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Ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini gets life in prison for shooting in-laws

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Published  February 28, 2026 11:22am CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX Local
article

11 Jul 1998: Pitcher Daniel Serafini #16 of the Minnesota Twins winds up for the pitch during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Daniel Serafini, who pitched for 11 years in the MLB, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his father-in-law and attempting to kill his mother-in-law in 2021. 
    • Prosecutors painted Serafini as someone who hated his wife’s wealthy parents, and was reportedly willing to pay $20,000 to have them killed.
    • Serafini maintained his innocence during the sentencing hearing.

Former MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2021 shooting of his wife’s parents in Lake Tahoe. 

Here’s the latest: 

Serafini sentenced

A court on Friday sentenced Serafini, 51, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was convicted in July 2025 of first-degree murder of his father-in-law, Gary Spohr, attempted murder of his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, and first-degree burglary. Spohr was killed and Wood survived, though she died a year after the shooting.

What they're saying:

"The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence," Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a statement. 

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The other side:

Serafini’s lawyer has not commented following his sentencing, but Serafini maintained his innocence during the sentencing hearing, MyNews4 reports. 

He told the court he was out partying with his wife the night of the shooting, describing himself as a "broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes."

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Prosecutors painted Serafini as a man who hated his wife’s wealthy parents. Someone reportedly overheard Serafini say he was willing to pay $20,000 to have them killed, the Sacramento Bee reports. During his trial, jurors reviewed angry emails and text messages between Serafini and his in-laws.

Serafini’s career

The backstory:

Serafini, a left-hander, was first drafted to MLB in 1992 by the Minnesota Twins. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies throughout his 11-year MLB career.

What's next:

Serafini will serve his sentence at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, prosecutors said. 

The Source: This report includes information from MyNews4, the Sacramento Bee and The Associated Press. 

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