Former MLB Star Convicted Of Murdering His Father-In-Law

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Daniel Serafini has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2021 killing of his father-in-law, following a bitter financial feud that turned deadly.

A jury in Placer County delivered the verdict on July 15, ending a shocking case that revealed how the onetime pro athlete went from the pitcher’s mound to a jail cell, accused of gunning down his wife’s father in cold blood inside a Lake Tahoe vacation home.

Serafini, 51, was found guilty of fatally shooting 70-year-old Robert Spohr and attempting to murder Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood, during a planned home invasion on June 5, 2021. Prosecutors said the motive stemmed from long-simmering resentment over money, specifically more than $1.3 million in loans from the couple to their daughter and Serafini.

Spohr was killed instantly by a gunshot to the head. Wood survived her wounds but tragically died by suicide two years later, a death her family says was tied directly to the trauma of the attack.

Two of the couple’s young grandchildren were inside the house when the crime occurred.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office

At the center of the case was the money—big money. According to testimony, Spohr and Wood had repeatedly helped the Serafinis financially, supporting their horse ranch business with loans and even writing a $90,000 check the day of the murder. Prosecutors alleged Serafini wanted more and had become fixated on an $11 million family trust that he believed should be shared with his wife.

Text messages revealed during the trial showed Serafini venting about his in-laws, including one where he allegedly said he was going to “kill them one day” and another offering to pay someone to do it. Assistant District Attorney Richard Miller described the killing as calculated and driven by greed.

Surveillance video from the Lake Tahoe home showed a hooded man entering hours before the shooting, and digital forensic evidence pointed back to Serafini. Prosecutors also brought in testimony from Samantha Scott, a former family nanny turned accomplice and romantic partner, who admitted to helping Serafini after the murder by getting rid of the firearm and going on the run with him.

Scott pled guilty earlier this year to being an accessory.

Serafini’s defense team tried to sow doubt about the identity of the masked intruder, pointing to the lack of physical evidence like DNA or fingerprints. His wife, Erin Serafini, testified that she did not believe her husband was the shooter.

But the jury wasn’t convinced.

Jurors reportedly studied the surveillance footage closely, comparing the walk and body shape of the figure on camera with Serafini’s own. The trial lasted nearly six weeks.

Serafini once wore a major league uniform. A first-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in 1992, he played for six MLB teams between 1996 and 2007, also making stops in Japan and Taiwan before retiring. He finished his career with a 15-16 record and a 6.04 ERA.

He made over $14 million during his playing days but reportedly lost much of it in failed business ventures, gambling, and a post-baseball lifestyle that spiraled out of control.

Serafini faces sentencing on August 18. He could be handed life in prison without the possibility of parole.

For the family of Robert Spohr and Wendy Wood, the verdict brought a painful form of closure.

Adrienne Spohr, the daughter of Spohr and Wood, called Serafini’s actions a “heinous and calculated” crime. “It’s been four years since my mom and dad were shot and it’s been four years of just hell,” she said following the guilty verdict. “Today, finally, justice was served.”