1 Mistake by His Mistress Landed Ex-MLB Player Daniel Serafini in Prison for Murder

It took authorities more than two years to arrest Daniel Serafini for the murder of his father-in-law, Gary Spohr, and the attempted murder of his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood — but the key evidence that ultimately led to his conviction surfaced much earlier.

That evidence came from Samantha Scott, Serafini’s accomplice-turned-mistress, who later agreed to testify against him as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid facing the same charges herself.

Investigators first questioned Scott in November 2021 during a search of her home. Cell phone records placed her near the Homewood, Calif., residence of Spohr and Wood on the day of the shootings. Those records became central to building the case against Serafini.

Prosecutors noted that Serafini had turned off his phone that day — unusual for him, as he typically sent more than 100 text messages daily — but Scott left her phone on, allowing investigators to place her just over a mile from the crime scene. Surveillance footage from a motel in Elko, Nev., further connected them, showing both had stayed there the night before the attack.

When Scott told Serafini about the search at her home, he admitted to shooting Wood twice in the head at point-blank range. She later used this confession to negotiate a reduced charge of accessory. Scott testified about the conversation during Serafini’s six-week trial, which ended on July 14 with a jury convicting the former Major League Baseball player of murder and attempted murder.

Serafini and Scott are now awaiting sentencing. Serafini faces a possible life term, while Scott could receive credit for time served.

According to prosecutors, Serafini carried out the attack after Scott dropped him near the victims’ $3.5 million Lake Tahoe home. He allegedly entered while the victims were out on a boat with his wife, Erin Spohr, and their two young sons. With three cars in the driveway, no sign of forced entry, and nothing stolen, investigators concluded the shooter likely knew the victims.

Authorities believe the motive was financial — to gain access to the couple’s $23 million estate, which would have been split between their two daughters, Erin and Adrienne. Erin ultimately received none of that inheritance; Wood disinherited her before dying by suicide in February 2023, nearly two years after surviving the shooting.

Erin still owns half of the Lake Tahoe home, which her parents had placed in a trust for her in 2017. She continues to stand by her husband, even as she, Serafini, and Scott face a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Adrienne four months before Serafini’s arrest.