GUILTY CA - Fabio Sementilli, 49, renowned hairdresser, murdered in LA, 23 Jan 2017 *Arrests, 1 guilty*

[Niner]

Tuesday, April 8th:
*Trial continues (Day 42)-Closing Argument (Defense) & VERDICT WATCH! (@ 9am PT) – CA – Fabio Sementilli (49) (Jan. 23, 2017, Los Angeles) – *Monica Sonia Crescentini Sementilli (45/now 53) (wife) arrested (8/18/17), indicted (8/31/17), charged (8/18/17) & arraigned (8/31/17) with capital murder with special circumstances of murder for financial gain & conspiracy to commit murder. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will not seek DP. LA County
Jury Selection began on 1/21/25 & ended 1/22/25. No info on jurors. Juror #2 was replaced by an alternate on 3/19/25. Juror #2 [new one] was replaced by an alternate on 3/20/25.
Trial began on 1/24/25 & on 3/12/25 Prosecutors rested their case. Defense began their case on 3/12/25 & rested their case on 4/2/25. Closing arguments began on 4/3/25 with State. Dark on Fridays (sometimes).
Trial: 38 days of testimony with 44 state & 13 defense witnesses.
Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen. Deputy DA Beth Silverman, Ryan Heath Erlich, Dep. DA, Melissa Hannah Opper, Dep. DA, & Heather Joy Steggel, Dep. DA.. Defense attorneys Leonard Levine & Blair Bernholz Berk.
Court hearings from 6/5/18 thru 1/28/25 & Jury Selection Days 1-2 (1/21-1/22/25) & Trial Day 1-40 (1/24 & 1/29-4/4/25) reference post #845 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...a-23-jan-2017-arrests-1-guilty.327994/page-43
4/7/25 Monday, Trial Day 41: Closing statements by Deputy DA Beth Silverman continued & by Defense attorney Leonard Levine & Levine will continue tomorrow. Trial continues on Tuesday, 4/8/25 & hopefully with jury deliberations.
*Christopher Austin (38/now 39) – Plead guilty on 1/17/25. Sentencing hearing on 4/30/25.
*Robert Louis Baker (55/now 62) (wife’s BF) plead no contest/guilty on 7/7/23 & sentenced to life without parole.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"She's the one who destroyed so many lives and their entire family. No one else did that, there's no one else to blame," Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said.

"They destroyed evidence, they deleted evidence, they tried to hide the planning behavior... so that they could have this new future together," she said in closing arguments Monday.

Monica's defense attorney pounded home that Monica is guilty only of having an affair.

"For that she is responsible and will live with that for the rest of her life," said Leonard Levine, Monica's attorney. "But adultery is not murder."

Murder trial nears end for woman accused of plotting to kill prominent LA hair stylist

Prosecutors have wrapped up their closing arguments in the murder conspiracy trial surrounding the death of a celebrity hair stylist in Woodland Hills.

abc7.com

 

[seekingjustice**]

Geez I hope Levine hurries up and gets his closing over and done with. I'm wondering what was he getting at when he seemed to imply that Fabio had lied about having a colonoscopy, I thought perhaps he was trying to tarnish Fabio's character so the Jury wouldn't see him as quite so perfect. I know he doesn't have much too work with but to actually suggest to the Jury that Baker threatened Monica to write Mrs Baker on the mirror, was beyond desperate imo.

 

[Luna20]

View attachment 577318View attachment 577317View attachment 577314

View attachment 577319 MOO, after all Prosecution's wonderful visuals, we now just get a bald spot.

View attachment 577315

LAPD officer told Austin, "If you wanna get out of here, you have to get the b itch." Jurors have sat through 9 wks. of evidence and testimony. Levine says there's no way Fabio is sitting in that chair and didn't fight back, so without Austin being there holding Fabio down... so that didn't happen without Austin. Levine's point, easily getting lost in this chatty discourse, is that Austin's plea deal sentence then is a result of saying Monica was involved. Says Baker had something that enabled him to convince & talk people into things, but without Austin he couldn't have pulled off the murder.

The important visual Levine wants to show Jurors. Austin has to give the State truthful & valuable info if he wants a plea deal. Implying now that Austin wasn't truthful including Monica in the planning. ​

View attachment 577320

Oh she made this face again yesterday?? She toned it down for a few days and now it’s back. She can’t help herself, she thinks no one realizes that it’s fake.

 

[seekingjustice**]

Oh she made this face again yesterday?? She toned it down for a few days and now it’s back. She can’t help herself, she thinks no one realizes that it’s fake.

I agree, she thinks she's manipulating the Jury like she's been able to manipulate people all her life.

 

[Curious Me]

Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 10:03 a.m.
Defense Attorney Leonard Levine
Closing Argument Continues


Levine just said the F word several times.

Levine is still trying to sell the angle that Austin got the deal of the century, and lied implicating Monica being involved when defense says she wasn't. She was just having the affair.
​

LIVE: Love Affair Murder Trial
CA v. Monica Sementilli — Closing Arguments

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[Curious Me]

Defense Levine's Closing Argument


. .

 

[Curious Me]

This is Levine's defense argument. He needs to prove Austin lied and lied to get that deal. Why would they be there hours before Fabio? They were there at 3:00, not 6-7:00. They're there for three hours waiting for him to show up. It didn't happen. Why is Baker there so early if Monica is directing it?​

Levine argues-- Those messages were not deleted, the opposite of what the Prosecution is telling you. Monica didn't delete them because to her they were not incriminating.​

Why didn't Monica let know then that Gessica had left the house then and told him Fabio was alone at the house. No messages at this time from Monica saying the coast was clear. Why? Why? Why is what Levine keeps asking.


At 4:35 Fabio is searching on his internet, so he must still be alive. So, what are Austin & Baker doing from 4:18? Levine argues that it makes no sense for them to wait that long if Monica is involved. For some reason, this is a big ah-ha to Levine, but didn't make much of an impact with me.

Monica's sad B resting face.

 

[Curious Me]

Watching on the Law & Crime channel, and please know sharing my observations in my own words.

Levine's Defense is that Monica didn't try to control when Bella arrived at the home. He thinks Monica could've delayed Bella, gone to Starbucks with her or something, but in my mind Monica didn't want to be with Bella when she found her father dead. Why, why, more whys as the defense.

In Levine's way of thinking, to switch how it's seen-- Right in the middle of the murder, Monica was on the phone with Bella, so that proves she wasn't controlling the events. Baker was the one that knew Monica was at Target,... MOO, yeah, sure, they had met there right before the murder. Monica was watching the murder go down from her phone.​

MOO, Defense has very weak arguments and exhibits are not really supporting his arguments.

Levine says that Prosecution wants you to believe Monica was involved. Well, yeah, that's the whole point of this trial. ​

 

[Curious Me]

What's going on in Levine's Closing Arguments in my own words.

Defense Levine is losing me. He's all over the place and everything he brings up is a reminder of Prosecution's points. This is something to do with when Monica is in NY and texts only Baker that she might get the life insurance money.​

MOO here-- Levine's Closing Arguments are making no sense to me now. He's going over how Baker not seeing Monica on the holidays came to the conclusion he had to kill Fabio. Trying to keep Monica out of being involved. Making excuses for Monica's actions of involvement.

Defense is going no where now, and is just appealing to the Jurors' sympathy and empathy for Monica. Eight years Monica has suffered and he says she's innocent. Appealing to the Jury to excuse her of involvement of having Fabio killed.

Levine finally ends his Closing! The Judge states it's Lunch Recess until 1:30.​

 

[TwinkieDefense]

Below classic line courtesy of @Curious Me -

Levine says that Prosecution wants you to believe Monica was involved. Well, yeah, that's the whole point of this trial.

(I like your write ups. Thanks)

 

[Curious Me]

Other Prosecution Attorney

What I'm getting out of this Rebuttal Closing Statement by Prosecution in my own words. This was not just an affair. Baker didn't have so much control over Monica, she did what she damn well pleased. She wasn't happy just having an affair... SHE WANTED TO BE MRS. BAKER. Even after she finds out Baker killed Fabio, even after she's arrested and in jail, she keeps writing MRS. BAKER over and over. That's what the end goal was,(and the money to make it possible). She didn't care what her daughters thought, even when Fabio was out of town, before the murder of their father, Monica went out one night partying and brought Baker home to sleep in her bed. She was still married to Fabio and brings her lover into the home, where the daughters were seeing her outright betrayal of their father.​

This Prosecutor goes really fast!

MOO, it's odd, it seems like neither side likes or respects Obad's role in this case. Comments on online sites show a strong dislike of Obad and her testimony.

Back to the failed attempt at the Pho Restaurant.​

 

[Curious Me]

This part is useless to me because I can't her or make out hardly a thing. Listening to some Jail House Tapes between Monica and Robert Baker, but I'm not able to make out what's being said. Monica is whispering. There's a lot of muffled whispering and some breathless utterances of lust & love. Monica definitely says she loves Baker, the man who killed her husband, so it's hard to think that wasn't what she wanted.​

. .

 

[Curious Me]

Here for Justice for Fabio Sementilli

By The Associated Press / Published Jan 25, 2017

Fabio Sementilli, an internationally known Toronto hairdresser, killed in Los Angeles, police say. The 49-year-old was found beaten and stabbed on the patio of a home in the upscale Woodland Hills neighborhood. Sementilli died at the scene.​

Fabio Sementilli, an internationally known Toronto hairdresser, killed in Los Angeles, police say

The 49-year-old was found beaten and stabbed on the patio of a home in the upscale Woodland Hills neighbourhood. Sementilli died at the scene

nationalpost.com

 

[Curious Me]

Closing Statements are done.
Jury Instructions tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Then, Jurors deliberate and reach a Verdict.
MOO, it'll be fast and Justice will be swift.

 

[cujenn81]

This part is useless to me because I can't her or make out hardly a thing. Listening to some Jail House Tapes between Monica and Robert Baker, but I'm not able to make out what's being said. Monica is whispering. There's a lot of muffled whispering and some breathless utterances of lust & love. Monica definitely says she loves Baker, the man who killed her husband, so it's hard to think that wasn't what she wanted.​

View attachment 577675
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View attachment 577677View attachment 577678View attachment 577682. . View attachment 577685

Thank you for all of your screen shots and synopses! They are very helpful!

 

[Kavya01]

Just finished watching the day's events. I thought Mr. Levine worked very hard with what little bits of weak snippets he could lift out of the quaqmire of evidence against his client, and then try and magnify those snippets. Sadly he just conveniently ignored important, detrimental-to-his-client, proven facts -- one glaring example, for me: Burner phones! All the times Mr. Levine kept insisting "See, they weren't in contact here at all for an hour so this proves Monica was not involved", completely ignoring that we all have been told many times over the weeks about the burner phones that are in evidence, that they used to communicate with during those times instead.

So, all in all, to me his closing read rather desperate and weak. He did give it a good go though, he modulated, and tried to be forceful and convincing, and I feel he will not be able to be accused easily of having been"inefficient counsel" on any appeal. He just had not much to work with. His ending with how this poor woman had waited in prison for eight years to finally be cleared of these horrific charges, read sooooooooooooooooo ridiculously fake that it was cringy, honestly.

Rebuttal was short and brutal, and to end with the defendant and Baker's own words was brilliant, IMO. In those snippets of overhears at the end Monica was heard lamenting about how police had found her burner phone , and how scared she was they might have found more evidence that she and Baker were not aware of yet, among other things. the most damning words out of her own mouth were played there. It'll be tough for a jury to ignore , I am thinking!

Looking forward to hearing Judge Coen's instructions tomorrow, and then it's off to the races!

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, April 9th:
*Trial continues (Day 43)- VERDICT WATCH! (@ 9am PT) – CA – Fabio Sementilli (49) (Jan. 23, 2017, Los Angeles) – *Monica Sonia Crescentini Sementilli (45/now 53) (wife) arrested (8/18/17), indicted (8/31/17), charged (8/18/17) & arraigned (8/31/17) with capital murder with special circumstances of murder for financial gain & conspiracy to commit murder. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will not seek DP. LA County
Jury Selection began on 1/21/25 & ended 1/22/25. No info on jurors. Juror #2 was replaced by an alternate on 3/19/25. Juror #2 [new one] was replaced by an alternate on 3/20/25.
Trial began on 1/24/25 & on 3/12/25 Prosecutors rested their case. Defense began their case on 3/12/25 & rested their case on 4/2/25. Closing arguments began on 4/3/25 with State. Dark on Fridays (sometimes).
Trial: 38 days of testimony with 44 state & 13 defense witnesses.
Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen. Deputy DA Beth Silverman, Ryan Heath Erlich, Dep. DA, Melissa Hannah Opper, Dep. DA, & Heather Joy Steggel, Dep. DA.. Defense attorneys Leonard Levine & Blair Bernholz Berk.
Court hearings from 6/5/18 thru 1/28/25 & Jury Selection Days 1-2 (1/21-1/22/25) & Trial Day 1-41 (1/24 & 1/29-4/7/25) reference post #881 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...a-23-jan-2017-arrests-1-guilty.327994/page-45
4/8/25 Tuesday, Trial Day 42: Closing statements continued by Defense attorney Leonard Levine. Rebuttal closing statement by prosecutor [not Silverman] did not catch name. Jury instructions tomorrow at 9am. Trial continues on Wednesday, 4/9/25 with jury deliberations.
*Christopher Austin (38/now 39) – Plead guilty on 1/17/25. Sentencing hearing on 4/30/25.
*Robert Louis Baker (55/now 62) (wife’s BF) plead no contest/guilty on 7/7/23 & sentenced to life without parole.

 

[Kavya01]

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Live in about 90 mins

 

[Kavya01]

Judge Coen has started his instructions.