Ex-MLB Pitcher Convicted Of Killing Father-In-Law At NorCal Home

AUBURN, CA — Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini has been convicted of murdering his father-in-law and attempting to murder his mother-in-law in a 2021 ambush-style shooting at a Lake Tahoe-area home.

A Placer County jury found Serafini, 51, guilty of fatally shooting 70-year-old Gary Spohr and seriously wounding Spohr’s wife, 68-year-old Wendy Wood, on June 5, 2021, at their home on the lake's west shore.

Wood survived the attack but later died by suicide, according to KCRA-TV.

Jurors also found Serafini guilty of several "special circumstance" sentencing enhancements, including lying in wait, use of a firearm, and that the attack was willful, deliberate and premeditated.

He was also convicted of first-degree burglary.

Prosecutors had also charged Serafini with child endangerment, saying he put his infant and toddler sons at risk by having a gun in the home. Jurors found him not guilty on that count.

On the day of the shooting, Serafini’s wife, the victims’ daughter, had taken the children to the lake to visit their grandparents.

Prosecutors said the deadly ambush stemmed from a dispute over a $1.3 million investment in a ranch renovation project. The victims had reportedly contributed the money.

In one text message shown in court, Serafini wrote, "I’m gonna kill them one day," referencing a dispute over $21,000, prosecutors said.

He also sent other threatening messages, including "I will be coming after you" and "Take me to court," according to ABC10.

Defense attorney David Dratman argued that there was no physical evidence linking Serafini to the crime scene, noting that security camera footage showed a masked intruder entering the couple's home who appeared to be younger with a smaller body frame than the former baseball player.

Dratman told the jury that although his client had a rocky relationship with his in-laws, the couple was generous with Serafini and his wife, loaning them money and treating them to lavish vacations.

"Does that provide a motive for murder? That's killing the golden goose," Dratman said in his closing argument.

Dratman declined to comment about the verdict, which was delivered Monday afternoon after three days of jury deliberations.

Serafini is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18 and faces the possibility of life in prison.

The case also involved a second defendant, 33-year-old Samantha Scott, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory in February, according to the New York Post.

Scott was described as a close friend of Serafini’s wife and his lover. Nevada police arrested Serafini and Scott in separate cities in October 2023.

A left-hander, Serafini was a 1992 first-round pick for the Minnesota Twins. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, pitching for six MLB teams over seven seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.