A former Major League Baseball pitcher was arrested for a 2021 shooting that left his father-in-law dead and his mother-in-law hospitalized.
Danny Serafini, 49, was picked up by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the draft in 1992, and went on to play for several other teams before retiring in 2007. The Placer County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) said Serafini was arrested in Nevada Friday for the murder of 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of 68-year-old Wendy Wood.
Also arrested was 33-year-old Samantha Scott, who police said knew Serafini and the victims. A spokesperson said she was possibly a nanny to the family, according to CNN.
Placer County Sheriff's Office
The shooting incident happened on June 5, 2021 at a residence in Homewood, California, a neighborhood in North Lake Tahoe near the Nevada border. Officers responding to a 911 call from the home found Spohr dead from a gunshot wound. His wife, Wood, was also shot and taken to a nearby hospital, where she recovered. Wood passed away a year later.
Video surveillance gathered in the early stages of the murder investigation showed a hooded male wearing a face covering and backpack walking to the home hours before the homicide.
"PCSO detectives have worked tirelessly over the course of the past two years, devoting countless hours of follow up by detectives, along with the DA's Office. The information and evidence detectives gathered led them to identify Serafini and Scott as the suspects," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo praised the work of detectives and the district attorney's office for identifying the suspects.
"Today, justice was served. The apprehension of those responsible for the tragic events that unfolded in Homewood, North Lake Tahoe in 2021 stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication of our detectives, law enforcement partners, and the persistence of our pursuit of truth," Woo said in a press release. "Understand that my team's commitment to unraveling the most complex of cases prevails, and those who inflict harm upon our community will be held accountable every time."
The sheriff's office said it is awaiting Serafini's and Scott's extradition from Nevada into Placer County.
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