Former MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini has been sentenced for the 2021 shooting of his in-laws at their Lake Tahoe home.
Videos by Suggest
Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on February 27 after being convicted of murdering his father-in-law, Gary Spohr, per the Associated Press. The 52-year-old also received a life sentence for the attempted murder of his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, who died by suicide two years later.
On the third count of burglary, Serafini was sentenced to 25 years to life.
The judge ruled that the three sentences would be served consecutively rather than concurrently, with restitution to be decided later.
Serafini’s Estranged Wife was Not at the Sentencing
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Serafini targeted his in-laws, believing their deaths would enable him to access their $23 million fortune through his then-wife’s inheritance.
Serafini’s estranged wife, Erin Spohr, was not in court on Friday. However, she had Serafini’s attorney read a statement supporting her husband and asking the judge for a lenient sentence.
Before that, Erin’s sister, Adrienne, delivered her impact statement, detailing that their parents had given her sister and Serafini about $2.5 million over five years, while Serafini earned $28 an hour at a mine.
Adrienne said the couple continued to ask for money even after the shooting.
“Dan showed no remorse. He cashed a $200,000 check made out to him from my mom’s account, just weeks after holding a gun to her head and pulling the trigger,” Adrienne recalled in court.
The “most disturbing situation,” she said, occurred a few months later during a family trip to the Orcas Islands.
According to Adrienne, “Dan and Erin claimed it would benefit my mom’s recovery, but in reality, they were looking for a self-indulgent getaway at her expense.” Adrienne stated that her mother paid for their “first-class airfare” and that the couple “made repeated cash withdrawals of $500 to $1,000 a day over multiple days to fund lavish meals and personal splurges.”
Dan Serafini Spoke of Inmate Segregation at His Sentencing
Serafini spoke last, proclaiming his innocence and addressing aspects of the case unrelated to his guilt. He quoted the Bible and argued that segregation is essential for maintaining order among incarcerated individuals in the American prison system.
The former MLB player also briefly became emotional near the end of his remarks. He went on to accuse the jurors of being “dishonest” and “liars” who ignored the evidence in the case.
Serafini’s Babysitter Testified That He Confessed to Shooting Wood
Meanwhile, Serafini’s babysitter-turned-paramour, Samantha Scott, testified that she drove him to Lake Tahoe on June 5, 2021. Scott said she dropped him off near his in-laws’ home. She recalled that she picked him up shortly after the time of the incident.
A security camera captured an individual entering the home of Spohr and Wood. Scott testified that the clothing seen in the video matched what Serafini wore and later disposed of, along with a gun, as they drove from California back to Nevada.
Prosecutors alleged that Serafini hid inside the home for about five hours before the attack. Spohr died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Wood was shot twice in the head and once in the shoulder but survived.
After two years of intensive rehabilitation to relearn basic functions like walking and talking, Wood died by suicide in 2023.
In his motion claiming ineffective counsel, Serafini presented a voicemail, which was later played in court. “I had restoration of my vision due to electric therapy. I know who the shooter was, and it wasn’t you,” Wood said in the recording, per PEOPLE.
Prosecutors countered with a recording of Wood’s interview with detectives after the shooting. On the tape, she identified her son-in-law as the gunman.
“I remember him walking over and seeing him shooting Gary and then pointing the gun at me,” Wood recalled in the recording.
Scott also testified that Serafini confessed to shooting Wood.