Wild details emerge as former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini set for Lake Tahoe murder trial

In October 2023, former big-league pitcher Dan Serafini was arrested in connection with the Lake Tahoe murder of his father-in-law Gary Spohr. Serafini will soon go on trial.

Serafini was arrested in Winnemucca with his associate, Samantha Scott, arrested in Las Vegas with the help of U.S. Marshals. Spohr was murdered in 2021 with his wife, Wendy Wood, also taking gunshot wounds to the head and wrist. Wood survived but later hung herself in 2023. Adrienne Spohr, Gary's daughter, said Wood never fully recovered from the attack. Erin Spohr, Adrienne's sister, remains married to Serafini and is set to testify in his defense.

Police said the incident was not random because the assailant entered the home earlier in the day and waited for the couple to return home before opening fire. Jury selection on Serafini's trial began this week with Scott pleading guilty in February to being an accessory to a felony after giving Serafini a ride on the day of the shooting. Investigators found video surveillance footage from Spohr's home that showed a man wearing a hoodie and a face cover that is believed to be Serafini.

More details from the murder, per reporting from the Daily Mail, have surfaced since our last update, including:

* Serafini was allegedly having an affair with Scott, who was the family's nanny. She is scheduled to testify against him after taking a plea.

* Scott claims she spent the night before the murder with Serafini at a "seedy" casino in Elko where they had a lengthy boozing session.

* Prosecutors argue the murder was over a decade-long family feud in regard to money (Serafini allegedly lost most of his MLB money on the Sparks bar, Bullpen, that appeared on a 2015 episode of Bar Rescue).

* Wood reportedly gave Erin Spohr a $90,000 check shortly before she and her husband were shot.

* There is an ongoing legal battle between Adrienne and Erin Spohr over the family will.

* Serafini married Erin Spohr in 2012 and they owned a $1.1 million five-bedroom property in Reno where they shared their two young children.

* The prosecution argues Serafini offered $20,000 to have his in-laws murdered in 2012 and later described them as "wealthy pieces of shit." In June 2021, he was allegedly overheard saying he wanted to kill them. Spohr was murdered June 5, 2021.

* Erin Spohr was seen visiting her parents on June 5, 2021 before saying goodbye at 7:45 p.m. An hour later, five gunshots were fired in rapid succession from inside the home and a masked man was seen leaving the property around 9 p.m. after entering around 5 p.m. Prosecutors allege Scott drove him to Tahoe City that day.

* Scott initially said she was in Elko that day but changed her story after cellphone pings placed her in Reno and Truckee. Her car also was captured on home surveillance footage near the Spohr residence.

* The defense plans to argue others had reason to kill Spohr and Wood, who they described as "nightmare neighbors" who had restraining orders at the time of the attack.

* Wood was convicted of attacking a man for fishing outside her home in 2018, and Spohr was involved in several court cases in the decade before his death. They also argue Adrienne benefitted financially from Spohr's death and she is currently dating a convicted bank robber.

Serafini faces murder and attempted murder charges and is stationed in South Placer County Jail. The trial is being held in Auburn, Calif., with Serafini facing life in prison if he is convicted. Opening statements in the trial are expected next week with the trial potentially running into July.

Serafini, now 51, pitched in the major leagues from 1996-2000, 2002-03 and 2007. He was born in San Francisco and appeared in 104 major-league games, going 15-16 with a 6.04 ERA during stints with the Twins, Cubs, Padres, Pirates, Reds and Rockies. He was a first-round draft pick in 1992 by Minnesota out of Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, Calif., and debuted in the big leagues at age 22 in 1996. He last pitched in the majors in 2007 and retired after throwing his last professional pitch in 2013.