The murder trial of former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini, who is being tried for the death of his father-in-law just took another sick twist. Serafini is also accused of having an affair with his family’s nanny and discussing prices for a hit man to finish his in-laws off. This affair with Samantha Scott was allegedly revealed in court documents obtained by sources. Scott is set to be among the witnesses to testify in the trial against Serafini, which began last week during jury selection.
Why Is Former MLB Pitcher Dan Serafini Accused Of Killing Father In-Law?
Serafani, 51, and Scott, 35, were arrested together after she was accused of driving Serafini to his in-law’s home on June 5, 2021, the night he allegedly unalived his father-in-law, Gary Spohr and tried to do the same to Spohr’s wife, according to documents.
But while Scott, admitted the fling and to driving Serafini to the scene of the grisly slaying in Tahoe City, California, prosecutors believe the murder was inspired by a family feud over money that lingered like a dark cloud for more than a decade. Flirtatious texts between Serafini and Scott will be presented to jurors along with a barrage of nasty emails Serafini sent to his in-laws. Judge Garen Horst described them as ‘intense, verbally violent interactions’ during a motions hearing last week.
Dan Serafini Had an Affair With His Nanny Who Has Turned State’s Evidence
Scott accepted a plea deal in February, which included admitting to a “flirtatious, romantic relationship” with Serafini and allegedly told police that she was getting drunk with him at a casino hotel the night prior to Spohr’s murder.
Serafini played for six Major League teams most notably the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs in a journeyman 12-year career between 1996 and 2007. He never played in more than 42 games in a season and has a bloated career ERA of 6.04.
The trial is sure to be intense, with Serafini’s wife Erin, 36, looking eye-to-eye with the former homewrecking nanny, who took a plea deal with the prosecution to testify against her lover and employer. Erin will be speaking in defense of her husband.
Serafini’s alleged horror spree of destruction doesn’t end there. Prosecutors say the former pitcher, who has a lifetime 15-16 record, is also accused of attempting to kill Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood, who was shot and survived, but couldn’t handle the trauma and later died by suicide Such a horrible way to end your years on earth. According to reports, it was initially reported that Wood had no memory of the attack, but according to recent information, last week at a hearing the prosecution and defense made arguments over whether to put information gained from her during recovery in front of the jury.
Serafini’s Ruthlessness Seems To Know No Bounds
Once Serafini allegedly tried to kill Wood, she reportedly cut Erin and Serafini out of her will and transferred everything to her other daughter Adrienne, 39.
Wood hanged herself in 2023, making her revised will the subject of a separate, nasty legal battle between her daughters. Serafini’s fall from grace is a monumental one as his home for the foreseeable future is in South Placer County Jail’s cell 176.
Even prior to these latest accusations of murder, infidelity and greed, Serafini was exhibiting behavior that indicated he was troubled. The former pro athlete was living part time in a trailer and working as a miner in Nevada’s remote Crescent Valley. He lost the majority of his MLB fortune in bad investments, such as various bars, one of which landed him on a 2015 episode of Paramount’s ‘Bar Rescue.’
Serafini and Wife Became Reliant On In-Laws For Support After Bars Failed, He Offered $20K For Hitman
Once those businesses collapsed, it was reported, Serafini and his wife became heavily reliant on financial support from her wealthy parents. Reports say Wood handed Erin a check for $90,000 shortly before she and her husband were shot in a brutal display of callousness. According to reports, the relationship was already fractured prior to Wood giving them the check and friction between Serafini and his in-laws had been consistent from early on in the relationship, around 2010.
Love makes you do strange things and despite the turmoil, they tied the knot in 2012 and invested in a luxurious $1.1M five-bedroom property in Reno, Nevada, that they share with their two children ages four and seven. According to prosecution documents, Serafini was heard offering to pay $20,000 to have his in-laws murdered in that same year. While in 2016, he was heard describing them as ‘wealthy pieces of s***’.