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Man charged with conspiracy to murder Woodland Hills hairdresser Fabio Sementilli in 2017

Man charged with conspiracy to murder Woodland Hills hairdresser Fabio Sementilli in 2017

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A third suspect recently arrested and charged with murder in the 2017 stabbing death of a prominent hairstylist at her Woodland Hills home pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a newly added conspiracy charge.

The conspiracy report alleges that Christopher Austin, 38, conspired with Monica Sementilli and Robert Louis Baker to kill Sementilli’s husband, Fabio.

Austin appeared in court Wednesday and is now formally charged with conspiracy in addition to his earlier murder charge. He remained free for nearly seven years but was arrested in Washington state earlier this month and extradited to California.

In 2017, famous hairdresser and beauty industry executive Fabio Sementilli was stabbed to death on the porch of his home in Woodland Hills.

Los Angeles police later arrested Sementilli’s wife, Monica, and her boyfriend, Robert Baker. They were charged with first-degree murder.

Prosecutors allege Austin claimed he was present the day of the murder when Baker received a call from Monica saying Fabio was home alone and the coast was clear.

The prosecutor alleges that Austin was at the scene of the murder and participated in the stabbing.

Austin says Baker told him Monica Sementilli wanted her husband dead for the insurance money.

All this refutes Monica Sementilli’s claim that she was not involved in the murder and knew nothing about it.

Baker decided to plead no contest to all charges related to the murder. Following Baker’s sentencing, Monica Sementilli’s lawyer reiterated that she was not involved in this incident.

“We are confident that Robert Baker’s guilty plea and true testimony will finally establish conclusively that Monica Sementilli had nothing to do with the planning or murder of her husband, Fabio Sementilli,” said attorney Leonard Levine.

Monica Sementilli is in prison. His trial was postponed due to a number of legal issues, but the trial is scheduled to begin later this year.

Austin’s next hearing is on December 2. At this time, the judge will set a date for the preliminary hearing. He will remain in jail for now.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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