Former MLB player suspected in father-in-law’s Tahoe killing flown back to Placer County

LAKE TAHOE — A former Major League Baseball player is now in custody in Placer County in connection with his father-in-law’s Lake Tahoe murder.

Danny Serafini was arrested in Winnemucca, Nevada last week while his alleged accomplice, Samantha Scott, was arrested. Scott is still in Las Vegas awaiting transport to Northern California.

Serafini and Scott are charged in connection with the execution-style murder of 70-year-old Robert Spohr in his Tahoe home in 2021. Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood, was shot twice in the head and survived but has since passed away.

The case went cold despite widely circulated video of a hooded-masked suspect entering the home.

The couple’s youngest daughter, Adrienne Spohr, pleaded for help in finding her parents’ killer last year.

Then, this summer, on the two-year anniversary of her parents’ murder, Adrianne sued her older sister Erin in civil court alleging she and her husband, Danny Serafini, knew who shot their parents.

Now, four months later, Placer County detectives have arrested Serafini and Scott, a former nanny, in connection with the murders.

Serafini is a former MLB pitcher who discussed money problems on a reality show with Erin eight years ago.

Erin Spohr has not been charged in connection with the murders. She countersued her little sister alleging she manipulated their mother to cut her out of the estate before her death.

The search warrants and arrest warrants are sealed, so details on the evidence are still limited. We expect to learn more when Serafini is arraigned next week, likely on Halloween.