Former professional baseball player, Dan Serafini, is set to stand trial for the alleged murder of his father-in-law, Gary Spohr, and the attempted murder of Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood. The incident occurred at the couple’s home in Lake Tahoe, California, in 2021. Court records indicate that Serafini was purportedly engaged in an affair with the family’s nanny, Samantha Scott, at the time of the incident.
Scott, 35, is anticipated to testify against Serafini, 51, during the trial. Both were apprehended simultaneously after Scott was implicated in driving Serafini to his in-laws’ residence on the night of the fatal shooting. Scott, who agreed to a plea deal earlier this year, admitted to having a “flirtatious, romantic relationship” with Serafini prior to the incident, as per court records.
The night before the shooting, Scott alleged that she and Serafini spent the evening drinking at a casino hotel in Elko, Nevada. Their text messages are set to be used as evidence during the trial. Prosecutors are of the belief that the motive behind the murder was a longstanding family disagreement over financial matters.
Wendy Wood initially survived the shooting but tragically ended her own life in 2023. Serafini, who played for six different teams from 1996 to 2007, is married to the couple’s daughter, Erin Spohr. Erin, the mother of Serafini’s two children, is expected to testify in his defense.
Prosecutors allege that surveillance footage shows a hooded Serafini surreptitiously entering his in-laws’ home hours before the attack. He is accused of concealing himself in the house before allegedly initiating the shooting. Deputies responding to the incident found Gary Spohr dead from a gunshot wound, while his wife had been shot at least twice.
The couple’s other daughter, Adrienne Spohr, expressed that her mother never fully recovered from the incident. “She missed my dad terribly and was never able to comfortably live again in her home,” she said. Scott pleaded guilty to being an accessory to a felony in connection with the deadly ambush. Her sentencing date is yet to be determined.