Former major league pitcher Danny Serafini has been charged with the 2021 shooting that left one relative dead and another injured.
Authorities in Placer County, Calif., said Serafini, 49, and 33-year-old Samantha Scott each face one charge of murder and one of attempted murder. Serafini was taken into custody Friday in Winnemucca, Nev., and Scott was arrested in Las Vegas.
The victims in the June 5, 2021, case were Robert Gary Spohr, 70, who was found dead in a home in North Lake Tahoe, Calif., from a single gunshot. Also shot was his wife, Wendy Wood Spohr, then 68, who recovered from the injures but died the following year, per a sheriff’s office news release.
Serafini was a son-in-law of the Spohrs, and a sheriff’s spokesperson said Scott also was acquainted with the couple.
As of Friday, Serafini and Scott were awaiting extradition to Placer County.
According to the sheriff’s office, video surveillance from the home and surrounding area showed a man wearing a hood, face covering and a backpack walking to the Spohrs’ home before the homicide. Information gathered during the two-year investigation led them to Serafini and Scott.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick on the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
