Opening statements are set to begin Monday in the trial of Dan Serafini, the former Major League Baseball pitcher accused of a 2021 Tahoe-area home burglary ambush that left his father-in-law dead.Jury selection began last week at the Auburn Historic Courthouse. Monday’s proceedings start at 1 p.m. Reporter Michelle Bandur will be in the courtroom as proceedings take place. See live updates from her below.Serafini is accused of hiding inside his in-laws’ Homewood home and fatally shooting Gary Spohr. He also allegedly attempted to kill his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood. Though she survived the attack, she killed herself in 2023. Her daughter Adrienne Spohr told KCRA 3 in a Friday statement that her mother “tried her best to adjust to this new reality” of life without her husband of 50 years. But she developed a deep depression.Adrienne Spohr, in the statement, blames Serafini for both her father’s death and her mother’s suicide. | RELATED | Who is Dan Serafini, the former MLB player accused in Tahoe-area murder case?Days after the June 2021 shooting, investigators discovered video surveillance footage from the home that showed a man wearing a hoodie and a face cover. He was seen walking up to the home hours before the shooting.Two years later, detectives determined the man in the hoodie was Serafini.Serafini pitched in the majors from 1996 to 2007 and was later featured in 2015 on an episode of the TV show “Bar Rescue,” which portrayed him as a bar owner in serious financial trouble.He is also married to Erin Spohr. The in-laws’ deaths have spurred a legal battle between Adrienne and Erin over the legal inheritance of the parents’ estate.Serafini faces murder and attempted murder charges. His trial could last into late July.Also arrested in connection with the home ambush was Serafini’s friend, Samantha Scott. She pleaded guilty in February of this year to being an accessory. A Placer County sheriff’s investigator previously testified that Scott gave Serafini a ride on the day of the shooting.A sentencing date for Scott has not yet been set.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
AUBURN, Calif. —
Opening statements are set to begin Monday in the trial of Dan Serafini, the former Major League Baseball pitcher accused of a 2021 Tahoe-area home burglary ambush that left his father-in-law dead.
Jury selection began last week at the Auburn Historic Courthouse. Monday’s proceedings start at 1 p.m.
Reporter Michelle Bandur will be in the courtroom as proceedings take place. See live updates from her below.
Serafini is accused of hiding inside his in-laws’ Homewood home and fatally shooting Gary Spohr. He also allegedly attempted to kill his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood. Though she survived the attack, she killed herself in 2023.
Her daughter Adrienne Spohr told KCRA 3 in a Friday statement that her mother “tried her best to adjust to this new reality” of life without her husband of 50 years. But she developed a deep depression.
Adrienne Spohr, in the statement, blames Serafini for both her father’s death and her mother’s suicide.
| RELATED | Who is Dan Serafini, the former MLB player accused in Tahoe-area murder case?
Days after the June 2021 shooting, investigators discovered video surveillance footage from the home that showed a man wearing a hoodie and a face cover. He was seen walking up to the home hours before the shooting.
Two years later, detectives determined the man in the hoodie was Serafini.
Serafini pitched in the majors from 1996 to 2007 and was later featured in 2015 on an episode of the TV show “Bar Rescue,” which portrayed him as a bar owner in serious financial trouble.
He is also married to Erin Spohr. The in-laws’ deaths have spurred a legal battle between Adrienne and Erin over the legal inheritance of the parents’ estate.
Serafini faces murder and attempted murder charges. His trial could last into late July.
Also arrested in connection with the home ambush was Serafini’s friend, Samantha Scott. She pleaded guilty in February of this year to being an accessory.
A Placer County sheriff’s investigator previously testified that Scott gave Serafini a ride on the day of the shooting.
A sentencing date for Scott has not yet been set.
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