Dan Serafini Sentenced to Life in Prison: Former MLB Pitcher Convicted of Murdering Father-in-Law in Lake Tahoe Ambush
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday, February 27, 2026, for the 2021 murder of his father-in-law and the attempted murder of his mother-in-law at their Lake Tahoe home. The Daniel Serafini case, which captured national attention for its calculated brutality and financial motive, ended with a Placer County judge delivering the maximum sentence available under California law.
Who Is Dan Serafini? The MLB Career Before the Crime
Dan Serafini pitched for six MLB teams during a 22-year professional career that ended in 2013, including the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies. Dan Serafini was a first-round pick in the 1992 MLB Draft at the age of 18. His professional baseball career spanned over two decades before his life took a catastrophic turn tied to money, resentment, and ultimately murder.
The Crime: Dan Serafini Ambushed In-Laws in Lake Tahoe Home
On the day of the murder, prosecutors alleged Serafini snuck into the Spohr home wearing a black hoodie and white mask, with a hidden .22 caliber gun, and waited while they were by the lake with his wife Erin and their two grandsons. Serafini ambushed his in-laws in their Lake Tahoe home, shooting them both in the head after hiding in a closet with a gun for three hours. Gary Spohr, 70, was killed. Wendy Wood survived the shooting but died approximately one year later.
A nanny named Samantha Scott, with whom Serafini was having an affair, testified against him as part of a deal in which she pleaded guilty to being an accessory. She testified that she drove Serafini to the crime scene, believing it was for a drug deal. Scott also testified that she saw Serafini with a gun and a silencer made of PVC pipe in his backpack and that she dropped him off near the Spohr home and later saw him discard items from his backpack after they crossed the Nevada state line.
What Motivated Dan Serafini? A $23 Million Fortune and Deep Financial Resentment
The deadly attack was motivated by a $1.3 million loan intended for his wife's horse ranch business and the couple's $23 million fortune. Adrienne Spohr revealed that the victims had provided Serafini and his wife with approximately $2.5 million in just five years while Serafini himself worked at a mine making $28 an hour.
In one of the most damning details of the entire Daniel Serafini case, Adrienne told the court: "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." Prosecutors showed jurors transcripts of angry emails and text messages between Serafini and his in-laws, as well as testimony that he told friends he would pay $20,000 to have them killed before deciding to carry out the act himself.
The Sentence: Life Without Parole — Two Life Sentences Served Consecutively
Serafini was handed life sentences for the murder charges and 25 years to life for burglary — all to be served consecutively. Placer County Superior Court Judge Garen J. Horst called Serafini a "liar, manipulator, arrogant, and someone who has a loose relationship with the truth." The judge also dismissed Serafini's final motion for a new trial on the grounds of ineffective counsel just one week before sentencing.
In his three days of testimony in support of his retrial motion, Serafini testified to committing insurance fraud, lying to investigators, frequent drug use, selling drugs, heading up a faction of White inmates in jail, and having a restraining order placed against him by his first wife. The judge noted the testimony made it abundantly clear why his attorney chose not to put him on the stand during the original trial.
Serafini Maintains Innocence at Sentencing — Family Reacts With Relief
At his sentencing hearing, Dan Serafini addressed the court and continued to deny the charges. He told the court: "I am far from perfect, but I am no murderer. We live in a society that lacks compassion and empathy. A society that sadly thrives on hearing the misfortunes of others. I sit before you today, a broken man, humiliated, embarrassed, angry, and sad. But I am not a murderer. I am a survivor, but I am no murderer."
The Spohr family reacted with relief and resolve. Adrienne Spohr told reporters outside the Historic Auburn Courthouse: "Dan Serafini executed my dad and left my mom to die. My mom fought with everything she could and did not let Dan Serafini win. Dan Serafini is finally being held accountable and will spend the rest of his life behind bars." Adrienne Spohr also said at sentencing: "He is a monster who knows no moral boundaries and has zero reservations about taking the lives of others to benefit himself."
What Comes Next for Daniel Serafini
Serafini will serve his sentence at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His estranged wife Erin Spohr, who filed for divorce last year, did not appear in court but reportedly asked the judge to show leniency in his sentencing. With all motions for a new trial denied and life without parole now formally imposed, the Daniel Serafini case is closed — and the former MLB pitcher will spend every remaining day of his life behind bars.
