Stylist's Wife Will Be Exonerated In His Murder, Attorney Claims

WOODLAND HILLS, CA — The wife of a prominent hairdresser and her alleged lover pleaded not guilty Thursday to a capital murder charge stemming from the man's stabbing death at his Woodland Hills home.

Prosecutors allege Monica Sementilli, 45, and Robert Louis Baker, 55, were having an affair, then plotted and carried out the financially motivated killing of her 49-year-old husband, Fabio Sementilli.

The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegations of murder for financial gain and lying in wait. Prosecutors have yet to decide if they will seek the death penalty against the pair, who are being held without bail while awaiting their next appearance Aug. 7.

The victim was pronounced dead Jan. 23 by paramedics who responded to his home in the 5000 block of Queen Victoria Road about 5 p.m. and found the Canadian-born stylist in a pool of blood in an outdoor patio area.

Homicide detectives determined that Sementilli had been stabbed several times in the neck and upper body. The victim's black 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera, which had paper plates, was missing.

Prosecutors allege Sementilli was sitting on the patio when Baker broke into the home and attacked him with a knife. Baker then allegedly took the car and abandoned it several miles from the home.

Police said investigators believe Baker and Monica Sementilli had been having an affair for about a year and a half, and she stood to gain a sizeable benefit -- around $1.6 million -- from a life insurance policy on her husband.

Earlier this month, Sementilli's attorney, Leonard Levine, told reporters his client was not involved in her husband's killing.

"My client adamantly denies any involvement whatsoever in the murder of her husband, and we are hopeful that when all the facts come out she will be totally exonerated," he said.

Fabio Sementilli was an established hairdresser who served as vice president of education for Wella, the salon professional division of Procter and Gamble, according to Salon Thursday magazine.

City News Service: Photo: KTLA Screengrab