She had the mansion, the luxury cars, the kind of life most people only dream about. Her husband adored her, provided everything she could ever want. >> My family comes first. >> But behind the designer handbags and the Beverly Hills smile, she was hiding a secret. And that secret would end a man's life and destroy everything she ever built. This is the story of Monica Sementantelli, a case of love, betrayal, and lies that rocked the beauty industry and stunned Los Angeles. Monica Sementantilli was living what looked like a dream. Her husband Fabio Sementantelli wasn't just any man. He was a top executive at Wella, a global name in beauty and hair care. Handsome, charismatic, and deeply respected in his field. He loved his wife. He showered her with gifts, took her on trips, and built her a life of comfort. Friends said Fabio's world revolved around his family, especially Monica. But while Fabio was building his empire, Monica was building something else, a secret life, a life that included another man. His name was Robert Baker, a former race car driver. Charming, confident, and bold. He met Monica through social circles, and before long, they became lovers, text messages, secret rendevous, hotel meetings. The affair wasn't just physical. It was emotional, intoxicating, and dangerous. What started as passion soon turned into planning because Monica didn't just want the thrill of the affair. She wanted a new life entirely. And for that to happen, Fabio had to be gone. The pair began crafting what they thought was a flawless plan. Robert would do the dirty work while Monica made sure her hands looked clean. They studied Fabio's routines when he worked, when he was home alone, when the security cameras weren't rolling. They wanted to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. And in January of 2017, their plan was set in motion. Fabio stayed home that day, relaxing by the pool of his upscale Woodland Hills mansion. Moments later, everything changed. When his 16-year-old daughter came home from school, she walked into a nightmare. She found her father's body, only feet from the pool he loved so much. That moment would haunt her forever. When police arrived, a scene looked like a robbery at first glance, but something didn't add up. Fabio's expensive cars and jewelry were untouched. Nothing valuable was taken. Monica told police she'd been out running errands and that she had no idea what happened. She played the grieving widow, emotional, heartbroken, believable, but security footage from nearby homes didn't match Monica's version of events. As detectives dug deeper, they found digital traces, text messages, call logs, and a web of communication between Monica and Robert Baker. Detectives started digging deeper and what they found cracked her story wide open. Phone records, email accounts, and social media reveals dozens of messages between Monica and Robert Baker. Some were romantic, others hinted at jealousy, money, and even freedom to be together. The couple had also discussed Fabio's $1.6 million life insurance policy, a payout Monica stood to collect if her husband died. That became the motive prosecutors were waiting for. When confronted, Monica denied everything. She cried, claimed the messages were taken out of context. Then she changed her story again and again each time she lied. Detectives found new evidence that tore her version apart. And soon the web of lies led straight to Robert Baker, her secret lover. When police searched Baker's home, they found physical evidence linking him to the crime, including DNA evidence, phone data, and surveillance footage tied him directly to the scene. And when police arrested him, the story started to unravel completely. At first, he stayed silent. Then, he shocked everyone. Robert Baker pleaded no contest to the crime, accepting a life without parole sentence in 2023. wishes to plead guilty uh to all charges and meant all allegations and special circumstances. Is this correct? That is correct. >> In court, he claimed he acted alone, that he ended Fabio's life because he wanted Monica for himself. But prosecutors never believed that story. They said Baker was protecting her, that the affair wasn't just about passion, but greed. Years later, it was Monica's turn to face justice. Her trial began in early 2025, and the world was watching. In court, Monica arrived polished, dressed in designer suits, calm, collected, composed. At times, she was caught smiling. You'd never guess she was facing a life sentence. Her defense told jurors she was a victim, a woman manipulated by an obsessed lover who acted without her knowledge. But prosecutors told a much darker story, one of lies, deceit, and cold calculation. They presented phone logs and text messages. And when they brought Christopher Austin into that courtroom, Monica's confidence shattered. This was someone who had been inside the plan. Someone who knew every secret, every late night conversation, every promise, and his testimony would expose Monica in ways she never imagined. Austin made a deal with the state. He pleaded no contest to seconddegree involvement in the case in exchange for his testimony against Monica. And when he took the stand, the courtroom changed. He made it clear that Monica wasn't just involved, she was the driving force. According to Austin, the motive was twofold. There was a $1.6 million life insurance policy on Fabio Cementelli, and Monica wanted both the payout and the freedom to continue her affair with Baker without the man who had given her everything standing in the way. Austin testified that Baker told him Monica would leave the front door open on the day of the attack so they could quietly get inside. >> He said she's going to go to the store and he's going to be home alone. >> That's what he told you? >> That's what he told me. Now, Baker told you as you're headed up there, as you testified, that the front door is going to be unlocked. >> He said the front door should be open. >> Should be open, >> meaning unlocked. >> Did he tell you how he knew that? >> He told me he said she she's going to leave the door unlocked. >> When you got And when you said she, did you did he tell you who she was? >> The defendant. When you got to the front door, was it unlocked? >> It was indeed unlocked. >> That single detail, the open door, tied Monica directly to the setup. It showed that she didn't just know about what was coming. She helped make it possible. Then came the most chilling part of his story. The moment the plan turned into action. Austin explained that the two of them drove to the Seement Tilly home after Baker received a text message, one that seemed to come directly from Monica, signaling it was time to move. When they entered the home, Fabio was sitting by the pool, unaware that his life was seconds away from changing forever. Austin said Baker rushed him, covering his mouth during the struggle, while Austin held the victim from behind. He admitted to delivering one blow during the violent struggle while Baker carried out the rest. >> Baker had covered his mouth and started stabbing him. I covered his eyes and I stabbed him once. >> Did Baker say anything during all of this? >> No. >> And did you see where Baker was stabbing him? Um, he just started in like the mid area and everything. I closed my eyes after a lot of >> I closed my eyes after he started stabbing him after I stabbed him once and then I pulled the knife out and then he started running toward the house. >> So you recalling that you stabbed him one time. Where was that at? On his body >> and um on the neck. >> Was he still seated in the chair? >> Yes. Did he ever get up from the chair that you recall um while this was going on? >> No. >> Austin told the jury that Baker said Monica wanted Fabio gone, that she wanted to start fresh with the insurance money and the man she was secretly seeing. He even revealed that he was paid in gold coins for his role and promised a portion of the insurance payout once everything was over. Did you talk to him before you laughed about what you were thinking or feeling about what had just happened? >> Um, I did. I told him, "I can't believe we had you had me do that. I'm never going to see you again." Said, and then he was like, "You're good. Like, you're still a good person." I was like, "I'm not a good person." But then he said, "Um, come on." And then he said, he's like, "Don't worry about it. She wanted him dead. It's done. Don't worry about it. You're still a good person. And I He couldn't convince me that I was. >> Did he give you anything at this time? >> Yeah. He He stuffed the roll of coins in my pocket and said, "Take this." He said, "This should be worth about 10,000." >> When you say coins, what kind of coins? >> They were gold coins. Austin's calm, detailed description of that afternoon gripped everyone in the courtroom. And when he spoke about how Monica had allegedly orchestrated the plan from the very beginning, coordinating every move, the cameras turned toward her. For the first time during the entire trial, Monica Cementili broke down. Tears streamed down her face as Austin spoke. The confident smile she had worn through weeks of testimony gone. Her shoulders dropped, her hands shook, and she stared straight ahead, realizing in that moment that she wasn't going home. After all the lies, the calm composure, the expensive outfits, and the show of innocence, the truth had finally caught up. Austin's account, combined with the digital evidence, the messages, and the insurance motive, was the final blow to Monica's defense. It proved not just that she benefited from the plan, but that she helped create it. And in the eyes of the jury, that made her the mastermind behind the entire tragedy. Jurors saw through the act. They saw the patterns, the manipulation, the planning, the motive. After weeks of testimony, the jury returned with a guilty verdict. In case number BA452-975 02, we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Monica Simontelli guilty of the crime of murder in violation of penal code section 187A a felony as charged in count one of the indictment. We further find the murder to be of the first degree. We further find the allegation that the murder of Fabio Simantelli was intentional and carried out by the defendant Monica Simementelli for financial gain within the meaning of penal code section 1 190.2A1 to be true. We further find the allegation that the defendant Monica Santelli intentionally killed the victim by means of lying and weight within the meaning of penal code section 190.2A15. In the same case, title and cause, we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Monica Santelli guilty of the crime of conspiracy to commit murder. Dated April 11th, 2025. Juror number 10. Four person. Monica was convicted of orchestrating her husband's death. The woman who once had it all, the mansion, the cars, the luxury, now faced a life behind bars. On June 23rd, 2025, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. When the sentence was read, Monica showed little emotion, no tears, no apologies, just a blank stare into the distance. >> 2 A sub1 190.2 sub A sub 15. We sent the court as follows. probation denies for the reasons I have stated is sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law which is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole as to count two violation section 182 sub A1 conspiracy commitment murder defendant sentence to state prison for the term prescribed by law which in that case is 25 years to life the sentence in count two is stayed pursuant to section 654 said stated become permanent upon the successful completion of the sentence in count Friends of Fabio wept in court. His family spoke about the pain of betrayal. Not just losing him, but discovering the person responsible was the one he trusted most. Fabio's legacy lives on through the people he inspired in his industry through his kindness and through those who continued to speak his name with respect. >> All right. And now it'll go backwards. You're saying? >> Yeah. >> Oh my god. than anything. This is awesome. >> As for Monica, her name will forever be tied to one thing, the perfect life that she destroyed with her own lies. Because in the end, you can lie to the world, but the truth always shows up in court. Some say she was the mastermind. Others say she was manipulated. What do you think? Was justice really served in the Monica Cementelli case, or did the wrong person take the fall? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe for more real courtroom stories. [Music] >> Thanks, baby. Stupid. We all have. We all have. You know, there I love you. Listen to that. Don't take any deals. Don't we have no defense without each other and you need to be as much as I need you. How does it look be writing to you after they told me they found your DNA? >> Did you read the part about what's >> you know a lot of mixed feelings out there, you know, but that's the old life. >> Yeah. >> Time for a new one. >> Yeah. My nose with my baby.