07/15/25 12:47:00
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07/15 12:45 CDT Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini is convicted of murder in the
2021 shootings of his wife's parents
Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini is convicted of murder in the 2021 shootings of
his wife's parents
AUBURN, Calif. (AP) --- Retired MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini has been convicted
of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shootings of his wife's
parents during a burglary at their home four years ago near Lake Tahoe in
California.
A Placer County jury on Monday found the 51-year-old guilty of killing his
father-in-law, Gary Spohr, and severely wounding his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood,
on June 5, 2021, at their home on the lake's west shore. Wood received
extensive rehabilitation but died a year after the shooting.
Serafini also was convicted of first-degree burglary.
Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Miller, who prosecuted the
case, told jurors that Serafini hated his wife's wealthy parents and was heard
saying he was willing to pay $20,000 to have them killed, the Sacramento Bee
reported.
A left-hander, Serafini was drafted in 1992 by the Minnesota Twins. He also
played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati
Reds and Colorado Rockies.
The jury was shown transcripts of angry emails and text messages between
Serafini and his in-laws in which they were involved in a heated, ongoing
dispute over a $1.3 million loan to help fund his wife's fledgling horse ranch
business, the Bee reported.
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.
Serafini faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of
parole when he is sentenced Aug. 18.
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