Former MLB Player Danny Serafini Arrested for Alleged Involvement in Father-in-Law’s Murder
Lake Tahoe, California – Former Major League Baseball (MLB) player Danny (Dan) Serafini has been arrested on Friday for his alleged involvement in the murder of his father-in-law, Robert Gray Spohr. Along with Serafini, Samantha Scott, 33, was also arrested and charged with the murder of Spohr and attempted murder of his wife, Wendy Wood.
According to information provided by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Serafini is the victims’ son-in-law. Sergeant David Smith stated that the suspects knew each other, but did not provide further details about their relationship.
Law enforcement agents collaborated to apprehend Serafini in Winnemucca, Nevada, while Scott was taken into custody at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Currently, Serafini is detained in Humboldt County Jail on charges of being a fugitive from justice, and Scott is being held in Clark County Detention Center on charges of being a fugitive from another state.
Formal charges of murder and attempted murder have not yet been filed against the defendants. The arrest comes after two years of investigation into the case, although the motive for the crime remains undisclosed by authorities.
The incident unfolded on June 5, 2021, when officers responded to a call from a residence in Homewood, a neighborhood in North Lake Tahoe. Upon arrival, they discovered Spohr’s lifeless body with a gunshot wound. His wife was also shot but survived, eventually passing away a year later for reasons yet to be determined.
During the early stages of the investigation, surveillance camera footage from the victims’ house and West Lake Boulevard captured images of a hooded man with his face covered and a backpack walking towards the residence several hours before the homicide occurred. PCSO detectives, in collaboration with the district attorney’s office, tirelessly gathered information and evidence over the past two years, leading to the identification of Serafini and Scott as suspects. The statement from the sheriff’s office indicates that the suspects and victims were acquainted with each other.
No further information about Serafini and Scott’s relationship has been revealed. Erin Serafini, Danny’s wife at the time of the incident, had previously offered a reward of $150,000 for any leads that would help authorities apprehend the murderer or murderers.
As of now, no new statements have emerged from Erin following the recent arrest. Serafini, who played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies, according to MLB.com, retired in 2007.