's truthful dense helium can't – helium can't assistance the thing. But look astatine however he's conscionable gonna descent that happening out.

Michelle Miller: So they got the safe, that's wage dirt, and disconnected they go.

Det. William Dunn: They're gone. Yup! You see? They're gone.

To detectives, those 2 hooded figures recorded connected a neighbor's surveillance camera adjacent Fabio's location close astir the clip of his execution looked a batch similar the knock-knock burglars.

And the Sementilli location had its ain cameras. Detectives hoped they would find adjacent much video of those hooded figures connected those tapes.

There were 4 cameras extracurricular the Sementilli house, but erstwhile constabulary came to look for the video, it was gone! A DVR was successful the garage, it stored each the surveillance. Whoever broke successful indispensable person taken it.

Strangely, too taking Fabio's Porsche, that achromatic container was 1 of the lone things stolen from the house, accidental investigators. Monica told them she thought immoderate inexpensive jewelry and $11,000 successful currency was perchance missing, but she wasn't sure. Detectives accidental the location harmless hadn't been touched.

Luigi Sementilli: The lone happening I thought that was antithetic was wherefore didn't they instrumentality more? Why didn't they instrumentality his watch?

The suspected burglars near down an $8,000 Rolex connected Fabio's wrist.

But wrong months, the knock-knock burglars began to slice arsenic constabulary suspects due to the fact that the constabulary were hanging connected to a large secret. Nobody but investigators knew it astatine the time, but they discovered humor astatine the transgression country that did not beryllium to Fabio Sementilli. That meant detectives had DNA to enactment with. DNA that yet led to a suspect.

Capt. William Hayes | LAPD: We were capable to make forensic grounds … immoderate of that was DNA, which identified Robert Baker.

Robert Baker had been a racquetball league manager astatine a Los Angeles gym, not acold from Fabio's house. And Monica's friend, Elyse Bleuel, knew him. "48 Hours" spoke to her astir him successful 2018.

Michelle Miller: How would you picture Rob Baker?

Elyse Bleuel: He was cool. We each truly liked him.

Elyse Bleuel: He was 1 of those gym guys — you know, grrr!

Bleuel played successful his league.

Elyse Bleuel: He was precise alpha. He was a precise alpha male. There was besides benignant of a sexual-ly happening astir him.

Michelle Miller: There was thing intersexual astir him. What bash you mean?

Elyse Bleuel: You cognize however immoderate guys conscionable person conscionable person this intersexual benignant of, I don't know, helium was precise manly … helium was successful shape, and helium was benignant of, you know, kept everything — helium was successful charge.

He was besides tangled up successful the porn industry, adjacent doing immoderate acting.

Bleuel didn't cognize overmuch astir Baker's background, but she did perceive astir his movie vocation from a person who happened to spot him successful an big film.

Elyse Bleuel: That's similar the benignant of gossip that … you conscionable request to archer someone.

Michelle Miller: Who did you tell?

Elyse Bleuel: I told Monica.

Monica was besides successful Robert Baker's racquetball league.

Michelle Miller: What was her reaction?

Elyse Bleuel: Well, it was beauteous anticlimactic, I'll archer ya.

Michelle Miller: Really?

Elyse Bleuel: Yeah. 'cause a lotta times erstwhile we would person miss speech she'd get a small prude-y. Like a small prude.

What Bleuel didn't cognize was that Baker was besides a registered enactment offender.

Capt. William Hayes: Robert Baker has a 1993 condemnation retired of a Long Beach case. It's for lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.

Police accidental Baker served clip for that discourtesy against a teenage girl.

For months, constabulary watched Baker and they discovered 2 things. First, helium was decidedly not 1 of the knock-knock burglars, and second, helium made thousands of calls and texts to of each people, Monica Sementilli.

In fact, conscionable days aft Fabio's death, Monica held a aftermath successful her backyard and Baker really showed up.

Michelle Miller: You did conscionable him?

Mirella Rota: I did.

Rota says she saw Monica hanging retired with Baker.

Mirella Rota: I saw her backmost … extracurricular again, with a drink, smoking, and talking to this guy. … I recovered retired that that was his name, Rob. And she introduced maine to him.

Luigi noticed him, too.

Luigi Sementilli: Robert and Monica were successful the country talking to each other, benignant of distant from the party.

And determination was thing other Luigi noticed astir Baker.

Luigi Sementilli: He had bandages connected his hands.

One impermanent adjacent snapped pictures of Monica and Robert Baker together. If you look closely, you tin conscionable marque retired a bandage connected Baker's finger. Police would aboriginal reason Baker chopped that digit erstwhile helium killed Fabio. And that's however his humor was astatine the scene.

Detectives visited Monica astatine location utilizing what they called a "ruse" — telling her they were investigating the knock-knock burglars, erstwhile successful information they were investigating her and secretly pursuing Monica and Baker. And according to authorities, it paid off. They accidental they recovered grounds that Monica and Baker were having an matter and conspired to termination Fabio.

JUSTIN EISENBERG | LAPD Chief of Detectives [to reporters successful June 2017]: Over the past respective months, investigators person developed accusation and identified Robert Baker, 55 years aged of Canoga Park and Monica Sementilli, 45 years old, of Woodland Hills, who is the woman of our homicide victim, arsenic liable for his murder.

Mirella Rota: He said, "We arrested Monica for the execution of your brother, and Robert Baker for the execution of your brother." And I was successful shock. I'm like, "They're — you sure?" You know? I — I was successful shock.

Mary Fulginiti: According to the prosecution … these 2 were plotting and readying to termination Fabio truthful they could unrecorded their beingness together.

Mary Fulginiti is simply a erstwhile national authoritative and a "48 Hours" consultant.

Mary Fulginiti: It was a precise analyzable investigation.

Monica Sementilli and Robert Baker mugshots

As authorities hustled Robert Baker and Monica Sementilli into court, they each pleaded "not guilty." But astir six years later, Baker changed everything.

Mary Fulginiti: When helium came to tribunal that day, radical were stunned.

ROBERT BAKER PLEADS NO CONTEST TO MURDER OF FABIO SEMENTILLI

Monica Sementilli was being accused of cheating connected Fabio with that racquetball manager Robert Baker and then—along with Baker— readying Fabio's murder.

Elyse Bleuel: My instant and thorough and implicit absorption was there's nary effing mode … I was there. She was decimated.

After months of crying and grieving alongside Monica, Fabio's household couldn't judge it either.

Mirella Rota: Twenty-some years of my beingness she was similar a sister. She was a chill aunt to my kids … she was loveable … my full household felt that mode astir her (crying).

Then, successful 2023, Baker skipped proceedings altogether and pleaded nary contest.

Mary Fulginiti: Robert Baker pleads nary contest. And that's successful essence accepting work for the murder. He's yet sentenced to beingness without parole.

JUDGE RONALD COEN (in court): The maximum condemnation successful this lawsuit is beingness imprisonment without the anticipation of parole positive 1 year. … You recognize this?

ROBERT BAKER: Yes, sir.

But portion Baker was accepting work for Fabio's death, Monica wasn't.

MIRELLA ROTA (in court) : What helium and Monica did to my brother, Fabio, is unforgivable.

But Monica's ain daughters, Isabella and Gessica, supported their mom.

GESSICA SEMENTILLI (in court): We volition proceed to basal by our parent arsenic we person done for the past six years, and we volition combat for her innocence.

As Monica prepared to spell to trial, her defence lawyer Leonard Levine made a statement.

LEONARD LEVINE: We are assured that Robert Baker's blameworthy pleas and his truthful grounds volition yet found erstwhile and for each that Monica Sementilli had thing to bash with the readying oregon the execution of Fabio Sementilli, her husband.

Monica's defence squad wasn't answering questions earlier trial, truthful "48 Hours" asked New York-based defence lawyer Julie Rendelman to reappraisal Monica's defence team's pre-trial motions.

Julie Rendelman: The prosecution is truthful focused connected the matter and wants, perchance a assemblage to say, due to the fact that she had an affair, due to the fact that she lied astir an matter that you tin instrumentality the leap to accidental that she conspired to termination her husband.

She says Monica's narration with Baker doesn't beryllium anything.

But the prosecution says the matter is cardinal to establishing a conspiracy betwixt Monica and Robert Baker — an alleged conspiracy detectives spent months tracking.

Michelle Miller: How agelong was that investigation?

Mary Fulginiti: Five months. Five to six months.

While the DA besides declined an interrogation earlier going to trial, erstwhile authoritative Mary Fulginiti reviewed the lawsuit against Monica.

Michelle Miller (outside the Sementilli's home): So, this is the country of the crime?

Mary Fulginiti: Yeah … You know, this is wherever the 2 joggers, you know, came according to the video from a neighbor, uh, moving up present toward the house.

Prosecutors accidental that archetypal hooded fig — successful the greenish sweatshirt— is Robert Baker. The 2nd antheral was yet identified arsenic Christopher Austin – a adjacent person of Baker's.

Michelle Miller: What does this indictment accidental astir Monica Sementilli?

Mary Fulginiti: This indictment is simply a precise elaborate outline and timeline of the crippled to termination Fabio Sementilli.

Mary Fulginiti: Motive present is simple. I mean, this is emotion and money. This is 1 of the oldest crimes successful the publication where, you know, 2 lovers desperately wanting to beryllium together, and they effort to get escaped of 1 of the spouses truthful they tin beryllium unneurotic for what? For fiscal benefit. … And that would mean the 3 quarters of a cardinal beingness security policy, the house, 401ks.

Police accidental the program was to signifier the country to marque it look similar the enactment of the knock-knock burglars and propulsion constabulary disconnected their trail. And they judge Monica was profoundly involved.

Mary Fulginiti: They judge … she was the 1 that coordinated everything, the 1 that showed him, you know, wherever the location was, wherever the DVR was, truthful that helium knew wherever to spell to rip it retired of the walls. How to get into the house.

And that's not all. The authoritative says six months earlier the murder, Monica forwarded an email sharing details of her location information strategy with Baker.

Mary Fulginiti: She provided the password, the username, the log successful credentials, arsenic good arsenic the idiosyncratic manual to Robert Baker, the aforesaid time that she received it from the surveillance company.

And past there's the time of the murder. Prosecutors accidental Monica's behaviour that time is simply a cardinal constituent of her relation successful the conspiracy to termination Fabio. According to prosecutors, surveillance video shows Monica near location astatine 3:26 p.m. driving the family's achromatic Ford F-150 pickup.

Michelle Miller (standing successful a Target parking lot): This is wherever she came, according to prosecutors, to found her alibi?

Mary Fulginiti: So, a batch happens successful this parking lot. … she pulls successful present successful her Ford-150 pickup motortruck close successful beforehand of this store … stops for conscionable a fewer minutes.

Prosecutors accidental they person video wherever it appears an idiosyncratic gets into Monica's truck. They accidental that idiosyncratic was Robert Baker. Monica past goes unsocial into the Target store and begins shopping. But arsenic she leaves, prosecutors accidental this surveillance photograph shows her fixated connected her phone.

They would archer a expansive assemblage it appears she was streaming video from her location — a batch of it.

THE EVIDENCE AGAINST MONICA SEMENTILLI

So what was Monica Sementilli watching connected her telephone that day astatine astir the clip her hubby was being murdered?

Mary Fulginiti. The telephone records and information amusement that she's connecting to a unsocial IP address. … It happens to beryllium the IP code of the house. And there's a ample magnitude of information that's being consumed. And that ample magnitude of information is accordant with video streaming, i.e, the surveillance video of the house.

Surveillance video? According to the DA, it mightiness person been video from her location information cameras.

But could Monica person been watching the existent murder?

Mary Fulginiti: No… The surveillance cameras successful the location are — are facing outside, but they're not facing successful the excavation area, which was wherever Fabio was located astatine the time. So, they didn't really seizure the murder, but they would seizure evidently who was coming and going.

Monica could person been watching everything else, prosecutors say.

Mary Fulginiti (with Miller successful the Target parking lot): They're going to reason … she's watching the scene, the country of the transgression to spot the comings and goings of erstwhile Baker and the accomplice are going into the house, erstwhile are they leaving the location truthful that she knows erstwhile she tin permission present and spell home.

Prosecutors accidental portion she is watching the feed, Baker and his accomplice were connected the Sementilli spot stalking Fabio.

Mary Fulginiti: According to the prosecution, "it was a precise targeted onslaught that was done with the intent to kill." They besides spell connected to accidental that "he was stabbed successful the neck, it chopped his jugular vein, chopped the carotid artery."

And there's much grounds of the crippled to termination Fabio. Prosecutors accidental Baker was readying a aboriginal with Monica.

Mary Fulginiti: The DA says that astir 2 months earlier the murder, Baker told a person that helium had been dating this pistillate for astir a year, and that helium sent a representation of that woman, and that pistillate was Monica.

Mary Fulginiti: And past 2 months aboriginal Fabio was killed.

Authorities besides accidental Monica's behaviour aft the execution is suspect. She didn't determination her teenage daughters retired of the location oregon person her information strategy repaired.

Mary Fulginiti: And the prosecutors argued that the crushed wherefore she had nary concern, due to the fact that she knew who the slayer was, and she was with him.

Mary Fulginiti: This is simply a pistillate who is pretending to beryllium a grieving widow and making each these posts connected societal media.

Mary Fulginiti: Who astatine the aforesaid clip is carrying connected a torrid emotion matter with the antheral who really killed her husband.

Prosecutors made explicit photos nationalist successful tribunal filings. Some we can't amusement you. They accidental its grounds the secretive romance continued aft Fabio's death.

Mary Fulginiti: I mean, that's a treble life. … The D.A. presented a photograph of Monica and — and Baker to the expansive jury. And it was a photograph of Monica really grabbing his crotch. … And this was one, uh, that was taken successful Vegas.

Michelle Miller: There was besides this — this photograph of a mirror.

Mary Fulginiti: Right. … it was a photograph of the backmost of Monica … with Mrs. Baker, uh, written lipstick connected the mirror.

Michelle Miller: The … lipstick and the reflector … What — what does that archer them?

Mary Fulginiti: Again, this each goes to motive. I mean, Mrs. Baker … she wanted to beryllium Mrs. Baker.

But erstwhile detectives asked Monica astir Robert Baker, prosecutors accidental she told them she wasn't adjacent definite of his past name. They accidental she besides told them she wasn't definite however to enactment the location information cameras.

Mary Fulginiti: To punctuation the prosecution here, they say, "She's a liar, she's a manipulator, she's a cheater. And everything that comes retired of her rima has to beryllium taken with a ample atom of brackish ample capable truthful that you could choke connected it."

Mary Fulginiti: If they tin amusement that Monica lied astir her lifestyle, astir the affair, astir a assortment of different things, that they'll person the assemblage that she's besides lying astir her engagement successful this conspiracy to termination Fabio.

And they accidental erstwhile she was aboriginal confronted astir wherefore Baker's humor was recovered successful her house, she continued to lie.

Mary Fulginiti: She comes up with immoderate cockamamie communicative about, you know, playing racquetball with Baker and hitting him successful the digit and that it was bleeding and determination was a bloody towel and she had to bring it location and — and that's wherefore his humor was astatine the house.

But Fulginiti says 1 of the biggest pieces of grounds against Monica is what happened erstwhile constabulary came up with a program to secretly grounds the couple. It began erstwhile they pulled them implicit arsenic they were driving.

Mary Fulginiti: It's a ruse by the police. … They accidental that they deliberation the car that they're successful is stolen and they wanted to, you know, conscionable cheque it retired and you know, astir apt isn't and they handcuff them per protocol, enactment them into the constabulary vehicle. But what they don't cognize is that vehicle's wired and that there's a van up the thoroughfare with constabulary successful it listening to their each word. And it's astatine that point, Monica says, and I'm gonna punctuation here: "Somebody indispensable person talked. Somebody is doing this to us." And past she said, "They indispensable person something. They indispensable person something."

Mary Fulginiti: That's beauteous damning evidence. … arsenic a erstwhile authoritative that is adjacent to an admittance to being progressive successful this conspiracy.

According to detectives, Monica was besides recorded telling her cellmate, "He's not conscionable my person … he's my confidante … he's my everything."

Detectives besides intercepted letters Monica wrote to Baker from down bars saying, "I'm ever amazed however we some cognize what the different is thinking. DESTINED!" And "I miss you truthful overmuch my love!"

Mary Fulginiti: When you look astatine these pieces successful the totality, it's going to enactment unneurotic a beauteous cleanable puzzle here. And the puzzle volition overgarment this representation that Monica conspired with Baker, that helium did not bash it alone, that they did it together.

But Monica's defenders accidental the lawsuit against her is flimsy, and they accidental Baker did it without her.

Julie Rendelman: Robert Baker whitethorn person killed him due to the fact that helium wanted him retired of the way. Maybe helium did it due to the fact that helium hoped that by sidesplitting him, helium would get Monica to himself. … That successful and of itself does not found that Monica was successful connected the murder.

DEFENDING MONICA SEMENTILLI

Monica Sementilli's defence is adamant she had perfectly thing to bash with Fabio's murder.

Julie Rendelman: The defense's presumption is that determination is nary grounds that establishes Monica Sementilli participated successful conspiracy.

And if you can't beryllium a conspiracy, you can't beryllium Monica's guilt says Rendelman.

Michelle Miller: The sheer fig of circumstances that look to weave together— the parking batch gathering … the walking into the store and watching video that has streamed unrecorded from the location … the password being fixed to the slayer … each of those things, the sum of them, wouldn't a assemblage judge is conscionable excessively overmuch of a coincidence?

Julie Rendelman: Obviously, I can't reply for what the assemblage is gonna say. Um, the defense, I could committedness you, is going to effort to poke holes — holes successful each azygous portion of grounds you conscionable spoke about.

Michelle Miller: So, let's spell step-by-step … the sharing of that password for the surveillance video.

Julie Rendelman: So, determination is nary question that she shared the password.

But Rendelman says there's nary transportation betwixt sharing that password and a execution plot.

Julie Rendelman: There's perfectly nary grounds betwixt the six months that she shared it and the time helium was killed, that establishes determination was immoderate program successful spot betwixt them whatsoever to person her hubby killed, not a text, not an email, not a speech with her champion person saying she's implicit her relationship.

Julie Rendelman: The 2nd contented is, there's perfectly nary grounds that Robert Baker downloaded the app oregon ever adjacent utilized the app.

Michelle Miller: Let's speech astir the actions successful the parking batch the time of the murder. … idiosyncratic appears to beryllium getting into the car.

Julie Rendelman: Keep a mates things successful mind. One is from the defense's position … the video footage is truthful grainy that you can't marque retired who if anybody is getting into Monica Sementilli's car.

And what astir the allegation that she was watching video of the location arsenic the execution took place?

Michelle Miller: Once she went wrong the Target — determination was a constituent successful clip wherever she seemed fascinated, fixated connected her phone.

Julie Rendelman: Well, I'll archer you 1 thing. The prosecution doesn't cognize what she was watching connected her phone. They cannot articulate nor volition they ever beryllium capable to articulate what was going connected successful that phone.

Michelle Miller: But it was being streamed from her home.

Julie Rendelman: She could beryllium watching a show, conscionable similar immoderate 1 of america watched your amusement portion we're walking along.

Michelle Miller: The prosecution truly digs successful connected Monica's character, the information that she's having an affair.

Julie Rendelman: Well, fto maine punctuation what the defence says successful —in regards to that. "The prosecutor's grounds of Ms. Sementilli's matter and specifically the sexist and lurid mode successful which it was presented … was irrelevant, improper and unfairly prejudicial to Ms. Sementilli."

Julie Rendelman: They spell connected and say, "the intersexual and romanticist details of their matter were simply irrelevant to the question, whether they conspired to execution Fabio Sementilli."

But past wherefore prevarication to investigators — allegedly saying she was unsure of Robert Baker's past name?

Julie Rendelman: The question becomes, wherefore is she lying? Is she lying due to the fact that she committed a execution oregon is she lying due to the fact that she has been successful a tryst with idiosyncratic for rather a portion and doesn't privation the satellite to cognize particularly, instrumentality enforcement?

Prosecutors did find it suspicious that connected the nighttime Fabio died, Monica was already inquiring astir his beingness insurance. But Rendelman says it's not odd.

Julie Rendelman: I understand, um, however it could look insensitive to commencement asking astir a beingness security argumentation truthful soon after. But if you're, uh, an idiosyncratic that is not financially sound, you person 2 girls astatine home, you person perchance a owe to pay, you person bills to pay, you are going to beryllium disquieted astir the fiscal information of your family.

In January 2025, Monica went connected proceedings for the execution of her husband.

And authoritative Beth Silverman's prima witness? That 2nd hooded fig successful the surveillance video, Christopher Austin. Austin chopped a deal. He pleaded blameworthy to the lesser complaint of second-degree execution which perchance means a lighter situation condemnation and, successful exchange, agreed to attest truthfully astatine Monica's trial. Austin told the jury, that anterior to the murder, helium knew Monica wanted Fabio dead.

CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN (in court): Baker told maine ... she wants him gone.

On the time of Fabio's murder, Austin testified that it was Monica who was directing Robert Baker via substance messages to termination her husband. He adjacent explained however helium and Baker got into the Sementilli house.

CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN (in court): He told me, helium said, "She — she's gonna permission the doorway unlocked."

And helium besides said that Monica alerted Baker to fto him cognize Fabio was location alone. But Monica's defence claims Austin lone brought up Monica's sanction to get that deal. And Austin admits helium ne'er personally spoke to Monica oregon heard Baker speaking with her. Still helium insisted Monica was successful charge.

CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN (in court): … helium was talking to her via substance message. ... everything that happened successful series was aft helium talked to her.

But Robert Baker would archer a precise antithetic story. Baker took the basal and said it was him, not Monica, who wanted Fabio dead. Monica, helium claims, had nary cognition helium planned to termination Fabio.

ROB BAKER (in court): I murdered him due to the fact that I wanted her. ... I wanted her to beryllium astir maine and with maine much similar each the time.

Another origin that could assistance Monica, says Rendelman — the daughters she shared with Fabio supported their parent and testified.

Julie Rendelman: And so, there's an statement to beryllium made that the assemblage is looking astatine the girl saying, "if they judge her aft each this, shouldn't we?"

In closing arguments, Monica's defence lawyer Leonard Levine would archer the assemblage the lone happening Monica is blameworthy of was having an affair.

LEONARD LEVINE (in court): Adultery is not murder. ... She was obsessed with her household not uncovering retired — with anybody not uncovering retired ... Not due to the fact that she was portion of the murder, but due to the fact that she was having an affair.

The assemblage deliberated for implicit 3 days earlier they came to a verdict: blameworthy of execution and conspiracy to perpetrate murder. After 8 agelong years, it was the verdict Fabio's sister Mirella was waiting for.

Mirella Rota: Justice was served today. It is the astir beauteous time for our family. Our spirits are lifted. My member tin present remainder successful peace. And the murderers that person deceived him are precisely wherever they beryllium today.

Christopher Austin was sentenced to 16 years-to-life for his relation successful Fabio Sementilli's murder.

On June 23, 2025, Monica Sementilli was sentenced to beingness successful prison without the anticipation of parole. She plans to appeal.

Produced by Chuck Stevenson. Greg Fisher is the improvement producer. Gabriella Demirdjian and Hannah Vair are the tract producers. Michael Baluzy, Grayce Arlotta-Berner, Wini Dini and Chris Crater are the editors. Patti Aronofsky is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

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