HOMEWOOD, Calif — Former MLB pitcher Danny Serafini is now back in California a week after he was arrested in Nevada on suspicion of killing his father-in-law.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office tweeted out a video Friday of Serafini’s arrival in Placer County.
Serafini’s return to California marks the start of the next phase of the case against him in the 2021 killing of Robert Spohr and shooting of Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood.
The couple’s daughter, Adrienne Spohr, told ABC10 earlier this week the deadly shooting was a “heinous, calculated crime.” She said Samantha Scott – the other person arrested last week in connection with the case – was her sister’s close friend.
CASE HISTORY
The sheriff's office responded to a call around 10 p.m. June 5, 2021, at a home in Homewood, which is in North Lake Tahoe.
Upon arrival, officers found 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr dead in his living room from a gunshot wound. Wendy Wood was also shot, but she was taken to a hospital where she eventually recovered.
The sheriff's office says Wood died the following year, but not from her injuries in the shooting. The family confirmed to ABC10 that Wood died by suicide and they hold her alleged shooter responsible for her death.
WHO IS DANNY SERAFINI?
Serafini is a former MLB baseball pitcher. The 49-year-old was drafted in the first round of the 1992 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, according to his MLB website profile.
In 2007, MLB suspended him for 50 games for failing a performance-enhancing drug test, according to an ESPN report at the time.
He also played for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
The former pitcher was also featured in season four of Paramount's Bar Rescue in an episode titled "Take Me Out of the Bar Game," where Jon Taffer worked to transform Serafini's bar, The Bullpen, into a success. According to the show, Serafini lost his $14 million fortune in a series of bad investments and a bitter divorce settlement. He said he was $300,000 in debt at the time of the show, which aired in June 2015.
Serafini attended Serra High School in San Mateo, the same school as Barry Bonds. He told SF Gate in 2007 that he would throw batting practice to Bonds in the off-season.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Former MLB pitcher Danny Serafini was arrested on suspicion of killing his father-in-law
