Former San Diego Padre gets two life sentences

Ex-Major League Baseball reliever Dan Serafini is appealing

2026 UPDATE:

Former San Diego Padre pitcher Daniel Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A California judge gave Serafini consecutive life terms for a 2021 ambush shooting at a home near Lake Tahoe. The sentence was issued on Feb. 27, 2026.

He was convicted on the following charges:

First-degree murder for killing his 70-year-old father-in-law, Gary Spohr.
Attempted murder for shooting and severely injuring his 68-year-old mother-in-law, Wendy Wood.
First-degree burglary.
Special circumstances, including “lying in wait” and committing a willful, deliberate, and premeditated attack.

Serafini spent months trying to fight the verdict. He claimed he received bad legal help and demanded a new trial, but a judge denied his request.

His defense attorney has stated that they plan to appeal the conviction and sentence.

Shortly after his initial conviction, his wife, Erin Spohr, filed for divorce. She requested sole custody of their two young sons.

Here is the original article:

The trial for a former Major League Baseball player who allegedly tried to murder his in-laws in their Lake Tahoe-area home is in full swing.

It features defendant Dan Serafini, the former lefthanded pitcher accused of spraying his in-laws with bullets in a June 5, 2021 ambush that killed Gary Spohr and severely injured his wife, Wendy Wood. The case is being prosecuted by the Placer County District Attorney’s office in Auburn, Calif.

Serafini, 51, had a cup of coffee with the San Diego Padres in 2000, seeing action as a reliever in three games during which he pitched three innings and gave up nine hits and six runs—thus the 18.00 ERA. In the years to follow, Serafini would find a roster spot on five other teams, saving 33 games and, despite the mediocre numbers, earning millions of dollars over a seven-year MLB career.

Trial Takeaways

The prosecution’s narrative is that Serafini didn’t just ambush his in-laws – he also cheated on their daughter, Erin, with their nanny, Suzanne Scott, with whom, according to media reports, he had an intense sexual and apparently drug-fueled bond. In a twist, Serafini’s wife is expected to testify on his behalf while Scott, who was arrested as an accessory for giving him a ride the day of the ambush, is working with the prosecution.

The why is not hard to decipher: the timeless, enduring motivation of money and, thrown in for good measure, animosity towards in-laws. First, the cash. In spite of reportedly making $14 mil as a journeyman pitcher, Serafini was in debt. The prosecution presented emails showing ongoing conflict stemming from a $1.3 million loan from the in-laws to help Serafini and wife Erin purchase a ranch. The couple was always busy, it seems, with not-well-thought-out investments and entrepreneurial ventures. According to media reports, in 2015, they owned a bar featured on the show “Bar Rescue.” The show’s promotional video reportedly portrays Serafini as a bar owner in financial trouble who lost $14 million “through a series of bad investments and a divorce settlement before convincing his parents to take out a $240,000 loan against their house to buy The Bullpen bar.”

Next, the in-laws. (Oh, how we love our in-laws, don’t we? ?) While his wealthy in-laws may have driven him to act when he did, Serafini’s conflict with them predates the ambush – the resentment seems to have begun practically the day he met them. As he and his wife grew increasingly dependent on Spohr and Wood to fund their businesses and lifestyle, Serafini’s resentment and animosity for them became exacerbated. Witnesses said he made no secret of his hatred – or wanting them dead. “I’ll pay $20,000 to have them killed. They’re wealthy pieces of s***,” he reportedly wrote of his in-laws, suggesting class resentment may also have informed blue-collar Serafini’s hatred of his in-laws. Also noteworthy is that the email was written back in 2012, the same year he and Erin tied the knot.

Wendy Wood eventually recovered from her injuries – physically but not emotionally. Two years later, longing for her husband, she would take her own life.

The trial, which began May 19^th, will resume Thursday at 8:30 a.m.