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Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini, who was sentenced to life in prison, insists he is innocent in the 2021 murder of his in-laws.
Serafini did a recent interview with “Dateline,” where the ex-Minnesota Twins hurler claimed to Keith Morrison that he was not the one who killed Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood five years ago.
“I don’t get it at all,” Serafini told Morrison. “I believed in the justice system. And the justice system failed.”
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Minnesota Twins pitcher Dan Serafini poses for the camera on Photo Day during spring training at Hammond Stadium at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. (Getty)
Serafini was accused of surprising Spohr and Wood in their Lake Tahoe, California, home in 2021, murdering them in the belief that he would acquire a portion of their fortune through his then-wife, Erin Spohr.
Prosecutors said Serafini had snuck into the Lake Tahoe home while the couple was out on the lake. He allegedly hid in a closet with a gun for several hours awaiting their return.
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When they returned, Serafini allegedly shot them both in the head, but Wood survived after being left for dead. However, she died by suicide in 2023.
Serafini was eventually found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder as well as first-degree burglary in 2025 after a trial that lasted weeks. In February, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Circumstantial case, and I think the circumstantial stuff that they had, they just made up a story. They had no evidence, nothing,” he told Morrison.
Dan Serafini of Italy delivers a pitch during a World Baseball Classic game against Canada at the Rogers Center in Toronto on March 9, 2009. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Serafini also felt the jury disliked him for the way he behaved in court, although he claims he was just following his lawyers’ advice.
“They just didn’t like me, they didn’t like my lifestyle,” Serafini explained. “They didn’t like the way I behaved in court, that I didn’t act in any way. I sat there as I had to because my lawyers told me to [not] respond, [not] respond. “Sit there like nothing’s bothering you.” And I did. And I was crucified for it.”
The full “Dateline” special with Serafini airs Friday night.
Dan Serafini #50 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 11, 2003. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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A first-round draft pick of the Twins in 1992, Serafini eventually made his major league debut in 1996. He allowed five runs on seven hits, including a home run, and two walks across 4.1 innings.
Serafini also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies during his seven years in the major leagues.
