Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini will spend the rest of his life in prison for deliberately attacking his in-laws, killing one and seriously injuring another.
Serafini, 51, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in a California court on February 27, with prosecutors arguing that a “violent dispute” over money led Serafini to murder his father-in-law, Robert Gary Spohr, according to a statement from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
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Serafini also shot his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, twice in the head and once in the shoulder, leaving her so weakened that she committed suicide two years after the 2021 attack, People reported.
“The human toll of this case extends far beyond the confines of the courtroom,” Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gill said in a statement. “The defendant’s horrific crimes claimed the lives of a father, mother, loving grandparents, family members and friends. The impact of this attack extends far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by intentional violence.”
Dan Serafini targeted in-laws to gain inheritance, prosecutors say
Serafini was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in July after jurors heard he hated his in-laws and wanted access to their multimillion-dollar inheritance, NBC News reported.
Serafini’s lover, Samantha Scott, testified that she dropped the former baseball player off at his in-laws’ Lake Tahoe home on June 5, 2021. (According to KCRA, Scott later admitted to being an accessory and agreed to testify against Serafini as part of an agreement with prosecutors.)
Dan Serafini promotional photo
Prosecutors said Serafini snuck into the home while the couple waited five hours on a boat with his estranged wife Erin and their two sons until they returned, People reported. When they returned home, Serafini opened fire, striking Spohr in the head, killing Spohr and seriously injuring Wood, who required extensive rehabilitation.
The couple’s daughter, Adrienne Spohr, told the court during sentencing that Serafini and her sister received millions of dollars from her wealthy parents over the years, including funding horse estates, paying for nanny services and paying off massive credit card debt, NBC News reported.
Even after the shooting, Serafini’s greed did not end, she said.
“Dan has shown no remorse,” she argued. “Just weeks after putting a gun to the victim’s head and pulling the trigger, he cashed a $200,000 check from the victim’s account.”
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She added that after the shooting, Serafini and her sister rejected her attempts to offer a reward to track down the killer, telling the court, according to People , “He was a monster with no moral boundaries and had no reservations about taking the lives of others for his own gain.”
Friends of Spohr and Wood also spoke of the couple’s love of adventure and generous nature, with one saying in court, “Daniel’s evil deserves no sympathy,” the Sacramento Bee reported.
Dan Serafini declares innocence
Although Serafini’s estranged wife did not appear in court, she did have his attorney read a statement in support of her husband, asking for leniency.
Meanwhile, Serafini continues to proclaim his innocence, arguing that he has been unfairly painted by prosecutors as an elaborate manipulator for a crime he did not commit.
“No DNA, no photos, no video can tie me to this crime, but because you don’t like me, you find me guilty,” he said, according to news outlets. “This trial is a popularity contest.”
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The judge ultimately sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Serafini was also sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for burglary, to be served consecutively.
The former baseball player spent seven seasons in the MLB with a variety of teams, including the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies.
