Ex-MLB Pitcher Dan Serafini Arrested in Connection to 2021 Murder

The former Minnesota Twins pitcher was one of two arrested in connection to the case.

Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini was arrested in Nevada on Friday on suspicion of shooting his father-in-law to death, according to the Placer County (Calif.) Sheriff’s office.

Serafini, 49, and Samantha Scott, 33, were arrested separately following a two-year homicide investigation of a Lake Tahoe-area murder.

On June 5, 2021, authorities found Robert Gray Spohr, 70, dead from a gunshot and his wife, Wendy Wood, 68, injured with two shots to her head. According to the couple’s daughter, Adrianne Spohr, Wood was able to regain her consciousness and called 911, but she took her own life less than a year later, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“She couldn’t handle it, the loss,” Spohr told the Chronicle. “She missed my dad like crazy.”

Serafini was the couple’s son-in-law, having married their daughter, Erin. He is expected to be charged with the murder of Spohr and the attempted murder of Wood.

The Placer County Sheriff’s department said police used surveillance video from Spohr’s and Wood’s home to help identify the suspect.

“Today, justice was served,” Placer County sheriff Wayne Woo said in a statement. “The apprehension of those responsible for the tragic events that unfolded in Homewood, North Lake Tahoe in 2021 stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication of our detectives, law enforcement partners, and the persistence of our pursuit of truth.”

Serafini was apprehended in the northwest Nevada town of Winnemucca, and Scott was arrested hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas.

Serafini was selected by the Twins in the first round of the 1992 MLB draft, and he subsequently played three seasons for Minnesota. The left-handed relief pitcher also spent time with the Cubs, Padres, Pirates and Rockies and he had a three-year stint in the Nippon Baseball League. He ended his career playing in the independent Atlantic League and the Mexican League. 

After Serafini retired, he opened The Bullpen Bar in Sparks, Nev., an establishment which became known for being featured on Spike TV’s Bar Rescue.