What did Dan Serafini do? Former MLB pitcher facing murder charges for suspected involvement in father in law's killing

Over his seven year MLB career, pitcher Dan Serafini never gained much notoriety. Now, the retired reliever is gaining attention for all the wrong reasons.

On October 21, police in Placer County, California arrested the 49-year old in connection with a murder that occured more than two years ago. On June 5, 2021 Robert Gary Spohr and his wife Wendy, 70 and 68 respectively, were mysteriously shot dead at their Lake Tahoe home.

"Ex-MLB pitcher Danny Serafini arrested in connection to 2021 murder" - Daily Pinpoint

Robert and Gary were the parents of Serafini's ex-wife, Erin. At the time of the murder, Robert's daughter Adrienne claimed that they were unaware of the identity of the perpetrator.

A first round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in 1992, Dan Serafini spent the first three years of his MLB career pitching in the Twin Cities. He retired in 2007 after receiving a 50-game suspension for steroid use.

Dan Serafini was arrested in tandem with a woman by the name of Samantha Scott, 33. At the time of the arrest, the pair were in Las Vegas, but have since been extradited to Placer County.

While the case is far from solved, some very damning facts point to Serafini. According to multiple sources, the 49-year old was in dire financial straights, having racked up debts of $14 million, owing to "bad investments and a messy divorce."

Owing to his Italian heritage, Serafini represented Italy at both the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic tournaments. He retired from MLB after spending the 2007 season with the Colorado Rockies, pitching just 0.1 innings after a five-year hiatus from the big leagues. During his time away from MLB, Serafini pitched for NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines.

"TONIGHT AT 10 @FOX40 A daughter is offering $150,000 to anyone who can identify the person who killed her father Robert "Gary" Spohr and who tried to kill her mother, Wendy Wood" - Zach Boetto

While Gary Spohr was killed on site, Wendy was injured in the encounter. According to reports, she took her own life several months later at a nursing home.

Dan Serafini could be the biggest MLB-related scandal in a long time

From Yankees pitcher Domingo German's domestic abuse to Tampa Bay Rays' star Wander Franco's alledged relationship with a minor, 2023 has seen no shortage of scandal. However, Dan Serafini's charges top everything else. While many facts still need to be uncovered in this grizzly tale, Serafini's case is not looking good at the moment.