Well, that was the quickest update to a story, but it seems we finally have the answer to our question,
what is going on with the Rob Baker murder trial?
Robert Baker entered the no-contest plea to killing 49-year-old Fabio Sementilli during a hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Friday, July 7th. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He admitted that he killed celebrity hairdresser Fabio Sementilli on Jan. 23, 2017, leaving him in a pool of blood in what was initially thought to be a home-invasion robbery gone wrong. Prosecutors said investigators found Baker’s DNA at the crime scene.
Monica Sementilli, wife of the murder victim, who is thought to have planned the murder with her lover Rob Baker, will face trial in September.
Six months after the killing, Los Angeles police detectives arrested Baker, and the hair mogul’s wife, Monica Sementilli, revealing they had been in a relationship before the killing. Prosecutors alleged they killed the 49-year-old Canadian-born hair stylist as part of a plot to collect $1.6 million in life insurance.
At the Friday Rob Baker hearing, numerous members of Fabio’s family — who were wearing black T-shirts with the image of Fabio on them — read emotional victim’s impact statements before Baker was sentenced.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen sentenced Baker after hearing the family's statements.
“I know that won’t mend the hearts of anyone," he said. "I’m sorry.”
Many of the family members spoke about how losing Fabio destroyed their lives, including his mother’s.
Fabio’s sister, Loretta Picillo, remembered listening to her mother’s “blood-curling screams” when she was told her only son was murdered.
“My mom died whispering his name, Fabio,” she said.
Picillo said she was a "mess" since the death of her brother, who she described as a role model to her children and peers, charismatic, charming and big-hearted.
"He had it all," she said during her statement. "He changed lives for the thousands of hairstylists around the globe. He was such an inspiration."
Picillo said she is still haunted by how Fabio died, saying, "I wonder what his murderer said to him?"
"Baker treated him as he was nothing and left him to die on his own,” she said. “We are glad this monster will be locked up forever."
Fabio’s sister Mirella Sementilli told the judge that his death “destroyed who I was.” The brother and sister worked years together in the hair industry and traveled around the world together. "I am a shell of a person," she added.
Known as "Big Daddy" by his friends and family, Fabio was "at the top of his career" when he died.
Baker, Mirella said, “May have ended his life, but he did not take his honor.”
As we previously
reported, Robert Baker had an involvement in the adult film industry, having served as the “manager” for several porn stars, including the rising star Dee and Carmen Luvana.
His own foray into performing spanned from 1997 to 2000, during which he appeared in over 80 movies for esteemed production companies such as
Wicked Pictures, Vivid Video, Evil Angel, and others.
After leaving the adult film industry, Baker found employment in various low-paying jobs, including working as a racquetball coach. It was during this time that rumors circulated about his connection with Monica Sementilli, the wife of the murder victim, whom he reportedly met at the Woodland Hills LA Fitness, where he worked.
You can see the original felony complaint
here.
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