An ex-MLB pitcher Danny Serafini was arrested this week in Nevada following a two-year investigation into the 2021 murder and attempted murder of his reported father-in-law and mother-in-law, People reports.
According to the report by People, Danny Serafini, a former first-round draft pick for the Minnesota Twins, was arrested by authorities Friday in Winnemucca, Nevada, in connection with the June 2021 murder of 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of 68-year-old Wendy Wood, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office in California shared to Facebook.
Danny Serafini, 49, was arrested the same day as suspect Samantha Scott, 33, who was apprehended in Las Vegas.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office noted in its post that the arrests come two years and four months after Spohr was found shot dead in his North Lake Tahoe home, while his wife Wood “was taken to a nearby hospital where she recovered from her injuries.” She died a year later.
As police note, the “early stages” of the investigation had authorities looking at the home’s “video surveillance,” leaving them with footage of “a hooded male wearing a face-covering and a backpack walking to the residence several hours before the homicide occurred.”
“Since then, 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 sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.
“The information and evidence detectives gathered led them to identify Serafini and Scott as the suspects; both suspects are known to each other and to the victims.”
As the office noted, Serafini and Scott’s will next be extradited from Nevada to California.
“Today, justice was served,” Sheriff Wayne Woo shared in a statement. “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.”
“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,” Woo added.
Citing Sgt. David Smith of the sheriff’s office, NBC News reports that Serafini is the son-in-law of both victims.
Scott is listed on Clark County Detention Center records as being charged as a fugitive from another state. NBC notes that Serafini is listed as an inmate at the Humboldt County Detention Center and is being charged as a fugitive from justice.
The former MLB relief pitcher spent seven seasons in the league, where he played for the Twins, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, according to the outlet.