Kriti Mehrotra
It was on January 23, 2017, that the entire state of California was left baffled to the core as renowned celebrity hairdresser Fabio Sementilli was found stabbed to death on his back porch. His killing was initially characterized as a robbery gone wrong, yet it soon came to light that he had actually been targeted. It was his wife of nearly 20 years, Monica Sementilli, and her lover, Robert Baker, who had conspired to remove him from the picture to benefit personally and financially. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Widow of Woodland Hills’ and ABC’s ’20/20: Sex, Knives, and Videotape’ provide a comprehensive exploration of the case while also featuring interviews with those related to the case, such as authorities as well as the family and friends of Fabio and Monica Sementilli.
Robert Louis Baker And Monica Sementilli Wanted To Start a Life Together
While it’s true that Robert Louis Baker is a convicted sex offender and former porn star, he was reportedly leading a much different life when he first came across Monica Cresentini Sementilli. According to records, they met around 2015 at the West Hills Los Angeles Fitness Center, where the former was a racquetball coach, only for there to be an undeniable chemistry between them. Thus, the duo soon began an intimate, romantic relationship even though she was not only 10 years younger than him but also a married mother of three — stepson Luigi as well as daughters Jessica and Isabella.
Neither Robert nor Monica allegedly paid heed to their differences since they were happy in their affair. Yet, they were still relatively secretive about it because her husband, Fabio, had no idea. We say “relatively” because, as per official documents, one of her daughters had found the then mid-50-year-old in her mother’s bed on one occasion, and they also constantly stayed in touch. In fact, she reportedly not only shared hundreds of nude photos of herself with her boyfriend but also suggested they start using an encrypted app in the time leading up to January 2017.
Fabio allegedly had no idea that Monica was leading a double life, let alone possibly swinging with other couples after a few very candid and open conversations with her beau, Robert. According to the show, she was actually so happy with the latter and their situation that she eventually began referring to herself as “Mrs. Baker,” making it clear the new couple were truly thinking of a future together. However, as per records, divorce wasn’t an option for the middle-aged woman as she hailed from an Italian Catholic family and “liked to live” comfortably, resulting in a conspiracy to commit murder.
Robert Louis Baker Killed Fabio Sementilli For His Lover
According to records, Robert and Monica carefully planned to take Fabio’s life so as to be able to move forward with one another while also benefitting from his $1.6 million life insurance payout. Their initial plan was allegedly to have an acquaintance, a parole officer named Christopher Austin, jump the hairdresser near a store as he picked up dinner, yet it failed when he suddenly backed out. What ensued was the couple exchanging 69 encrypted messages in 2½ hours, as per court documents, during which the convicted criminal decided he would do the job on his own the next day.
Therefore, on the afternoon of January 23, 2017, Robert and Christopher arrived at the Sementillis’ home in the 5000 block of Queen Victoria Road and waited for Monica to leave before making a move. The mother of three left to go shopping to establish an alibi for herself while her lover and their acquaintance hoped to get Fabio alone, unaware it would happen as quickly as he sat on the back patio. That’s when, according to Christopher’s testimony, they attacked the Vice President of Education for Wella from behind with sharp knives in their hand.
As per Christopher’s statements, while Robert stabbed Fabio twice, he stabbed him once before they left him in a pool of blood and attempted to make the scene look like a robbery gone wrong. The duo then stole the victim’s 2008 black Porsche, only for the latter to abandon it at Califa Street four hours after the fact, unaware he had bled a little in it after accidentally cutting himself. It is this blood that led to his identification because his DNA was already in the system owing to his 1993 conviction for lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor, which further led to the revelation of Monica and Christopher’s hand in this horrific, senseless murder, too.
Robert Louis Baker is Currently Serving His Life Term Behind Bars
Robert and Monica were arrested in June 2017 and indicted on one count each of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, yet both of them soon pleaded not guilty to the same. They were subsequently held without bond, especially as investigations had uncovered they had been carefully planning Fabio’s demise for a while and were covering up their actions. According to reports, that’s why they had begun using an encrypted app to communicate. Reportedly, Monica even gave Robert directions to access her home surveillance system and remove its recordings.
In the end, on July 7, 2023, Robert pleaded no contest to the charges against him, along with the special circumstance allegations of murder for financial gain and murder while lying in wait. He was then immediately handed down a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, which he is actively serving without any appeal or further direct court proceedings to this day. We specify “direct” because he was called to testify in Monica’s 2025 trial, where he essentially indicated she had no hand in Fabio’s murder, but the evidence and Christopher suggested otherwise. Therefore, today, at the age of 62, Robert remains incarcerated at the medium-security Wasco State Prison in Kern County, California, where he is expected to spend the rest of his natural life.
Read More: Monica and Fabio Sementilli’s Kids: Where Are They Now?
