Case Intel
- A Placer County jury convicted ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and first-degree burglary in the 2021 Lake Tahoe attack on his in-laws. Placer County
- Prosecutors are seeking life without parole, plus 50 years; sentencing is scheduled for today, Aug. 18, in Auburn, California.
- Defense filings ask to delay sentencing and request a new trial, citing alleged juror misconduct and a lengthy probation report. KCRA
By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald
AUBURN, Calif. — The law is about to render its final word on one of Lake Tahoe’s most chilling family crimes. Today, former Major League pitcher Dan Serafini faces a potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 ambush that left his father-in-law dead and his mother-in-law gravely wounded at their West Shore home. KCRAAP News
Jurors in mid-July returned guilty verdicts on first-degree murder, attempted murder, and first-degree burglary. They also found true special-circumstance allegations, including lying in wait and felony murder—findings that expose Serafini, 51, to California’s harshest noncapital penalty.
Prosecutors told the jury the former left-hander harbored deep animus toward his wife’s wealthy parents and had said he was willing to pay $20,000 to have them killed. Evidence also spotlighted a deteriorating family relationship punctuated by hostile messages and disputes over a $1.3 million loan tied to a horse-ranch venture.
The crime unfolded on June 5, 2021, at the couple’s Tahoe-area home. Robert Gary Spohr, 70, was fatally shot. His wife, Wendy Wood, 68, survived the gunshot and underwent extensive rehabilitation; she later died, with multiple outlets reporting it was by suicide in 2023.
