Man charged with conspiracy in 2017 killing of prominent hairdresser in Woodland Hills

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A third suspect who was recently arrested and charged with murder in the 2017 stabbing death of a prominent hairdresser at his Woodland Hills home pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a newly added count of conspiracy.

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

Austin was in court Wednesday and is now formally charged with conspiracy, in addition to a previous charge of murder. For nearly seven years, he was on the loose, but he was arrested earlier this month in Washington state and extradited to California.

In 2017, famed hairstylist and beauty industry executive Fabio Sementilli was stabbed to death on the patio of his Woodland Hills home.

Los Angeles police then arrested Sementilli's wife Monica and her lover Robert Baker. They were charged with first-degree murder.

Prosecutors allege that Austin is claiming that on the day of the murder, he was there when Baker got the call from Monica that Fabio was home alone and the coast was clear.

The DA alleges Austin was at the murder scene and took part in the stabbing.

Austin says that Baker mentioned that Monica Sementilli wanted her husband dead for the insurance money.

All of this undermines Monica Sementilli's claim that she wasn't involved and knew nothing about the murder.

Baker decided to plead no contest to all the charges relating to the murder. After Baker was sentenced, Monica Sementilli's attorney reiterated that she was not involved.

"We are confident that Robert Baker's guilty pleas and his truthful testimony will finally establish once and for all that Monica Sementilli had nothing to do with the planning or the murder of Fabio Sementilli, her husband," said attorney Leonard Levine.

Monica Sementilli is in jail. Her trial has been delayed by a number of legal issues, but it is scheduled to begin later this year.

The next court appearance for Austin is Dec. 2. Thats when the judge will set a date for a preliminary hearing. For now, he will remain in jail.

City News Service contributed to this report.