Former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, Danny Serafini, was arrested on Friday, October 20, 2023, in Winnemucca, Nevada, after an extensive two-year criminal investigation.
He is connected to the murder in 2021 of a 70-year-old man and the attempted murder of his 68-year-old wife in North Lake Tahoe, California, Serafini’s in-laws.
Authorities from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office in California shared details surrounding the case. In June 2021, the male victim, Robert Gary Spohr, was discovered shot dead in his home in North Lake Tahoe. The female victim, identified as Wendy Wood, was critically injured and taken to a nearby hospital for medical care. She managed to recover from her injuries but passed away a year later.
Serafini, 49, is married to the couple’s daughter.
Investigative teams had initially centered their efforts on examining video surveillance from the house, which showed a male figure, hooded and wearing a face covering and a backpack, approaching the house hours before the incident. Placer County Sheriff’s Office revealed in their Facebook post that detectives devoted numerous hours over the last two years in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, to gather evidence and information about the case.
As a result of their thorough investigation, Serafini was identified as a key suspect along with Samantha Scott, 33, who was arrested the same day in Las Vegas. Both individuals were known to each other.
Serafini and Scott are expected to be extradited from Nevada back to California.
Formerly a first-round draft pick for the Minnesota Twins, Serafini played as a relief pitcher for several MLB teams during his career, including the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies. In light of his prominent past in the world of sports, his connection to this particular case has shocked many.
Records from Clark County Detention Center show that Scott is currently facing charges as a fugitive from another state. Similarly, Serafini is listed as an inmate at the Humboldt County Detention Center and is facing charges as a fugitive from justice. As the judicial proceedings advance, more details will emerge, shedding light on this unexpected turn of events involving a former MLB player.