Tahoe couple shot by former MLB player son-in-law Dan Serafini during burglary with accomplice, court docs say

By Tamara Richter

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    PLACER COUNTY, California (KCRA) — Court documents allege former Major League Baseball player Dan Serafini shot and killed his father-in-law and shot his mother-in-law during a home burglary in 2021.

Serafini and Samantha Scott were arrested in connection with the June 5, 2021, shooting of Robert Gary Spohr, 70, and his wife Wendy Wood, 68, at the couple’s Homewood home. Spohr died at the scene and Wood died earlier this year after having relearned how to walk, talk and eat.

A newly released criminal complaint filed in Placer County Superior Court on Oct. 18 alleges Serafini used a .22 caliber firearm in the murder. He is also facing charges of special circumstances for lying in wait.

Serafini and Scott are both accused of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of Wood. The documents allege the attempted murder was “willful, deliberate and premeditated.”

According to the documents, Serafini and Scott are also accused of burglary. The documents allege they unlawfully entered the home and trailer coach of Spohr and Wood with the intent to commit theft.

The documents also shed light on allegations of child endangerment that Serafini also faces. The two children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were put in some kind of danger, mental or physical, in connection with the crime, according to the documents.

Last week, Serafini was extradited from Nevada to California. He was picked up in Humboldt County, Nevada, and booked into the Auburn jail, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said on Friday. He is set to be arraigned on Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.

Scott, the other suspect in the case who authorities said had a close connection to the family, is still awaiting extradition, according to the sheriff’s office.

Serafini previously pitched in the majors from 1996 to 2007 and played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.

Serafini’s career in the MLB ended after he was suspended for 50 games after the 2007 season for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

He was later featured in 2015 on an episode of the TV show “Bar Rescue,” which portrayed him as a bar owner in serious financial trouble.

According to a promotional video for the show, Serafini had lost $14 million through a series of bad investments and a divorce settlement before convincing his parents to take out a $240,000 loan against their house to buy The Bullpen bar. The show said that when their consultants got involved he was $300,000 in debt.

“Bar Rescue” reported that sales increased after the consultation and publicity, but the bar ultimately closed a few years later.

Serafini is married to Erin Spohr, who has been battling in court over a multi-million dollar inheritance with her sister, Adrienne Spohr, since their parents’ deaths.

Erin Spohr has accused Adrienne of elder abuse and claimed that she manipulated their mother when she was vulnerable after the shooting.

Adrienne Spohr has filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing her sister Erin of involvement in her parents’ deaths, along with Serafini.

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