A former Major League Baseball pitcher has been found guilty of murdering his father-in-law in what prosecutors called a financially motivated attack.
Daniel Serafini, 51, was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the 2021 shooting death of Robert Gary Spohr, 70. The jury also found him guilty of attempted murder of Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood, and first-degree burglary.
According to evidence presented at trial, Serafini entered the Spohrs’ home on June 5, 2021, where security footage captured a hooded figure arriving three hours before anyone called 911.
Prosecutors said Serafini secretly waited inside the house with a .22 caliber gun for three hours before attacking. Two young children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were in the home during the shooting.
Wood survived the initial attack but later died by suicide in 2023, with her family saying the shooting’s trauma led to her death.
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The case centered on a $1.3 million dispute over a ranch renovation project. Text messages revealed Serafini had written “I’m gonna kill them one day” in a message mentioning $21,000, according to ABC News’ Sacramento affiliate KXTV. The victims had given $90,000 to Serafini’s wife the day of the shootings.
Serafini’s baseball career included playing for six different teams after being drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Twins in 1992. His career ended in 2007. That same year, he was suspended for 50 games for using performance-enhancing drugs.
A second defendant, Samantha Scott, 33, who was described as both a close friend of Serafini’s wife and his lover, pleaded guilty to being an accessory in February 2025.
“This was a heinous and calculated crime,” Adrienne Spohr, one of the victim’s daughters, told KXTV, noting that her parents had been “incredibly generous” to Serafini and his wife.
Serafini will remain in custody without bail until his sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 18. He could face life in prison.
