Former MLB player, Serra High star Daniel Serafini gets life in prison without parole for 2021 murder – The Mercury News
AUBURN – Former MLB shortstop Daniel Serafini, a star at San Mateo’s Serra High, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole in the 2021 shooting death of his wife’s parents during a burglary at their Lake Tahoe home, authorities said.
Serafini, 51, 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 burglary. Spohr was killed and Wood survived, although he died a year after the shooting.
Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a statement Friday that Spohr and Wood were loving grandparents and that Serafini’s crimes deeply affected family members and friends.
“The impact of these attacks has gone beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and communities at large, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by intentional violence,” Gire said.
Serafini’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
During his sentencing hearing, Serafini spoke to the court and ended up being innocent, according to MyNews4. He said he had been out partying with his wife the night of the incident and described himself as “a broken, imperfect man who makes mistakes.”
Serafini graduated from Serra High in 1992 and was drafted shortly thereafter by the Minnesota Twins. In a career that spanned 11 years, the lefty played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.
Serafini played in 42 games (four starts) for the Cubs in 1999, going 3-2 with a 6.93 ERA and one save. In 104 career appearances, he was 15-16 with a 6.04 ERA.
Prosecutors say Serafini hated his wife’s wealthy parents and was heard saying he was willing to pay $20,000 to have them killed, according to the Sacramento Bee. Prosecutors showed jurors transcripts of angry emails and text messages between Serafini and his in-laws.
During the six-week trial, Serafini’s attorney David Dratman argued that there was no physical evidence linking his client to the crime scene. He told the judge that although Serafini had a bad relationship with his in-laws, he had no reason to kill them.
After his conviction, Serafini filed several motions for a new trial, but they were denied.
Serafini will serve his sentence at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
Serafini pitched in Japan from 2004-07 before returning to the U.S. He was suspended 50 games in 2007 for using performance-enhancing drugs that he blamed on drugs he took in Japan. He also pitched for Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
On June 28, 2015, Serafini’s bar in Sparks, Nev., was featured on an episode of Bar Rescue. The bar’s name was changed from The Bullpen Bar to The Oak Tavern as part of the transition, but not before his financial problems were described as violent with $14 million in cash and taking out a $250,000 loan from his parents.
