Monica Sementilli & Robert Louis Baker Pretrial Hearing 15

Fabio Sementilli Source: HairTalk.com

UPDATE 01-12: edited for grammar, spelling, Sprocket.
January 9, 2020
Happy New Year everyone.

Judge Coen's clerk opened the door to Dept. 101 around 8:25am. Not long after it opened the courtroom started filling with attorneys. There would be more than just the Sementilli/Baker hearing this morning. Out in the hallway Baker's attorney Michael Simmrin is chatting with another gentleman. Also waiting for Dept. 101 to open was defense attorney Donald Re, who defended German nationalist Gerhard Becker on involuntary manslaughter charges back in 2013.

When I enter, there was a new face at the court reporter's desk. Several attorneys stop by her desk to give her their card. There were several attorneys who entered and checked in with the court clerk. There is a pretty female reporter sitting in the gallery in the row behind me. I believe we are the only media people in the room.

I overhear Simmirin mentioning something to the clerk that he has a court order he's filing. The clerk tells him, "Why don't we do that on the record?"

8:27am
DDA's Beth Silverman and Melissa Opper arrive and greet Mr. Simmrin. Simmrin and Silverman chat discovery. I believe I hear Silverman tell him, "I still have a drive for you. ... more evidence along with reports from Orange County lab..." Silverman says she can turn over to Simmrin later today. Silverman and Simmrin talk about a trial date but since Simmrin is just getting started on his DNA testing Silverman says -in relation to a trial date- "You're not ready yet."

Some attorneys take seats in the well of the court that are in front of the jury box. Others are moving around the well, chatting with this group or that group. More attorneys keep entering and a few people from the public that are most likely here for the other pretrial hearings.

We are waiting on the Sementilli defense team and the defendants. More attorneys enter, check in with the clerk. One stops to chat with the Deputy DA's in the room. Eight suited gentlemen enter and sit in the very back row.


8:36am
Sementilli's lead counsel Leonard Levine arrives along with Hans J. Allhoff and the gray haired gentleman who usually chats with Judge Coen at the clerk's desk. 

It's so noisy in the courtroom, I'm having trouble following any one conversation. DDA Opper, Levine and the court clerk chat trial dates. DDA Silverman chats evidence/discovery with Levine.  More people from the public arrive. One woman has a cast on her arm.


8:42am
Judge Coen comes out from the back area. He's not put on his robe yet.  A few minutes later DDA Paul Pzrelomiec arrives, shakes DDA Opper's hand, big smiles for everyone and then takes a seat in front of the jury box.

8:45am
Judge Coen has put on his robe and takes to the bench. A silver haired gentleman, possibly a Deputy DA shakes his hand. Still more people enter Dept. 101. There are so many attorneys here, it's hard to keep track, or even follow just one conversation. Levine chats with Re and Simmrin in the well.

8:48am
Baker is brought out. He takes a seat at the table with his back to the gallery. A few moments later, Sementilli is brought out and Judge Coen immediately goes on the record for pretrial and trial setting in the Sementill/Baker case.

The date July 7 is set -I heard a defense attorney add the word "tentatively"- for trial with the case court calendar set on that date as 0/10. The next pretrial date is set at February 18.

Judge Coen addresses DDA Silverman on the length of the trial. He wants to hear on the record how long she thinks the trial will take. DDA Silverman still keeps with her two month estimate for trial.

Simmrin's court order issue is discussed. It's a list of prosecution evidence items, biological evidence he wants turned over to him for testing. There is a bit of back and forth. DDA Silverman states this is not the usual way this is handled. She hasn't seen the document Simmrin wants to file; what it is Simmrin wants and she needs to go over everything and to ensure they can have what Simmrin's team wants to test. Coen asks if they can settle this at the next court hearing. Simmrin agrees it can.

Coen gets the defendants to agree on the record to the proposed trial date.  And that's it. The hearing is over. Sementilli is quickly taken back into custody and DDA'a Silverman and Opper start packing up their files. I wait until Baker is brought back into custody and then head out.

Next pretrial hearing is February 18.

Moncia Sementilli & Robert Louis Baker, Pretrial Hearing 14

Fabio Sementilli

Source: HairTalk.com

November 13, 2019
I almost didn't make it to the hearing on time. I was held up at the 9th floor Los Angeles County Sheriff's security station. I'll talk about the ever changing security policy for the 9th Floor in a new post next week.

I ran into Deputy DA Beth Silverman on the 9th floor elevator bay She was in front of me at the scanner. She appeared quite rushed and not her usually cheerful self.

Inside Dept 101 8:36 AM
When I enter Judge Coen's court he is already on the bench. There is a pretty prosecutor at the people's table I don't know. Two of the defense attorneys, Michael Simmrin and Hans J. Allhoff are chatting with the court off the record. Deputy DA Beth Silverman is nowhere in sight.

I'm not certain, but I believe it is the court who asks where Ms. Silverman is. There is some speculation chatter that maybe Deputy DA Melissa Opper will be here and not Silverman. Then I believe one of Judge Coen's clerks informs him that Deputy DA Silverman went to Department 104 first.

Checking the DA's daily court calendar, there is a hearing in Dept. 104 where Deputy DA Tannaz Mokayef  of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting defendant Patrick Watkins, charged with capitol murder and two dozen attempted murders. It's a good bet Deputy DA Beth Silverman is co-counsel on that case.

When the parties in the well of the court hear that Deputy DA Silverman went to her hearing in Dept. 104 before her hearing before this case, Judge Coen has a look on his face and I hear this multi-voiced "oooooooooooooooh" coming from the well of the court. I'm not sure if Judge Coen's cryptic response was related to the news or not.

Defense counsel and the court chat off the record about potential trial month dates in 2020. Judge Coen states he has two death penalty cases and that ".... Beth says this case will take eight weeks." I believe it's Mr. Simmrin who states he can't believe the trial will take that long.

Judge Coen's clerk indicates the court does have some time in January 2020, but not the full 8 weeks. One of the defense attorneys asks if Judge Coen has anything in April. The court responds to the April request, "That's also a death case." There's also a trial in mid May that's a death penalty case. Judge Coen tells the parties, "It looks like I have June and July open ... that's how it looks now."  Mr. Simmirin tells the court, "You're a popular judge." Then there is a change in what I'm understanding about April. Now I hear that as April stands now, there's no more that six weeks available. [I'm taking that to mean April and then two weeks in May, since a death case starts mid May.]

Sprocket Note: Understand that cases are fluid and things can change at the last minute. A defendant can take a plea or a case with multiple defendants can successfully argue to sever their cases. These are the things that make judges court calendars change. Attorney's sometimes take their chances when juggling their own case load to get a favorable trial start date.

We are waiting for Deputy DA Silverman. The pretty prosecutor at the table approaches me and asks if I am "... on the Raymond case." I tell her, "No, I'm sorry. I'm not."  The court is waiting for the defendants in the other prosecutor's case and the sheriff's have no news on when they will arrive. The last news was the defendants were ten minutes out.

Judge Coen addresses the pretty prosecutor. "The job as Assistant Head Deputy is really hard." He then tells her that he read that a new "DA" has come into the race. District Attorney Jackie Lacey is running for reelection in 2020 and there are a few challengers.

I believe Judge Coen is talking about former defense attorney Rachel Rossi, who is joining former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, and two Los Angeles County Deputy DA's, Richard Ceballos and Joseph Iniguez in their bid to take over the coveted LA County DA spot. The prosecutor is cautious since press are in the room. She asks the court, "Your honor, may I approach?" He grants the request and she goes to the bench to talk to the court privately.

8:48 AM
Deputy DA Beth Silverman arrives, greeting Judge Coen's staff and opposing counsel. There is a bit of small talk between counsel about hard drives and when they will be ready.

Very quickly, Sementilli is brought into court. She doesn't look to cheery today. She takes her seat and Mr. Allhoff leans in to whisper to her.

Daniel Nardoni, one of Michael Gargiulo's defense attorneys, enters Dept. 101 and takes a seat in the gallery.

The court asks off the record about a return date for the Baker/Sementilli case. A date of January 9, 2020 is proposed. Deputy DA Silverman quickly agrees. The deputies bring Baker out. He sits in his usual spot on the end. 

8:51 AM
The court goes on the record for the next pretrial setting. Mr. Simmirin speaks for the record to set the case for January 9 and the case calendar for zero of 90 with the "reasonable people's continuance." Counsel agrees.

Judge Coen then asks each defendant if they agree to put their case over until January 9th. Both defendants respond yes. And that's it. Over in less than two minutes max. It looks like as Sementilli is getting out of her seat to return to the custody area, she quickly looks back to the gallery. After Sementilli, Baker is taken back into custody.

As I leave Dept. 101, I stop to ask Mr. Nardoni if he and co-counsel Dale Rubin will be representing Gargiulo through his appeal. Mr. Nardoni says they will not.

Next court date is January 9, 2020.

Moncia Sementilli & Robert Louis Baker, Pretrial Hearing 13 and Sprocket Update News

Fabio Sementilli, murdered 1/23/2017

Source: HairTalk.com

October 16, 2018

Taking public transportation into downtown Los Angeles is always a chore for me and can take up to two hours or longer. Today went pretty smoothly for once. I left home at 6:20 a.m. and was on Temple Street, a block from the courthouse by 8:00 a.m.

After I stop to get a hot tea at the 5th floor snack bar, I'm on the 9th Floor by 8:15 a.m. The door is open but there is only one Sheriff at the security scanner and the deputy tells me he needs two deputies (one to operate the belt scanner and one to watch people walk through) to let people into the hallway.

While I'm waiting, defense counsel for Michael Gargiulo, Daniel Nardoni, -one of the nicer defense attorneys I've met around the courthouse- approaches the security station. He's carrying a recently laundered white shirt on a hanger covered in plastic. To get the shirt to his client, he has to sign a document -I note Mr. Nardoni is a fellow lefty- and put the shirt on the belt scanner without the hanger or plastic.

8:20 AM
After Mr. Nardoni clears security with his briefcase and shirt the security guard decides to let me and a few jurors go through to the 9th Floor hallway even though a second deputy has not arrived yet.

While I'm waiting at the end of the hallway I note that there is a sign hanging on the door to Dept. 101, Judge Coen's courtroom that says something to the effect of, "Jurors wait until called." This tells me that Judge Coen is currently in trial. An attorney approaches Dept. 101 and tries the door. It's locked and the gentleman takes a seat to wait. 

I then see Deputy DA Melissa Opper arrive. She's wearing a tan skirt suit with a black jacket, black handbag and what looks like a long, thin gold necklace. She has a great smile and is kind enough to say hello. She is about to try the door to Dept. 101 but I tell her it's still locked.

8:25 AM
It's quiet today. There are less than a dozen people on the floor, with most of them wearing juror badges. Michael Simmrin, defense counsel for Baker arrives.

While I'm waiting another familiar face arrives. It's defense attorney Steve Meister. Mr. Meister was co-counsel with Mark Werksman on the James Fayed murder trial. We chat for a moment about love behind bars and the criminal justice system. I then see Dept. 101 open and I tell him I have to go.

Inside Dept. 101
8:33 AM
The gentleman I saw in the hallway is sitting at the counsel tables and there are other counsel here as well. There are spiral notebooks on the juror's chairs. DDA Opper and Simmrin take seats in the well directly in front of the jury box and start to chat. I don't recognize the bailiff or the individual at the clerk's desk. There's a young, handsome black man sitting in the back row with a notebook. I sense he is here for the case in trial.  More counsel arrive for the current case. Judge Coen calls for counsel at sidebar for the case that is currently in trial. One of the prosecutors reminds me of the actor, William H. Macy without Macy's beard. It appears the court is discussing jury selection in the current case. 

8:35 AM
Defense counsel for Sementilli, Leonard Levine and Hans J. Allhoff arrive. It appears Ms. Berk will be a no show today. Mr. Levine takes a seat by DDA Opper. Their phones are out and they are talking return dates.

8:37 AM
Deputy DA Beth Silverman arrives and joins her co-counsel in trying to find a return date in the middle of November. I hear several dates thrown out. November 11, 12 and 14. It goes back and forth between Mr. Simmrin, Levine and the prosecution trying to find a date that works for everyone. It appears they have a date and the court is informally notified.

8:45 AM
Baker and Sementill are brought out. Both defendants are in orange jumpsuits. Since the attorneys for the case in trial are at the counsel tables, the defendants, their counsel and the prosecution team are all standing. Judge Coen goes on the record and asks the parties where they are. Mr. Levine starts off telling the court they have agreed to a return date of November 11, but that's wrong since it's a holiday. DDA Silverman takes over and tells the court the return date is November 13, with the case calendar set at zero of 90 with a "reasonable people's continuance." The court asks each defendant individually if they agree to the continuance to 11/13. They each give a verbal, "Yes." And that's it. It's all over in a few minutes.

Note: We learned at the last pretrial hearing that Mr. Simmrin will not be ready for trial in 2019. I expect there will be monthly continuances until a trial date is selected.

Sprocket Update News
I wanted to let everyone know what's been happening with me.

December 31 of last year I moved into my new home. I'm pretty much settled in now and life is very good in this safe space. I love my little house! I'm hopeful for nesting hummingbirds in the ficus trees I was able to bring with me when nesting season starts.

At the end of September I started school for a new career in the health care field. I will be done with my training in early January, and then schedule my testing with the state. Once I pass the exam, I'll be looking for work in that field. I don't know where I will land but I'm hopeful I will be employed before the end of February.

I will continue to attend pretrial hearings in the Sementilli/Baker case as long as I am able. Once I'm settled in a new job, I will be trying to find the time to write up the rest of my notes on the Jennifer Francis civil trial that I attended earlier this year. There's a lot to digest in that case that is related to the Stephanie Lazarus murder trial.

T&T since it's inception has had no advertising. T&T is 100% reader supported. Thank you everyone, for reading and supporting T&T since its inception in February 2007.

Monica Sementilli & Robert Louis Baker, Pretrial Hearing 12

Fabio Sementilli

Preious post on this case can be found HERE.

NOTE: I apologize for the lateness of this post. I've been under the weather with a head cold and cough. Sprocket.

UPDATE: Corrected home security system to a neighbor's security system.
September 4, 2019
Right when I entered the security line for the Clara Shortridge-Foltz Criminal Justice Center, I run into a gorgeous reporter that has been covering the Baker-Sementilli hearings. We say hello and introduce ourselves for the first time. Her name is Chetna and she is a producer for Dateline. We clear security and ride the elevator together.

The 9th Floor

Judge Coen’s courtroom is already open. There are two older women -probably close to my advancing age- seated in the second bench row where I usually sit. They have been here before and I believe are friends or relatives of defendant Sementill.  One woman has very short dark hair. She’s wearing a long strand of pearls. The other woman has darkish hair with blond highlights and blue framed glasses.



Some of the prosecution staff is already here. Deputy DA Melissa Opper is in the courtroom along with another Deputy DA, Paul Pzrelomiec who assisted Deputy DA Beth Silverman on the Grim Sleeper (Lonnie Franklin, Jr.) trial. Two LAPD Robbery-Homicide Detectives enter the courtroom. I recognize them immediately. One is the handsome Daryn Dupree and the other I believe is his partner, whose name escapes me at the moment.

Dupree greets Deputy DA Paul Przrelomiec. 

Blair Berk and Leonard Levine are not here. The defense attorney who stood in for them at the last hearing, Hans J Allhoff is here. The gray haired older gentleman who works with Sementilli’s defense team is in his usual spot, chatting with Judge Coen at the clerk’s counter.  Baker’s defense attorney, Michael Simmrin is not here but one of his support staff is, a youngish blond woman who signs for some documents in the well. 

I think we are waiting on Deputy DA Beth Silverman to arrive.

There is some off the record chatter. I overhear that Mr. Simmrin will not be able to make it and Sementilli’s defense attorney will stand in for him. 

Moments later Deputy DA Beth Silverman arrives. She’s wearing strapping black pumps, a red dress and a loose-fitting black jacket. Seeing the two RHD detectives and the young Deputy DA Paul Pzrelomiec, Silverman says something to the effect of, looks like a pretty good team ... a serial killer team.



The defense attorney and the prosecution team exchange a bit about putting the case over to another hearing. The date October 16th is mentioned.



Deputy DA Silverman banters, “… she said [at the] last court date she would be ready for trial.”

It’s a good guess that Silverman is referring to Ms. Berk. The defense counsel answers, “Yeah, but there was more discovery.” Silverman responds, “…there’s always more discovery. That’s just the kind of case  it is.”



Judge Coen calls another case. The defendant is brought in through the front doors. A tall, youngish man, he’s in a wheelchair.  This hearing is over pretty quickly and we are waiting for Baker and Sementilli to be brought out.



8:52 AM
Sementilli is brought out first. Her hair continues to grow out. It's longer and appears darker. She has what looks like an expanding file folder with her in a clear plastic bag. 

Semintilli turns and smiles to her supporters in the gallery. The woman with the dark hair and pearls puts her hand to her lips and gestures with her hand like she is blowing defendant Sementilli a kiss.

Right after Sementill turned to the gallery to give eye contact to her supporters, Judge Coen loudly admonished her to face the front of the courtroom and not turn around to the gallery. It's not in my notes but I believe Judge Coen called the bailiff over to monitor her to make sure she didn't turn around again.

A face I’ll never forget enters Dept. 101. It’s the lead counsel for Lonnie Franklin, Jr., Seymour Amster. The arguments between Amster and Silverman during the Franklin case were over the top bitter. Amster enters and drops his briefcase onto a chair in the well of the court. 

I believe he quickly leaves.

Defendant Baker is brought out at the same time and Judge Coen goes on the record.

Defense counsel Allhoff informs the court that he will be standing in for Mr. Simmrin today. Judge Coen clarifies for the record that he is representing Baker for this hearing only. 



Counsel and the court agree to put the court calendar at zero of 60 on October 16.  Judge Coen asks defendant Baker if he agrees. Baker agrees. He then asks Sementilli if she agrees. Sementilli agrees. 

As the bailiffs get the defendants ready to return to the custody area, Sementilli, is standing and turns to look at her family again. She smiles and mouths some words. It appears to me she is saying, Bye bye Bubbie, or maybe Mommy but that's just a guess.  The dark haired woman repeats her earlier gesture of blowing her a kiss again. 



And that’s it until October 16.

Exiting the courtroom Chetna and I follow Deputy DA Beth Silverman out. Silverman is silent regarding any questions about the prosecution or LAPD's success in locating the second assailant who was seen with defendant Baker on a neighbor's home security system. CBS 48 Hrs. has a report with images of the two assailants from the neighbor's security system.

In some of the pretrial banter between counsel it was discussed that Baker's counsel, Mr. Simmrin has communicated to the prosecution that this case will not go to trial this year. From what I heard, it appears to me that Mr. Simmrin will not be trial ready before 2020.

Monica Sementilli & Robert Louis Baker, Pretrial Hearing 11

Tuesday, July 16, 2019
8:29am
I arrive on the 9th floor just in time. Judge Coen's courtroom is already open with defense and prosecutors inside. Judge Coen is off the bench, over by the clerk's desk.

The first thing I notice is, Leonard Levine and Blair Berk representing Sementilli are not here today. It is Mr. Hans J. Allhoff, an associate of Ms. Berk subbing in. I've seen him in the courtroom several times before but did not know his role. Levine and Berk must be busy with other cases.

Mr. Simmrin is by the clerk's desk, chatting with Judge Coen, who is out of his robe.

Deputy DA Melissa Opper greets three young male interns from the DA's office sitting in the front row. I believe I hear that one of them is going to Stanford. Sitting right by them on the aisle is a pretty young blond woman, also possibly an intern working with defendant Baker's counsel, Mr. Simmrin.

Deputy DA Silverman is chatting with the really nice victim's advocate representative from the DA's office. I know I've been told her name a dozen times but it escapes me at the moment.

The parties are not on the record and I hear a return date being offered and the calendar would be set at zero of 60. It's not a trial date.  Deputy DA Silverman is chatting off the record with Simmrin, something related to deposits in a bank account and a "$30,000" transaction.

There are counsel from another case in the court room and the defendant in that case is brought out. Judge Coen goes on the record. I hear Judge Coen talk about a Pitchess Motion. That hearing is over in less than two minutes.

I now overhear what the delay is about. Defenant Baker refused to come out of his cell. Simmrin says something about going to visit him down at the jail to try to circumvent a potential extraction order by the court. Judge Coen tells Simmrin that "... once they refuse [I] sign a permanent extraction order."

I hear the September 4 date again and it looks like that will probably be the return date.

Mr. Simmrin mentions that he just received new discovery today, 30 items. One item is different sets of financial records.

I miss the next bit of exchange, but then hear Deputy DA Silverman say to Mr. Simmrin, something to the effect of, This is where [we? you?] can drop the [length of the] trial down ... make some deals. She then says to Simmrin, "Well, you already know what your deal is."

Judge Coen goes on the record in the Baker/Sementilli case. Defendant Sementilli is brought out. She is in an orange jumpsuit. Her hair is very dark brown. The court puts on the record that counsel requested a return date of September 4. Mr. Simmrin agrees on that date for his client and to delay the trial 60 days from that date. Judge Coen asks defendant Sementilli if that date is acceptable and she agrees. Judge Coen then puts on the record a permanent extraction order for defendant Baker.

And that's it.

Next pretrial hearing is September 4, 2019.