The Sementilli Family Tragedy: Where Are The Children Now After Their Father’s Murder?
The 2017 murder of celebrity hairstylist Fabio Sementilli shocked the beauty industry and tore apart his family. What initially appeared to be a home invasion revealed a conspiracy involving his wife, Monica, and her lover, Robert Baker.
On April 15, 2025, Monica was convicted of murder, concluding an eight-year legal battle. This article explores the impact of this tragedy on Fabio’s three children—Luigi, Gessica, and Isabella—who are trying to rebuild their lives and keep their father’s memory alive after suffering immense loss and trauma.
The Murder That Destroyed A Family
On Jan. 23, 2017, 16-year-old Isabella Sementilli discovered her father bleeding on their Woodland Hills patio. The 49-year-old Wella executive had suffered seven stab wounds. At first, police suspected a home intrusion gone wrong.
His Porsche was stolen — yet his $8,000 Rolex watch somehow stayed on his wrist. “The killers took the video recording system out of the house,” Detective Ryan Verna testified during Monica Sementilli’s trial. “This was difficult to find unless you knew where it was.”
Six months later, police arrested Monica Sementilli and her lover Robert Baker, — a former porn star and convicted sex offender. Later, Christopher Austin, who assisted in the stabbing, testified that Monica had masterminded the murder. “She wanted him gone,” Austin said, adding that Monica left doors unlocked so they could get in.
“Everything Baker did was after receiving text messages from her.” Prosecutors showed that the motive was apparent: Monica wanted Fabio’s $1.6 million life insurance policy and the freedom to be with Baker.
Eight years later, on April 11, 2025, Monica was convicted of murder and conspiracy. “Today is the day of healing,” Fabio’s sister Mirella told reporters after the verdict. “Justice was served. My brother can finally now rest in peace.”
Keeping His Father’s Memory Alive (Luigi Sementilli)
Despite living in Canada, Fabio’s son (Luigi Sementilli) from a previous relationship had been very close to his father. When he received news of the killing, he immediately flew to Los Angeles to be with family. During Monica’s trial, Luigi said his stepmother inquired about life insurance money just days after his father died.
That set off red flags for him long before police made arrests. “(She) appeared to be obsessed with living the good life,” Luigi said in court. “Her money questions came still planning the funeral.” Luigi is now the Director of Marketing at Huron Dental Group in St. Catharines, Ontario.
He worked hard, starting as a Marketing Coordinator and becoming an executive in four months. He launched his career after receiving a Master’s in Philosophy from Brock University. On special occasions, Luigi takes solace in putting on his father’s Rolex watch.
“He had it on when he died,” Luigi told ABC’s 20/20. “I put it on when I need to feel close to him. It’s one of my most important possessions.” It has been difficult, but Luigi has turned the pain into professional accomplishment while preserving his father’s memory.
Gessica Sementilli: Paving Her Way
Gessica Sementilli was 18 and babysitting when she learned her father had been murdered. As Monica and Fabio’s oldest daughter, she endured the singular trauma of losing both parents — one to murder, one to prison.
In her trial testimony, Gessica said she had found her mother in bed with Baker months before the murder, but she initially didn’t believe Monica was guilty. The guilty verdict was a second devastating blow to the then 25-year-old. However, it wasn’t easy, and Gessica has created a strong academic record.
Undergraduate Bachelor of Classical and Ancient Studies degree, UCLA (2021–2023)Masters in Archaeology and Classical Languages, San Francisco State University (Professionally, Gessica is the Regional Director — California, Nevada, and Hawaii — of WorldStrides, a California-based company that arranges student educational travel.
She has opted to remain out of the public eye as she creates her personhood apart from the family story. “She knows she’ll be able to keep both parents’ legacies alive,” a family friend said, “while forging her unique path in the world.”
Isabella Sementilli: The Daughter of a Man With an Evil Mind
No one felt the murder more viscerally than Isabella Sementilli. She was 16 years old when she found her father’s body on their patio, called 911, and tried in vain to save him. In the aftermath of the trauma and her mother’s arrest, Isabella retreated from the public eye. Initially, she stood by Monica, as her sister had.
After the guilty verdict, Isabella said, “Justice was served, though I’m not sure how anyone could be happy or celebrating.” Isabella lost both her parents in the worst way possible, but she followed her late father’s career path and found some solace.
She received her hairstyling license in 2020 — “literally the day before COVID lockdowns started” — and apprenticed with top Los Angeles stylists. Now 25, Isabella has built her brand, “Isabella Hair,” focusing on modern, sophisticated aesthetics. Clients may book her independently or find her at Mare Salon in West Hollywood.
“I’m going to redefine the Sementilli name,” Isabella wrote on social media. Her talent and dedication to the craft indicate she’s honoring her father’s legacy while carving her path toward the future he once envisioned within the beauty business he adored.
The Trial That Gave Closure For The First Time
The murder trial of Monica Sementilli lasted two and a half months and unearthed disturbing information about the plot to kill Fabio. Prosecutors presented hundreds of encrypted messages between Monica and Baker, including nude photos she sent over the weekend of her husband’s funeral.
Baker testified that he killed Fabio because “I wanted her for myself,” but insisted Monica was not involved. But his story crumbled under cross-examination when he could not account for his and Monica’s deletion of encrypted messages on the day of the murder. “They destroyed evidence so they could have this new future together,” the prosecutor, Beth Silverman, told jurors.
In exchange for his testimony, Christopher Austin received a reduced sentence of 16 years. He explained that the killing was not their first – they had planned to attack Fabio when Monica sent him out to collect takeout.
The jury convicted Monica of murder with special circumstances and conspiracy after deliberating for less than nine hours. The verdict results in life without parole, the same sentence Baker received. He is due to be sentenced on June 23.
“We’re very disappointed,” defense attorney Leonard Levine said. “We maintain our belief that Monica had no role in the murder of her husband, and we will pursue every available legal avenue that exists to secure her exoneration.”
Rebuilding Lives After the Tragedy
The three Sementilli siblings encountered their challenges in the aftermath of their father’s murder:
Luigi, who lived in Canada, would have to grieve from afar and deal with complex dynamics with his half-sisters when they first rallied behind their mother. Gessica, who went to college, struggled to balance her studies while grappling with the trauma of having lost both parents and of testifying in a high-profile trial.
Isabella, who was starting as a teen, not only found her father’s body but was later told her mother had orchestrated his death. Yet, each has discovered ways to move past these traumatic beginnings. Luigi is the marketing guy, Gessica is the education and travel manager, and Isabella is the one who follows in their father’s hairstyling footsteps.
Trauma loss family therapist Dr. Maria Winters explained: “Children who lose their parents to homicide have a complex grief that includes anger, and often betrayal and shame. When a parent kills the other parent, that trauma is multiplied as they lose both the parents at once.”
“Recovery,” Dr. Winters writes, “is often about finding meaning and purpose that honors the lost parent while constructing a separate identity.” It seems that the Sementilli children are doing just that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is Fabio Sementilli’s killer?
A: Robert Baker and Christopher Austin physically committed the stabbing attack, but Monica Sementilli was convicted of planning the murder as part of a conspiracy in pursuit of collected life insurance money and being with Baker.
Q: How old were Fabio Sementilli’s children when he was killed?
A: When Fabio was murdered in January 2017, Luigi was in graduate school, Gessica was 18, and Isabella was 16.
Q: Were Monica Sementilli’s children present at the trial?
A: In the beginning, both Gessica and Isabella supported their mother and thought she was innocent. They even took the stand on her behalf during the trial. After the verdict, Isabella said, “Justice was served.”
Q: Whatever happened to Robert Baker?
A: Robert Baker entered no contest pleas to murder charges and is currently serving life in prison with no chance of parole.
Q: What do Fabio’s kids do for a living?
A: Luigi is the marketing director for a dental group, and Gessica is the regional director of an educational travel company. Both are pursuing graduate studies. Isabella is a professional hairstylist like her father.
Final Words
The tale of Fabio Sementilli’s murder is more than just another grisly murder story. But behind the juicy details of betrayal, greed, and lust is the reality of three children who must rebuild their lives after the unimaginable loss.
Tragedy into purpose: Luigi, Gessica, and Isabella Sementilli each found their way forward. Their journeys serve as reminders that even in the aftermath of the most devastating family trauma, healing and growth are still possible.
As Monica’s conviction finally ends the legal case, the Sementilli children may be able to find some measure of closure. Their father’s legacy has continued—not just in Isabella’s decision to enter the same field as her father but also in the resilience that all three of the siblings have demonstrated in the wake of overwhelming sadness.
“My brother can sleep peacefully now,” Fabio’s sister said after the verdict. For his children, peace is a work in progress, still a day at a time, as they remember their father while forging futures that are indelibly their own.
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