Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini was convicted of first-degree murder of his father-in-law and attempted murder of his mother-in-law during a $1.3 million financial dispute by a California court on Monday (July 14) ABC News reports.
Serafini, 51, who was later accused of having an alleged affair with his family's nanny, Samantha Scott, was found guilty for the shooting death of Robert Gary Spohr, 70, and the attempted murder of Spohr's wife, Wendy Wood, as well as first-degree burglary on June 5, 2021. Security footage showed a hooded figure arrive at the Spohr's home three hours before anyone called 911, with prosecutors claiming the former pitcher secretly waited inside the house with a .22 caliber gun prior to the attack.
Two young children, reported to be ages 3 and 8 months, were present inside the house at the time of the shooting. Wood survived the shooting, but died by suicide in 2023, which her family claimed was caused by trauma sustained during the incident.
Serafini was reported to have written "I'm gonna kill them one day" in text messages mentioning $21,000 and the case was reported to be centered around a $1.3 million dispute regarding a ranch renovation project. The victims reportedly gave Serafini's wife $90,000 on the day of the shootings.
Scott, 33, had previously pleaded guilty to being an accessory in February 2025 prior to being revealed as Serafini's lover in court documents three months later. Serafini was on six different MLB teams during 1996 to 2007 and had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and 127 strikeouts.