Former Pittsburgh Pirate Dan Serafini Convicted Of Killing Father-In-Law Over $1.3M Dispute
Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini has been convicted of murdering his father-in-law and attempting to kill his mother-in-law over a reported financial dispute.
Dan Serafini
Dan Serafini
Danny Serafini
Samantha Scott
Serafini, 51, who spent parts of nine seasons bouncing around multiple Major League teams, was found guilty in the 2021 shooting of Robert Gary Sphor, 70, and his wife, Wendy Wood, 68, according to the
Placer County District Attorney’s Office
.
The former Pittsburgh Pirate was also convicted of first-degree burglary.
The guilty verdicts come after a 6-week trial during which the jury heard testimony from dozens of witnesses and the presentation of physical evidence, including digital, cell phone, and other forensic evidence, the DA noted
In June 2021, the couple was ambushed in their North Lake Tahoe, California home, with Spohr being found with a single fatal gunshot wound and Wood suffering less severe injuries, according to the Placer County Sheriff.
Wood was gravely injured, survived, but died of suicide a year later.
During the early stages of the investigation, officials said video surveillance was obtained from the home and along West Lake Boulevard, revealing a hooded man wearing a face covering and a backpack walking to the residence several hours before the murder.
Serafini
reportedly
waited for hours in his in-laws’ home before the fatal shooting. There were also children inside the home at the time.
“During the investigation, detectives determined that Serafini was responsible for the horrific attack on his in-laws,” according to the DA’s office.
The deadly encounter was reportedly over a $1.3 million disagreement over a renovation project, prosecutors say, and it was a premeditated attack.
Serafini wrote, “I’m gonna kill them one day,” in a text message prosecutors revealed regarding $21,000, according to
abc10.com
.
Serafini’s financial woes were highlighted on an episode of “Bar Rescue,” where he said he lost his $14 million fortune that he earned during his playing career through a series of bad investments, and a difficult divorce.
He was $300,000 in debt at the time the episode aired.
His
account lists him as the owner of the Oak Tavern, pitcher, and the now-former owner operator of The Bullpen at Aspen Glen.
Drafted 26th overall by the Minnesota Twins in 1992, Serafini later played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies.
When he is sentenced next month, Serafini faces the possibility of life in prison. He remains held without bail.
A second woman implicated in the plot, Samantha Scott,
reportedly
faces up to three years in prison after pleading guilty in February to being an accessory after the fact.
