Former MLB player and woman arrested 2 years after California shooting that killed man, critically wounded wife
Police arrested two people, including a former professional baseball player, Friday in Nevada in connection to a Lake Tahoe-area attack that left a man dead and his wife in critical condition.
After a two-year investigation, Danny Serafini, 49, and Samantha Scott, 33, were arrested separately, hundreds of miles apart in Las Vegas and northwest of Reno.
Authorities say they knew each other and the victims — Robert Gary Spohr and his wife, Wendy Wood. Investigators said was a family member of the deceased, The family confirmed that Serafini is the son-in-law of the victims, CBS Sacramento reported.
Spohr, 70, was killed and Wood survived the shooting at their home in an unincorporated community in California off the shore of Lake Tahoe, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said.
The two will be extradited to California, officials said.
"Today, justice was served," Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said 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."
Serafini's attorney, David Fischer, didn't immediately respond to a phone call and an email Friday from The Associated Press seeking comment about the arrest.
Serafini, born in San Francisco, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 1992 MLB Draft, CBS Sacramento reported. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies, according to MLB.com. He also pitched for Italy during the World Baseball Classic in 2013.
The Clark County Public Defender's Office didn't immediately return a call from the AP about whether Scott had an attorney who could speak on her behalf. Police records don't list an attorney, and a spokesperson with the Placer County Sheriff's Office said the department has no information on her representation.
Video surveillance from the Spohr and Wood home showed a man wearing a gray hoodie, face covering and backpack approaching it hours before the attack, police said. Another video shows the same man walking up the driveway.
Deputies responded to the home after receiving a 911 call. They discovered Spohr had been shot once, and Wood was shot at least twice. Wood recovered from the injuries but died a year later.
The sheriff's office said "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" to solve the case.
Sources told CBS Sacramento last year that investigators were considering the possibility the suspect was hired to kill the Spohrs. Then, in April 2023, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said that it was looking for multiple suspects who may live in the Reno area.
The family offered a six-figure reward for information that leads to an arrest.
After the crime, the Spohrs' daughter, Adrienne Spohr, told CBS Sacramento her parents were targeted.
"We still don't completely understand the motive of the killer, and, at the end of the day, he came here to kill my mom and my dad," Spohr told the station in 2021.
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- MLB
- California
- Murder
- Lake Tahoe