Ex-MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini found guilty of murder, attempted murder

(KTXL) — A jury in California found former MLB player Daniel Serafini guilty of murder and attempted murder for the 2021 shooting of his in-laws.

Serafini, 51, was found 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 near Lake Tahoe. Wood received extensive rehabilitation but died a year after the shooting.

Serafini was also found guilty of one count of burglary, and not guilty on one count of child endangerment.

Serafini was arrested and charged in connection with his in-laws’ deaths in 2023. An alleged accomplice, Samantha Scott, was also arrested. Earlier this year, Scott pleaded guilty to being an accessory to a felony, and testified during Serafini’s current trial that she drove Serafini to Lake Tahoe on the day of the shooting.

She also said that Serafini had clothing which appeared similar to those worn by a person seen in surveillance footage taken near the victims’ home.

Serafini’s brother, Joseph Serafini Jr., also told the court about a conversation in which Daniel allegedly offered him $20,000 to kill his in-laws. A former coworker of Serafini’s testified that he had previously mentioned wanting them dead, too.

Both witnesses said they did not take Serafini’s words seriously at the time.

Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Miller, who prosecuted the case, told jurors that Serafini hated his wife’s wealthy parents, the Sacramento Bee reported. 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.

Serafini is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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. He later played in the Mexican League for several seasons before retiring.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.