Ex-MLB Player Found Guilty of Murdering Father-in-Law After $1.3 Million Dispute

Daniel Serafini, an ex-Major League Baseball pitcher whose time in the league included stints with the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago Cubs, has been found guilty of murder.

The 51-year-old’s verdict came in on Monday following a six-week trial, per a press release from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office. All told, Serafini was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder In connection with what prosecutors described as a “horrific attack” on his in-laws, Robert Spohr and Wendy Wood.

Spohr was found dead, while Wood was seriously injured from gunshot wounds, when authorities responded to a Tahoe City call in 2021. Serafini’s sentencing is set for next month.

According to ABC News, citing prosecutors, Serafini inside the Tahoe City residence with a .22 caliber gun for approximately three hours before making a move. Children, including one as young as eight months, are said to have also been home at the time.

A financial disagreement was argued to be crucial to the events leading up to the attack, as detailed by prosecutors during Serafini’s trial. Per FOX 40, emails shown during the proceedings included mention of an alleged $1.3 million disute, as well as threats of violence from Serafini.

In addition to murder, Serafini was found guilty of first-degree burglary. He was arrested in October 2023 following a lengthy investigation into the attack. Although Wood initially survived being shot, she later died by suicide. Meanwhile, another defendant, Samantha Scott, entered a guilty plea in connection with the case earlier this year.