HS stabbing caught on video: Male, 15, uses knife against fellow student, 16; adult walks past fight, appears to take photo



A 15-year-old student stabbed another student, 16, during a fight inside a Washington, D.C.-area high school Wednesday — and cellphone video of the fight caught an adult walking past the altercation while appearing to take a photo of it.

The fight started around 9:40 a.m. between three students at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County, authorities told WJLA-TV.

'Why would a teacher just stare and then walk off?'

Cellphone video shows a student wearing a red T-shirt repeatedly punching a student wearing a black T-shirt, who's curled up and lying on the floor by a wall in a hallway.

The video shows a third student with a dark backpack attempting to intervene, but the student wearing the red T-shirt begins punching him as well and backing him up to another wall.

With that, video shows the student wearing the black T-shirt getting up, approaching the student wearing the red T-shirt, and apparently using a knife to stab him.

A separate, blurred clip in the video shows what WTTG-TV described as a male on the ground "surrounded by a pool of blood." A separate still image as part of the overall video shows the student wearing the black T-shirt holding a knife.

The 16-year-old was rushed to the hospital with injuries described as life-threatening, WJLA said, but Fairfax County Police hours later said the severity of the student's injuries were downgraded to stable.

The 15-year-old suspect, a male, was taken into custody and is being charged with malicious wounding, WTTG said, adding that officials said the suspect and victim know each other.

The third student, also 15, wasn't hurt and is not expected to be charged, although he was questioned, reports stated.

The knife used in the stabbing was found, and an investigation is ongoing, police told WJLA.

What about the adult seen in the video?

In a separate story, WJLA-TV reported that cellphone video of the fight appeared to show an adult walking by during the altercation without intervening.

"There was a teacher there when they were fighting, but he just walked off,” a sophomore told the station. “Why would a teacher just stare and then walk off?”

What's more, the station said the adult appeared to snap a photo of the altercation before walking away. WJLA said it wasn't clear if the adult eventually went to get help.

"There was a kid on the floor getting beaten,” Shelly Arnoldi, whose daughter is a senior at the school, told the station. “I know he didn't know the severity, but it's impossible to imagine that's OK."

Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, told WJLA in regard to the adult seen in the video that "it's never acceptable to walk by behavior that is dangerous. What I will say is this whole situation is currently under investigation. We'll be reviewing all the video, both the school video and law enforcement investigative details, and we'll take any appropriate actions as necessary.”

You can view a video report here about the stabbing and its aftermath.

Weapons detectors installed

A day after the stabbing, weapons detectors were installed at West Potomac High School, the station said.

WJLA said a pilot security program had been in place with several district schools being part of a gradual rollout, but officials said the stabbing accelerated the timeline for West Potomac.

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The Left Rallies Around Its New O.J. Simpson

This debate has the contours of one waged decades ago over the O.J. Simpson trial

Thug asks DoorDash driver for cash, then suddenly stabs him in face, chest — and steals his car, heads to strip club: Report



A male in north Texas reportedly was asking a DoorDash driver for money late last month when the male suddenly and repeatedly stabbed the driver in the face and chest. But that wasn't all.

Soon the suspect reportedly stole the DoorDash driver's vehicle — and then took it for a joyride to a local strip club before police arrested him.

'I learned that night you’ve got to be very careful about who you’re willing to help out because sometimes they will take advantage of that good nature.'

Jackson Oltmanns told KDFW-TV he was waiting on a to-go order at a Waffle House off West Rendon Crowley Road in Fort Worth when he said someone knocked on his car window asking for money.

With that, the 28-year-old told the station he decided to order the man some food and was "acting out of my good nature and just trying to be nice."

But Oltmanns added to KDFW that "literally the second I open my door to step out, he just starts stabbing me."

The station said the male — later identified by the Fort Worth Police Department as Quindarius Cartwright — swiped at Oltmanns nearly a dozen times.

Cartwright cut Oltmanns on his face and chest, KDFW said, adding that the victim was able to fight off the suspect.

Then the suspect reportedly stole Oltmanns' car — and took it for a joyride to a strip club in north Fort Worth before police arrested him, the station said.

"[I] genuinely thought I was going to die, it was so much blood," Oltmanns added to KDFW. "I walked in Waffle House, and they were freaking out. I mean, I’m sure it’s probably a traumatic thing for anyone to watch. Most of the stab wounds, like to the body, weren’t really too bad; it was just when he stabbed me in the face that it was ... really bad."

What's more, Oltmanns told the station he recently purchased his 2024 Toyota Camry and is working several jobs, including DoorDash.

His new car has seen better days.

"He definitely hit something pretty good, and it’s messed up the wheel," Oltmanns lamented in regard to his vehicle. "I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked for money by homeless people or just people out on the streets, and typically, [I] just to want to do a good thing for them, but I learned that night you’ve got to be very careful about who you’re willing to help out because sometimes they will take advantage of that good nature."

Cartwright was charged with aggravated robbery and remained in jail Wednesday afternoon on a $150,000 bond.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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White liberals: Stop using 'racism' to excuse black crime



This is not the column I wanted to write. It’s not a column I ever thought I’d be writing.

Today I’m a conservative, recovering from decades of being a brainwashed Democrat who bought every lie about social justice.

Try looking up the crime rates in the US for the black population. You’ll find them, as I linked above. But you’ll find that they’re always couched in terms of harm to blacks.

But for most of my adult life, I believed in all the things liberals are supposed to believe in: that everyone not male, straight, and white was being oppressed, that black men were being killed by the thousands every year by cops, that conservatives wanted homosexuals imprisoned or killed, and on and on.

Waking up to reality

I disclose all that to let readers know that liberals can actually wake up to reality. The reality I’ve woken up to is that America is, just as leftists claim, a racist country.

But the racism is not against black people. It’s racism against white people by black people, with the tearful support of millions of white liberals.

There’s no better example of this decades-long reality than the public reaction to the killing of white 17-year-old high school student Austin Metcalf. From what we can gather from conflicting media reports, Metcalf was at a track meet when he allegedly confronted black teen Karmelo Anthony to tell Anthony that he was sitting in the wrong spot. Anthony allegedly responded by pulling out a knife and plunging it into Metcalf’s heart, killing him.

According to police at the scene, Karmelo Anthony admitted what he’d done, then immediately asked cops if he what he did qualified as self-defense. It looks like he was already plotting how to turn his allegedly murderous act around and blame the boy he killed so that he, Anthony, could be perceived as a victim.

Blood money

It’s working. Within days of the killing, Karmelo Anthony’s family has set up online fundraisers portraying Anthony as the victim of “racism” who was merely defending himself against an “attack” by the victim. There is no evidence beyond the claims of the family and random online commenters that Austin Metcalf did anything close to “attacking” Anthony.

As of the time of this writing, the Anthony family has raised almost $170,000. First, the family was kicked off the fundraising platform GoFundMe, which did not want to host this effort. But on the original fundraiser, the family wrote the usual platitudes of “he was a good boy” who didn’t do anything.

“And yet despite everything, the media is trying to destroy Karmelo’s name,” the family wrote. Their son was a “respectful well-mannered young man” who “defended himself against violent aggressors.”

There’s a Facebook group too called “Justice for Karmelo Anthony who is a victim of white supremacy.”

The 'white supremacist' slur

It’s perfectly fine in 2025 America to call a teen boy who was killed a “white supremacist” and to call his alleged killer the real victim. It’s so tiresome to have to repeat this, but repeat it I must: Everyone knows that if the races were reversed, black people would be rioting in the streets.

And because everyone knows that, white people who know better keep their heads down and say nothing. Or they temper their criticism until it’s so mild that no one takes it seriously.

White people are unwilling to defend themselves. In a sense, can you blame them? Look what happened to subway hero Daniel Penny; it’s a miracle the jury didn’t send him to jail for life for defending train riders against the unstable and violent Jordan Neely.

The accountability cure

America, black culture has a serious problem. It didn’t always, not in exactly this way, but it does now. The culture is brazenly and proudly violent. Drugs, promiscuity, and fatherlessness are not only tolerated but praised and bragged about. Since the 1960s, the civil rights era, it has become socially and often legally taboo to hold black Americans to the same standard of decency and civilized behavior that we hold white people to.

It’s everywhere. Academic journals claim with a straight face that qualities such as punctuality, accuracy, and objective standards are part of “white supremacy culture.” According to the Stanford Social Innovation Review:

According to Okun and Jones, white supremacy culture at an organizational level is apparent in: the belief that traditional standards and values are objective and unbiased; the emphasis on a sense of urgency and quantity over quality, which can be summarized by the phrase ‘the ends justify the means’; perfectionism that leaves little room for mistakes; and binary thinking. These values, established over time as history and fact, have been used to create the narrative of white supremacy that underpins professionalism today, playing out in the hiring, firing, and day-to-day management of workplaces around the world.

FBI statistics show that despite being only 13% of the population, black Americans account for more than half of all murders every year. The “disproportionate” amount of violent crime of all types by blacks is well documented.

'Systemic' deception

The problem isn’t just black people providing cover for the segment of their population that goes violent. Far more numerous are the white liberals who coddle it and who try to position themselves as social justice saviors by excusing all bad or criminal behavior by blacks and blaming it on “systemic racism” and other misdeeds by white people.

Try looking up the crime rates in the U.S. for the black population. You’ll find them, as I linked above. But you’ll find that they’re always couched in terms of harm to blacks. Blacks are never discussed as responsible for their violence, even when the stats show that black people are committing murders. For liberal whites, blacks can only ever be victims, even when blacks hurt or kill whites.

It's a dire, society-wide form of Stockholm syndrome.

'Christian' masochism

I’m afraid we have to talk about the reaction of the slain boy’s father, too. Yes, this will make some readers angry. Some will claim his reaction is just what “good Christians” do, though an equal number of Christians disagree. Others will say it’s out of bounds to “criticize” a man in grief.

It must be done anyway. Like all decent people, my heart aches for Jeff Metcalf, whose son Austin was killed. But Mr. Metcalf’s reaction when talking to a reporter provides a window into the cult-like mindset of self-hatred and apology toward aggressors that white people in modern America exhibit.

During an interview the day after his son was killed, Mr. Metcalf went out of his way to show “compassion” for his son’s killer. He said he had instantly “forgiven him.”

Mr. Metcalf even used the gentlest, softest language, describing Karmelo Anthony as “the other child” who just “made a bad choice” that will “affect him for the rest of his life.”

Meanwhile, Austin Metcalf lies dead with a dagger buried in his heart.

This is not just normal Christian forgiveness, and it’s not out of bounds to remark on it. We must talk about this, because this is deadly serious business.

Drawing a line

I was a junior in high school in 1990. In those days, virulent racism had, really and truly, pretty much gone away. My friends were black, white, and Hispanic. We got along, and when we didn’t and gave each other a ribbing — yes, including insulting each other humorously with racial and other stereotypes — we laughed it off. We didn’t knife each other.

That world was real. We have gone so far in the other direction that it’s been open season on white people for decades while white people apologize for being abused.

This has to stop. And the way to stop is by telling the truth. Refuse to be silenced for fear of being called “racist.” Draw the line. Really, what do you have left to lose?

Fatal Stabbing Suspect’s Family Fundraises $277K Off Of ‘Self-Defense’ Claims

None of the evidence released so far indicates that Metcalf attempted to use illegal force against Anthony.

Austin Metcalf’s death sparks outrage — and opportunism



The death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, is every parent’s nightmare. The circumstances make the loss even more devastating. Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School, was stabbed in the chest by another teen, Karmelo Anthony, after a brief argument.

Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, was reportedly sitting under the tent reserved for Memorial High. A witness told police that Metcalf asked Anthony to move. When Anthony refused, Metcalf reportedly grabbed him. At that point, according to the witness, Anthony pulled out a knife, stabbed Metcalf once in the chest, and fled the scene.

The people pushing identity politics are long on hubris and short on wisdom.

Police later arrested Anthony and charged him with first-degree murder. His bail was set at $1 million.

Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, held him during his final moments, making the situation even more tragic.

As often happens — especially online — the story of Austin Metcalf’s death quickly shifted from a tragedy about a young life lost and a grieving family to a debate about race.

Metcalf was white. The accused, Karmelo Anthony, is black. Social media users, particularly on X, widely claimed that the case would have drawn national headlines and sparked protests if their races were reversed.

But the facts don’t support claims of media silence. NBC News, ABC News, and Fox News all covered the incident.

Still, accusations of selective coverage illustrate a broader frustration with “outrage inequity” — the notion that moral outrage and condemnation often hinge on the racial identities of both the victim and the accused. The primary indication of this phenomenon is the uneven application of moral indignation and condemnation based on particular victim-perpetrator color combinations.

Critics argue that progressives frequently engage in this pattern, particularly when racially motivated hate crimes make headlines.

In 2022, for example, Payton Gendron drove three hours to a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where he fatally shot 10 black people. That attack allowed liberal commentators to reinforce a familiar narrative: White violence against black Americans stems from “whiteness” and “white supremacy.”

Progressives often cite slavery, Jim Crow-era lynchings, and even verbal altercations between people of different races as proof of a persistent hatred embedded in white identity.

Rise of the ‘woke right’

A growing number of conservatives use incidents like Austin Metcalf’s killing to support their preferred narratives. They see Karmelo Anthony’s actions as a reflection of a much broader pathology among blacks and cite violent crime statistics to prove their point.

Some attribute these outcomes to culture, specifically the breakdown of the nuclear family and fatherlessness. Others believe the dysfunction is a matter of blood and bone, citing lower IQ scores and genetics as the main culprit.

The increasing prevalence of this rhetoric among conservatives is a microcosm of a much bigger phenomenon: the rise of the race-conscious right. Some people use “woke right” to describe this ascendant ideology, but the specific terminology is less important than the reality it describes.

The political left is notorious for making everything about race. Any incident that involves a white person doing something negative to a black person is strained through a racial prism. Police shootings and incarceration statistics are the clearest examples. Disparities in education outcomes and household income are another.

The left’s overarching narrative is that black people in America face unique obstacles because our institutions are infected with anti-black racism. No amount of evidence to the contrary moves them from that position.

Conservatives historically responded to this narrative by promoting “colorblindness,” treating people as individuals, cautioning blacks to resist self-pity, and encouraging them to embrace personal responsibility. In fact, the right regularly chastises liberals for painting police with a broad brush based on the actions of a few “bad apples.” Their message was always clear and consistent: Don’t engage in hasty judgments or sweeping generalizations that tempt you into seeing entire groups as villains or yourself as a victim.

Animus without evidence

That is no longer the case, and the parallels between the race-obsessed left and right are becoming increasingly clear.

One is assuming racial animus is at play — often without sufficient evidence — when you feel attacked by public institutions. For instance, activists on the left saw George Floyd as the living embodiment of the historical oppression black men have faced in America at the hands of racist police. That idea persists to this day, even though prosecutors stated there was no evidence Derek Chauvin’s actions were racially motivated.

The right’s rhetoric during much of Daniel Penny’s criminal trial made it clear that for some, he was the embodiment of the current persecution of white males in American society. It wasn’t just that Penny was being punished for standing up to a mentally ill homeless man. They believed that Penny was being prosecuted because the black District Attorney Alvin Bragg was bent on weaponizing the justice system against a straight white male in New York City.

Another example of conservative race-consciousness is the tendency to individualize in-group misdeeds while collectivizing the sins of out-groups. This explains why conservative commentators would never think to insert a racial descriptor when discussing teachers who have sex with students, even though it feels like every week brings another incident involving white women engaging in inappropriate conduct with teens.

Likewise, for all their time spent fighting against trans ideology, influencers on the right don’t make a habit of describing its most vocal proponents in racial terms. White abusers and perverts only have to answer for their own behavior, while black people who misbehave in public are seen as representatives of a larger group.

Both sides also make a habit of turning isolated tragedies into existential crises. Progressive pundits stoking the flames of race explain why a black man living in Brooklyn comes to feel “white supremacists” are the real threat to his life even though every shooter in his neighborhood shares his complexion. Likewise, conservatives who live in all-white neighborhoods repost old videos of black criminals halfway across the country with captions claiming their children are under attack.

From Robin DiAngelo to David Duke

Even the quick expressions of forgiveness from Austin Metcalf’s father were ridiculed by some conservatives online. This mirrors the frustration black commentators expressed after family members of Dylann Roof’s victims forgave him two days after he shot nine black churchgoers at a church in South Carolina.

One of the worst parts about the rise in right-wing race consciousness is that it was completely predictable. Progressives spent years arguing that white people are the cause of all the country’s problems. Pundits who love to lecture conservatives about embracing Ibram X. Kendi-style “antiracism” regularly said the vilest things on TV about white people. Over the past few decades, the left went from fighting against racism to publicly waging war against “whiteness.”

The fact that most of the people running the institutions — from universities to Fortune 500 companies — are white doesn’t lessen the damage. Only a complete fool would think you can demonize the largest ethnic group in your country without some type of blowback.

Unfortunately, the people pushing identity politics are long on hubris and short on wisdom. Not only do they reduce Americans down to their immutable traits, but they also create the perfect breeding ground for extremist views. Simply put, when you “sow” Robin DiAngelo, you will “reap” David Duke. This is not unique to white people. Rejection of moderation almost always leads to radicalism.

It’s not entirely clear where we go from here as a nation, but I wish both liberals and conservatives alike would turn down the racial rhetoric. This is one reason Austin Metcalf’s father pleaded with people not to make his son’s death about race or politics. Through his grief, he intuitively understands that seeing victims of crime as pieces to be moved around a cultural chessboard is a sign of a sick society that places a higher value on political narratives than on preserving life. This applies equally to the left and right.

Murder is wrong because every person is made in the image of God. It shouldn’t be hard for pundits on either side of the aisle to say.

The stabbing in Frisco was a tragedy everyone saw coming



A high school student fatally stabbed another student last week during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, not far from where I teach. The story gained national attention when details emerged: the alleged killer is a black delinquent, and the victim, Austin Metcalf, was a white all-star athlete, top student, and professed Christian. Initial reports indicate the conflict began when the suspect sat in the wrong area, although new information suggests he may have been rummaging through other people’s belongings.

This tragedy has reignited tough conversations about racial violence among youth, school security, and the role of discipline. Yet raising these issues often prompts accusations of racism rather than honest discussion.

In this case, as in so many others before, district administrators will continue with the same disciplinary policies that failed to prevent the violence.

In response, proposed solutions once again focus on broad, institution-wide measures — calls for increased security and metal detectors at track meets — rather than targeted discipline. This mirrors the post-9/11 approach, when the newly formed TSA frisked elderly women for bombs rather than focus on military-age Middle Eastern or South Asian men.

None of this should be controversial. Schools have a basic duty to keep students safe. At a minimum, institutions should remove students with a history of rule-breaking, harassment, or lack of self-control — especially if they display a pattern. That’s not exclusion; it’s responsible stewardship of public safety.

This only becomes controversial because, as most people know, the great majority of students who fall into this category are black males. For whatever reason (lack of fathers, rap culture, the soft bigotry of low expectations, etc.), young black men are far more likely to exhibit aggressive, antisocial behavior that is incompatible with a safe environment. To be clear, this is no preliminary judgment against black people. It’s simply the outcome of enforcing one standard of conduct for everyone.

Prejudice ... or protection?

Enforcing consistent discipline should not be seen as targeting, but as a necessary step to ensure safety and fairness. If a student’s behavioral record indicates a higher risk of disruption or violence, schools should take appropriate precautions, especially during events with large crowds such as assemblies, athletic competitions, or pep rallies.

Unfortunately, common-sense safety measures are often mistaken for prejudice. But bias involves acting on assumptions without evidence. When schools act on documented behavioral patterns — not stereotypes — they’re not discriminating; they’re fulfilling their duty to protect students and staff.

By contrast, society often treats certain groups differently under far less justification. For example, young white males are sometimes portrayed in media and politics as inherently dangerous or extremist, even when statistical evidence does not support such claims. That kind of unfair generalization undermines trust and distracts from real issues in school discipline and public safety.

Unfortunately, such precautions are confused with prejudice. Yet to qualify as prejudice, a policy needs to be based on a biased assumption, not extensive data.

This kind of prejudice often targets young white men. Despite minimal evidence supporting the claim that they are more prone to radicalization or violence, popular shows like “Adolescence” promote this view. Many on the political left continue to promote the lie that white supremacy among young white males represents a widespread threat.

Schools must take student misconduct seriously and intervene early — especially when patterns of aggression or rule-breaking emerge.

Missed warning signs

Based on my experience working in education, I have seen many similar cases in which students with cases of misbehavior were not disciplined and know where it leads.

Despite warning signs, young men with behavior problems are allowed to remain in class, play football, and attend track meets. Administrators, coaches, and teachers may hesitate to discipline them out of fear of being accused of racism. That kind of reluctance enables escalation. In this case, it may have allowed the student to bring a knife to the track meet, rifle through bags, and start fights without fearing the consequences.

It’s hard not to wonder how different things might have been had someone intervened earlier. A timely response to the accused’s possible first offenses might have steered him toward accountability — or, if necessary, removed him from settings where he posed a risk.

At the very least, staff should have monitored him more closely on the day of the incident. Instead, he was left unsupervised, and a promising young student lost his life. The community is now left to mourn a tragedy that might possibly have been prevented.

To be clear, this is not about race. Many have argued that schools should take steps to intervene with students who fit the behavioral profile often associated with school shooters. If a student shows signs of suicidal ideation, acts suspiciously, and has a documented history of serious mental illness, he should receive intervention — and if necessary, be removed from the campus to ensure safety for others.

Instead, many mentally disturbed white school shooters and hyped-up black wannabe thugs are neglected and could go off at any moment. In this case, as in so many others before, the district will likely respond by spending millions on added security, legal counsel, and public relations efforts. But administrators will continue with the same disciplinary policies that may have failed to prevent the violence.

Emerging alternatives

That might frustrate families who understand this death could have been avoided — and who know that many underlying problems still haven’t been addressed. Yet most have no alternative but to send their children back to the same schools, hoping for change that never comes.

That may no longer be the case. With new alternatives emerging — such as charter schools and the potential expansion of Education Savings Accounts — families concerned about safety and discipline in the Frisco Independent School District may have more options. FISD has long been seen as one of the top public school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but clearly the district has a problem with safety and discipline.

District leaders should feel urgency to address these problems directly. Failure to act will risk greater reputational damage and an accelerating decline in enrollment — which is already under way.

Something needs to change. Not only for the safety of students and staff who deserve better support and protection, but also for the memory of those who paid the price for a system too cowardly to act for fear of being tarred as biased and bigoted.

How a Hollywood hairstylist's murder by wife's ex-porn star lover revealed secrets, lust, and desire for life insurance payday



More than eight years have passed since a popular Hollywood hairstylist was stabbed to death on the patio of his home in an affluent San Fernando Valley neighborhood outside Los Angeles, California.

Now a high-profile murder trial has opened — and it has revealed secrets, lust, and a desire for a huge life insurance payday, all stemming from a deadly love triangle.

'Deny everything and don’t talk.'

Celebrity hairstylist Fabio Sementilli, 49, was found bleeding to death on the patio of his Woodland Hills home on Jan. 23, 2017. His 16-year-old daughter Isabella called 911 while trying in vain to save her father.

Sementilli suffered seven sharp force wounds to his face, jawline, chest, neck, arm, and thigh — and his wounds proved fatal.

Initially, police believed the stabbing death was connected to burglars who had committed a string of home thefts in the San Fernando Valley. The bedroom of Sementilli's home was ransacked, and his Porsche was stolen. The vehicle was found abandoned two days after his murder about five miles from the crime scene.

However, detectives noted that the alleged burglars didn't steal the Hollywood hairstylist's $8,000 Rolex watch — it was still on his wrist.

A neighbor's security camera also captured video of two hooded figures running near Sementilli's house around the time of the slaying.

In addition, on the day Fabio Sementilli was murdered, a neighbor's security camera caught his 52-year-old wife, Monica Sementilli, driving her black Ford F-150 pickup truck. Prosecutors said she drove to a Target retail store, and video appeared to show an individual getting into her truck in the parking lot.

Prosecutors accused Monica Sementilli of making a trip to Target to establish her alibi, according to CBS News.

Another man emerges

Detectives discovered that Monica Sementilli had a close relationship with Robert Louis Baker — a former porn star and convicted sex offender.

The pair reportedly met at the West Hills L.A. Fitness, where Baker was a racquetball coach.

Police said Monica Sementilli and Baker were seen together in cars, bars, a comedy club, and on two trips to Las Vegas, as well as an excursion to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

LAPD detectives hatched a plan to secretly listen to Monica and Baker from a van parked near the home she previously shared with her late husband.

With that, police pulled over the pair when Baker was driving Monica's black Ford Mustang GT on June 14, 2017 — less than six months after the murder. Officers allegedly told the couple that the car they were in might have been stolen. Monica and Baker were handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a police cruiser.

But little did the pair know that cops had wired the police vehicle to record their conversation.

Monica was recorded telling Baker, "Somebody must have talked. Somebody is doing this to us."

She also reportedly told him, “Deny everything and don’t talk.”

'Prosecutors have argued that Monica Sementilli "was the mastermind" of the plot to kill her husband, a Canadian hairstylist and executive of the German hair-care giant, Wella.'

The pair was arrested and taken to the LAPD Van Nuys Station for questioning.

On the day of her arrest, a detective told Monica that Baker's blood was found inside her home.

She allegedly said she "cracked" Baker on the finger with a racquet and he bled all over a racquetball court. Monica added that she gave him a towel and then brought that bloody towel home with her.

Investigators allegedly found DNA belonging to Baker at the crime scene. What's more, his DNA already was in a police database because he was a registered sex offender after being convicted for lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in 1993.

According to prosecutors, Baker cut his left index finger when he killed Fabio.

The Los Angeles Times reported, "In more than 50 days of trial, prosecutors have argued that Monica Sementilli 'was the mastermind' of the plot to kill her husband, a Canadian hairstylist and executive of the German hair-care giant, Wella. Her goal was to pocket $1.6 million in life insurance and avoid the complications of getting a divorce, prosecutors allege."

Prosecutors also pointed out that Monica Sementilli upgraded the security camera system at her home six months before Fabio's brutal murder — but the upgrade allegedly allowed her to remotely access her surveillance cameras from her cell phone.

Prosecutors accused her of forwarding the security camera system's log-in credentials and user manual to Baker on the same day of the upgrade.

At the time Fabio Sementilli was killed, phone records reportedly showed Monica Sementilli's iPhone was connected to her home's IP address and that the phone was consuming a large amount of data consistent with streaming live video.

Prosecutors allege that she was watching live video from her home security cameras.

According to the indictment, detectives discovered thousands of phone calls and text messages exchanged between Monica and the ex-porn star.

During a grand jury hearing in August 2017, friends of Monica Sementilli and Baker testified that they went out on double dates and saw affectionate behavior between the pair.

Baker also allegedly admitted to buying burner phones — one of which was in Monica’s purse when she was arrested in her Ford Mustang GT.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman spotlighted that Monica Sementilli actually used the burner phone during her late husband's funeral proceedings in his hometown of Toronto, Canada.

Baker also allegedly admitted that Monica Sementilli sent him naked photos of herself with her wedding ring still on her finger shortly after her husband's murder.

“Everyone grieves differently,” Baker proclaimed.

At the conclusion of the grand jury hearing, Monica Sementilli and Baker both were indicted for murder and conspiracy, and they both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Fabio Sementilli.

However, Baker on July 7, 2023, changed his plea in connection with the hairstylist's murder from not guilty to no contest.

Baker was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

An alleged accomplice surfaces

Police determined that Christopher Austin, a parole officer in Oregon, was Baker's accomplice in killing Fabio.

Detectives said Baker transferred money between two of his bank accounts for Austin. Baker also bought an airline ticket for Austin to travel from Anchorage, Alaska, to Los Angeles before the slaying, according to the police.

Austin was arrested in October 2024 and then convicted of second-degree murder in connection with his role in the killing.

He is scheduled for sentencing next month and is facing up to 16 years in prison.

Austin said he and Baker had been to Sementilli's house before and knew the layout — and Austin also told the jury that Baker revealed to him a crucial piece of information.

He said Baker "told me ... she is gonna leave the door unlocked," and Austin allegedly testified that he opened the patio door and grabbed Fabio Sementilli by the mouth to muffle any screams while Baker repeatedly stabbed him.

In addition, Austin reportedly told the jury that the hairstylist’s widow “wanted him dead” so she could collect the life insurance payout and avoid a messy divorce.

But Baker testified at Monica Sementilli's trial last week that she had nothing to do with her husband's murder.

“I murdered him because I wanted her,” Baker told jurors in a Los Angeles courtroom. "She had nothing to do with it."

You can view video here of Baker explaining in court why he killed Fabio Sementilli.

Monica Sementilli’s attorney, Blair Berk, said during opening statements that there was no evidence that her client plotted to kill Fabio Sementilli.

"There is no statement, no text, no recorded phone call,” Berk said, adding that Monica Sementilli was “duped into believing that Robert Baker” didn’t do it.

Despite Baker being in prison, the pair reportedly continued to communicate via three-way calls using a third-party number.

"Baker acknowledged that in one secret message sent to him in prison, Monica Sementilli asked him to send her something personal of his," the Los Angeles Times reported. "Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies later seized a toothpaste tube that contained Baker’s semen, and prosecutors say he intended to have it delivered to the defendant."

Monica Sementilli, through her attorneys, has maintained her claim that she had no part in her husband's death.

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Suspect accused of stabbing man amid parking dispute broke 'The Untouchables' rule — and painfully paid for his error



Readers of Blaze News no doubt are familiar with the legendary adage from the late 1980s flick "The Untouchables" — in short, one never should bring a knife to a gunfight.

However, folks never seem to learn, as we've seen time and time again.

'No other charges were filed at this time — just against the suspect [who] stabbed the victim.'

Well, yet another guy broke the late Sean Connery's rule — this time in Reading, Pennsylvania. And he paid for his mistake in more ways than one.

Indeed, police accused a suspect of stabbing a man amid a parking dispute last Wednesday, but it turns out the stabbing victim had a gun.

"I heard the sirens and then went on Fire Alerts of Berks County, and I saw there was a stabbing, and then I read it, and there was a shooting," Chad Borden, who bartends at Jack's Pub, told WFMZ-TV. "And I thought, 'Oh, OK, it's a little close.'"

See, Jack's Pub is located in the 1500 block of North 10th Street in Reading, which isn't too far from where the argument took place, the station said.

"When we arrived there, we did in fact locate a ... victim with one stab wound," Reading Police Patrol Captain Aaron Demko told WFMZ. "Throughout the investigation, he indicated that he had shot the person [who] attacked him."

Demko added to the station that officers found the other person involved in the altercation at Reading Hospital.

That individual was identified as 32-year-old Jerry Santos, WFMZ reported, adding that police said Santos suffered a gunshot wound to the leg.

What's more, Santos was charged in the wake of the altercation, the station said.

"The suspect [Santos] ... has been charged currently," Demko told WFMZ. "No other charges were filed at this time — just against the suspect [who] stabbed the victim."

Authorities added to the station that Santos was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault and related offenses.

Anything else?

Borden told WFMZ that he grew up in — and still lives in — the area and that parking always has been a problem, particularly later in the day and at night.

"More people," he acknowledged to the station. "Everybody has three cars to one house now. There's nowhere to park, especially with the street cleaning. Everybody's got to move their cars, and then there ain't no parking for here."

Demko noted to WFMZ that police have been "actively and constantly addressing the parking issues in the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year. The parking authority also is working around the clock to also address those issues. So we deal with them as they come."

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The Worst Mayor In America Mourns Deranged Lunatic’s Death
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The Worst Mayor In America Mourns Deranged Lunatic’s Death

'There’s no good place to be chased by a knife-wielding maniac. But you especially don’t want to be chased by a knife-wielding maniac in Boston.'