SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, February 27, Daniel Serafini was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
The 52-year-old San Francisco native went to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo and was a left-handed MLB pitcher for the following teams during these years: Minnesota Twins from 1996 to 1998, Chicago Cubs in 1999, San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000, Cincinnati Reds in 2003, Colorado Rockies in 2007.
On June 5, 2021, Serafini broke into his in-laws’ home at Homewood, California. He laid in wait for hours on end before shooting both in the head when they arrived home. Robert ‘Gary’ Spohr, 70, died at the scene, 68-year-old Wendy Wood survived with severe brain damage.
From 2022 to 2023, Wood required extensive rehabilitation, but she soon committed suicide in early 2023 about one to two years after the shooting occurred.
On October 20, 2023, Serafini was apprehended after a two-year investigation at Winnermucca, Nevada. His former nanny and mistress, Samantha Scott, was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada as well for her part in the murders.
In February 2025, Samantha Scott pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, and she later testified against Serafini. On July 14, 2025, a Placer County jury found Serafini guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.
According to prosecutors, he was about $300,000 in debt even though he made about $14 million during his 11 years with the MLB. Prior to this, he offered $20,000 to have a hit on the couple. During the sentencing phase, he said he was innocent because he was at a party with his spouse.
