Former MLB Pitcher Daniel Serafini is a killer from California who was convicted of the murder of his father in law and the attempted murder of his mother in law
According to court documents Daniel Serafini would break into the home of his in laws and fatally shoot Robert Gary Spohr, 70, and attempted to murder Wendy Wood, 68, who would survive the shooting but however would take her own life a couple of years later
Daniel Serafini would be convicted and is expected to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole at a later date
Daniel Serafini Case
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Danny Serafini has been found guilty of murdering his father-in-law, a court in California has heard.
On Monday, July 14, a Placer County jury found Serafini, 51 — who played for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs in the late ’90s — “guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder of his in-laws, [Robert] Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood,” a Placer County District Attorney’s Office news release posted on Facebook confirmed.
“The jury also found the defendant guilty of first-degree burglary and found the special circumstance allegations of lying-in-wait and felony murder, as well as related firearm allegations, to be true,” the release noted.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Serafini was arrested in October 2023 following a two-year investigation into the June 2021 murder and attempted murder of his in-laws.
Spohr, 70, was found shot dead in his North Lake Tahoe home, while his wife, Wood, 68, “was taken to a nearby hospital where she recovered from her injuries,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a previous Facebook post. Wood died by suicide in 2023, ABC News reported.
Monday’s release stated, “In 2021, first responders received a call from a home in Tahoe City, where they found Gary Spohr deceased and Wendy Wood gravely injured from gunshot wounds. During the investigation, detectives determined that Serafini was responsible for the horrific attack on his in-laws.”
“After an extensive investigation by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, Serafini was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree burglary, and other charges and allegations,” the DA’s Office added in the post.
The release continued, “The guilty verdicts come after a 6-week trial during which the jury heard testimony from dozens of witnesses and the presentation of physical evidence, including digital, cell phone, and other forensic evidence.”
Daniel Serafini had previously been arrested in Nevada on the same day as suspect Samantha Scott, then 33, who was apprehended in Las Vegas, PEOPLE previously reported.
Per CBS News, Scott — who was reportedly Serafini’s nanny turned lover — pleaded guilty in February of this year to being an accessory, admitting that she’d driven the suspect to his in-laws’ home on the day of the shooting. Scott is still awaiting sentencing, the outlet stated.
Two young children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were reportedly in the home at the time of the attack, per ABC News. The outlet noted that prosecutors had said they believe the shooting was financially motivated.
Police previously said that the “early stages” of the investigation had authorities looking at the home’s “video surveillance,” leaving them with footage of “a hooded male wearing a face-covering and a backpack walking to the residence several hours before the homicide occurred,” PEOPLE previously reported.
Daniel Serafini’s wife, Erin Spohr, who is the victims’ daughter, testified in the trial, confirming she and the athlete had an open marriage and that she still trusts him, per CBS News.
Erin’s sister, Adrienne Spohr, said outside the courthouse on Monday, “It’s been four years since my mom and dad were shot, and it’s been four years of just hell,” the outlet reported.
“The Placer County District Attorney’s Office and the sheriff’s office never gave up,” she added.
Daniel Serafini, a former MLB relief pitcher, spent seven seasons in the league, where he played for the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies, according to NBC News.
Daniel Serafini is set to be sentenced on Aug. 18, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office confirmed on Facebook.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
https://people.com/ex-mlb-player-danny-serafini-found-guilty-murdering-father-in-law-11772204
