ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL OTHER NEWS, CONVICTED KILLER AND FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHER DAN SERAFINI WILL NOT BE GETTING A NEW TRIAL. THE 52 YEAR OLD HAD BEEN PUSHING FOR THAT, CLAIMING THAT HE HAD INEFFECTIVE COUNSEL DURING HIS TRIAL LAST SUMMER. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF TESTIMONY, A JUDGE DENIED HIS REQUEST. SERAFINI IS NOW SET TO BE SENTENCED FOR
Placer County judge denies new trial for convicted killer, former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini
Updated: 10:49 PM PST Feb 20, 2026
Dan Serafini, a former Major League Baseball pitcher convicted of murder and attempted murder, will not be getting a new trial. His request was denied by a Placer County judge on Friday. Serafini had been fighting for a new trial, claiming he had ineffective counsel which led to him being convicted in July 2025 of shooting his in-laws Gary Spohr, 70, and Wendy Wood, 68 in 2021. Spohr died that day, while Wood survived her critical injuries but later died by suicide.Prosecutors said Serafini broke into their home in Homewood of Lake Tahoe while the couple was boating with their grandsons and daughter Erin Spohr, waiting in a closet until his family left and shooting them both in the head before 9 pm.| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Convicted killer, former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini testifies for third day on witness stand in fight for new trialPeople inside the courtroom Friday told KCRA 3 that 52-year-old Serafini was admonished by the judge, who during his ruling called him a “liar, manipulator, arrogant and someone who has a loose relationship with the truth.” Serafini will be sentenced next Friday and faces life in prison. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Dan Serafini, a former Major League Baseball pitcher convicted of murder and attempted murder, will not be getting a new trial. His request was denied by a Placer County judge on Friday.
Serafini had been fighting for a new trial, claiming he had ineffective counsel which led to him being convicted in July 2025 of shooting his in-laws Gary Spohr, 70, and Wendy Wood, 68 in 2021. Spohr died that day, while Wood survived her critical injuries but later died by suicide.
Prosecutors said Serafini broke into their home in Homewood of Lake Tahoe while the couple was boating with their grandsons and daughter Erin Spohr, waiting in a closet until his family left and shooting them both in the head before 9 pm.
| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Convicted killer, former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini testifies for third day on witness stand in fight for new trial
People inside the courtroom Friday told KCRA 3 that 52-year-old Serafini was admonished by the judge, who during his ruling called him a “liar, manipulator, arrogant and someone who has a loose relationship with the truth.”
Serafini will be sentenced next Friday and faces life in prison.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel