Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini, a first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 1992 draft, was arrested on Friday in connection to the June 2021 murder of his father-in-law, Robert Gary Spohr, and attempted murder of his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood.
News 4 reports that Serafini, 49, was taken into custody in Winnemucca, Nevada during the early morning hours on Friday. The 33-year-old Samantha Scott was also arrested in connection to the murder.
Both Serafini and Scott are awaiting extradition back to Placer County, California.
“After a lengthy two-year investigation involving Placer County Sheriff’s detectives and the District Attorney’s Office, 49-year-old Danny Serafini and 33-year-old Samantha Scott were arrested this morning in Nevada for the 2021 Homewood murder of 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of 68-year-old Wendy Wood,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, via the New York Post.
“PCSO detectives assisted in the apprehension of Serafini in Winnemucca, NV and also assisted in the apprehension of Scott in Las Vegas, NV. We thank the U.S. Marshal Service Reno Office, U.S. Marshal’s Nevada Violent Offender Task Force (Las Vegas), Winnemucca Police Department, and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office with the arrests.”
On the morning of June 5, 2021, officers responded to the home of Spohr and Wood after reports of shots fired. Upon their arrival, they found Spohr deceased as the result of a single gunshot wound, and Wood injured due to multiple gunshot wounds. She was rushed to a local hospital and a made full recovery but committed suicide less than one year later.
At the time, police released surveillance videos of the suspect wearing face coverings and a black hoodie. The suspect had waited in the home for nearly five hours before Spohr and Wood returned.
In addition to the Twins, Serafini spent time with five other clubs during his 12-year MLB career. He compiled a record of 15-16 with a 6.04 ERA. Serafini last pitched in 2007 when he was suspended 50 games for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
