Mar 9, 2009; Toronto, ON, Canada; Italy starting pitcher Dan Serafini (29) delivers a pitch against Canada during first round pool play at the 2009 World Baseball Classic at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. Italy beat Canada 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Lake Tahoe, California – Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini has been found guilty of first-degree murder in a 2021 shooting that left his father-in-law dead and his mother-in-law grievously injured in their North Lake Tahoe home. The verdict concludes a two-year investigation and trial that revealed a disturbing story of family conflict, premeditation, and irreversible loss.
The victims were Robert Gary Spohr, 70, and Wendy Wood, then 68. Spohr was found dead of a single gunshot wound on June 5, 2021. Wood, who had been shot twice in the head, survived the initial attack but took her own life a year later. Her family cited the trauma from the shooting as the cause of her eventual death.
Prosecutors argued that the attack was fueled by a bitter dispute over a $1.3 million property renovation and presented text messages showing that Serafini had been stewing over the conflict for months. In one message, sent before the shooting, he wrote: “I’m going to kill them one day.” Jurors also viewed surveillance footage showing a masked figure walking to the Spohr residence and learned Serafini allegedly waited inside the home for nearly three hours before the fatal encounter.
Serafini, 51, was arrested alongside co-defendant Samantha Scott, 33, in 2023. Scott later pleaded guilty to an accessory charge and cooperated with prosecutors. She had been introduced during the trial as a close friend of Erin Spohr—Serafini’s wife and the daughter of the victims. Erin testified that she and Serafini were in an open marriage and that she was aware Scott had been romantically involved with him. Despite the evidence, Erin maintained that she did not believe Serafini committed the murder or attempted murder.
The case offered a portrait not just of calculated violence, but of emotional devastation that extended far beyond the initial crime. Adrienne Spohr, daughter of the victims, called the act “heinous and calculated,” speaking publicly after the verdict was read. “It’s been four years of just hell,” she said. “Today, finally, justice was served.”
Serafini, a Bay Area native, was once a top prospect, drafted 26th overall by the Minnesota Twins in 1992. Over a professional career that spanned more than a decade, he pitched for six MLB teams, including the Padres and Cubs. His post-retirement life was marked by financial hardship—he reportedly lost most of the $10 million he earned during his career due to a divorce and failed investments.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 18 in Placer County. Serafini faces the possibility of life in prison.
