A long, tragic chapter in the beauty industry finally closed on Friday when a Los Angeles jury found Monica Sementilli guilty of masterminding the 2017 murder of her husband, beloved industry educator and leader Fabio Sementilli.
Social media lit up with the hashtag #justiceforfabio as friends, colleagues, and other salon professionals fondly remembered the larger-than-life mentor they called "Big Daddy."
Monica Sementilli, now 53, was arrested five months after the couple's teenage daughter found Sementilli on Jan. 23, 2017, stabbed and beaten next to the swimming pool of his elegant L.A. home.
At that time, the Canadian-born Sementilli, 49, was Wella Professionals' Vice President of Education for North America.
Known for his generous and gregarious personality as well as his passion for his career, Sementilli had won numerous international hair competitions and prestigious industry awards prior to joining Wella in 2007.
He also was a global platform artist, had co-owned a salon with his sister Mirella, and worked as a stylist on Hollywood film sets.
Upon assuming his education executive position at Wella, Sementilli said that "our sole purpose and responsibility will be to serve our boss, the professional hairdresser."
Prosecutors said Sementilli's wife had plotted his murder with her lover, racquetball instructor Robert Baker, in order to collect a $1.6 million life insurance policy.
Baker was caught on surveillance camera with an accomplice, Christopher Austin, jogging toward the couple's house the day Sementilli was slain, then fleeing within the hour in Sementilli's Porsche.
Police found an unknown person's blood at the crime scene, which they traced back to Baker. While they had Baker under surveillance, they discovered his ongoing affair with Monica Sementilli and began investigating her as well.
Both initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but Baker in 2023 changed his plea to no contest — meaning he did not contest the charges and accepted the facts alleged by prosecutors, without admitting guilt. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Though Baker claimed Monica Sementilli was never involved in the crime, prosecutors built a convincing case against her.
Austin was convicted of second-degree murder in the killing. He would later become a star witness against Monica Sementilli, testifying he had never spoken to her directly but that Baker had said she wanted her husband "gone."
Austin testified that Monica Sementilli had kept Baker informed of her husband's comings and goings, and had left a door unlocked for them so they could enter the house the day of the murder.
On April 11, the jury deliberated for just under 8 hours to arrive at their verdict: guilty of murder in the first degree and guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.
Monica Sementilli sobbed as the verdict was read. She faces sentencing on June 23.
In a 2016 interview with American Salon, Sementilli spoke of his adoration for his large, extended family — both his literal family and his beauty industry family.
"What do I want to be remembered for?" he said at the time. "I want to be remembered for the relationships I've built. I want to be remembered for how I made people feel, in a positive light."
He said he hoped he would be remembered by the thousands of hairstylists he'd met during the course of his career. "I hope they remember that maybe I gave them a hand or maybe gave them a leg up, or gave them personal advice."