Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini sentenced to life in prison for murder of father-in-law
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday for the 2021 first-degree murder of his father-in-law and the attempted murder of his mother-in-law in Lake Tahoe.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams during a 22-year professional career that ended in 2013, killed Gary Spohr, 70, and seriously injured Wendy Wood during a burglary of their home on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. He was convicted in July after a six-week trial and made two unsuccessful appeals, with a new trial denied only a week ago.
During his ruling, Placer County Superior Court Judge Garen J. Horst described Serafini, 52, as a “liar, manipulator, arrogant and someone who has a loose relationship with the truth.” The jury found Serafini guilty of first-degree burglary and validated special circumstance allegations including lying in wait, felony murder, and related firearm charges.
Prosecutors detailed that Serafini broke into the Spohr’s home while the couple was boating with their grandsons and daughter, Erin Spohr, Serafini’s wife. He hid in a closet until his family left and, upon their return, shot both Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood in the head. Wood later took her own life in 2022 at age 69.
After the shooting, Wood spent a year in rehabilitation. According to her daughter, Adrienne Spohr, Wood regained abilities such as reading, writing, hiking, and riding a bicycle. Nevertheless, she continued to struggle with disability and depression.
Samantha Scott, a nanny employed by Serafini and Erin Spohr to care for their two young children, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crimes. In 2025, she testified that she drove Serafini to the crime scene, believing it was for a drug deal. Scott also testified that she saw Serafini carry a gun and a homemade silencer made from PVC pipe in his backpack.
She recounted dropping him off near the Spohr’s home and later witnessing Serafini discard items from his backpack after crossing the Nevada state line.
“When I learned that my sister’s husband Daniel Serafini and my sister’s close friend Samantha Scott were arrested for the shooting of my parents, I was shaken to my core,” Adrienne Spohr said in a statement to the court. “This was a heinous, calculated crime. My parents had been incredibly generous to Daniel Serafini and Erin Spohr throughout their marriage.”
Serafini’s baseball career began when the Minnesota Twins selected him as their first-round draft pick in 1992 out of Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, California—the same school attended by all-time home run king Barry Bonds. Serafini made his major league debut in 1996 with the Twins and went on to pitch for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies.
From 2004 to 2007, he played in Japan before returning to the United States. In 2007, Serafini was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, which he attributed to medication taken in Japan. He also pitched for Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Outside of baseball, Serafini owned a bar in Sparks, Nevada, which was featured in an episode of “Bar Rescue” in 2025. During the makeover, the bar’s name was changed from the Bullpen Bar to the Oak Tavern. The episode highlighted Serafini’s financial difficulties, revealing that he had wasted $14 million in career earnings and taken a $250,000 loan from his parents.
Prosecutors argued that Serafini’s crimes were motivated by anger and financial strain. Evidence showed that he had made threats and expressed a desire to see his in-laws dead for many years. He and Gary Spohr also had disputes over a $1.3 million loan that was intended to support Erin Spohr’s horse ranch business.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2026-02-27/former-mlb-pitcher-dan-serafini-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-murder
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