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Former MLB Pitcher Dan Serafini Sentenced to Life Without Parole for 2021 In-Laws Ambush

The punishment reflects special-circumstance findings of lying in wait following the rejection of his new-trial bid.

Overview

  • Placer County Judge Garen J. Horst imposed the sentence for the murder of Robert Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of Wendy Wood at the couple’s Homewood, Lake Tahoe residence.
  • A July 2025 jury also convicted Serafini of first-degree burglary and found firearm and special-circumstance allegations, including lying in wait and felony murder, to be true.
  • Prosecutors said Serafini entered the home on June 5, 2021, hid with a .22-caliber firearm, and shot both victims when they returned from a boating outing.
  • Wood survived the initial attack but later died by suicide during recovery, and relatives delivered victim impact statements at sentencing describing lasting trauma.
  • Co-defendant Samantha Scott pleaded guilty to being an accessory and testified she drove Serafini to the area; the defense plans to appeal, and a March 16 court date will address restitution.