GUILTY CA - Robert Spohr, 70, fatally shot & Wendy Wood, 68, shot at home, Lake Tahoe, 5 June 2021 *arrest*

[Lexiintoronto]

10/17/23 -- Criminal Complaint

https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/tahoe-area-murder-complaint-654029ff56f84.pdf

It’s very helpful when you post the court records and links, thank you.

 

[KT Can]

10/17/23 -- Criminal Complaint

https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/tahoe-area-murder-complaint-654029ff56f84.pdf

Wow. Thank you for the link. Based on this complaint the children are his children. The date of the murder/attempted murder occurred on a Saturday. I wonder if we are looking at him having his children for the weekend and them being with his accomplice in the drop-off/getaway vehicle. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out and if his wife even plays into this.

 

[Seattle1]

Ex-MLB player appears in court for 1st time in connection with father-in-law's homicide

Daniel Serafini is accused of killing his father-in-law, Robert Gary Spohr, in Placer County.

www.abc10.com

10/31/23

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire says they are still a long way off from discussing the death penalty, but the counts against Serafini carry a heavy sentence.

“With the special circumstances, he faces potentially either death sentence or life in prison without possibility of parole sentence, but the charge of murder carries 25 to life,” said Gire.

Gire says they feel confident in the special circumstance charge of lying in wait, which Serafini also pleaded not guilty to.

“In general, lying in wait is when someone disguises their purpose or disguises their place to gain advantage over the victims. That’s charged here. I can't comment on the specific facts but that allegation is charged here,” said Gire.

Gire wouldn't comment on if the .22 caliber gun mentioned in the criminal complaint had been recovered. He did share the child endangerment charges stem from the belief a three-year-old child and an eight-month-old child were in the home at the time of the shooting. Gire would not share how the kids are related.

A status conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 27.

A Dec. 8 pretrial meeting could be delayed due to the significant amount of evidence in the case.

The defense says they haven't received any discovery, and they did not wish to comment after Tuesday's hearing.

 

[Seattle1]

'One step closer to justice': Ex-MLB pitcher appears in court for 2021 Tahoe-area murder

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," prosecutors said.

www.kcra.com

10/31/23

The two are charged with illegally going into the victims' house, and then Serafini is accused of hiding and waiting inside before shooting Spohr and Wood.

Investigators believe Serafini is the suspect captured in surveillance video, walking around the property hours before the 911 call came in about the shooting.

[..]

Serafini is also charged with endangering the lives of his two children, according to the criminal complaint. KCRA 3 asked why that was and if the children were believed to be around at the time of the shooting.

"At some point during this transaction, there were children present related to those charges," Gire said. "Beyond that, I can't comment."

He also did not comment on the motive behind the crime.

[..]

Serafini's first time in court was quick, lasting just three minutes. Afterward, his attorneys declined to speak.

If convicted, Serafini could face a maximum sentence of life without parole or the death penalty.

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," Gire said.

Serafini's alleged accomplice, Scott, is still in Nevada. The district attorney's office said it is anticipating her arrival in Roseville in the next week or two.

 

[Seattle1]

Former MLB player charged in the shooting of his in-laws pleads not guilty

Daniel Serafini, the former Major League Baseball player arrested in connection with the shooting of a Lake Tahoe-area couple in 2021, appeared in court for the first time Tuesday.

fox59.com

 

[katydid23]

Were his in-laws babysitting their grand babies, his kids---and he popped out of a closet and shot them?

 

[Seattle1]

Were his in-laws babysitting their grand babies, his kids---and he popped out of a closet and shot them?

It's sure sounding like it. Seems he was lying in wait for them.

I speculated yesterday that I thought maybe the nanny (who was in on the plan) and the victims/grandparents arrived home and the coward came out with his .22, but it seems that they both entered the victims home illegally so I think the grandparents were babysitting.

The two are charged with illegally going into the victims' house, and then Serafini is accused of hiding and waiting inside before shooting Spohr and Wood.

'One step closer to justice': Ex-MLB pitcher appears in court for 2021 Tahoe-area murder

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," prosecutors said.

www.kcra.com

 

[Betty P]

Were his in-laws babysitting their grand babies, his kids---and he popped out of a closet and shot them?

It seems unlikely. I hope not. Remember, the victims dogs were there. It was believed they helped awaken Wendy so she could call 911. IDK, I hope Serafini wouldn't do such a horrible thing.

Perhaps there's other video that LE didn't release showing the nanny or wife or someone coming by the victims house later, before Wendy and Bob got home. I think I'm trying to find a scenario where the kids didn't witness the murder/shootings. I just can't imagine someone doing that to children.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Dotr originally posted this scanner audio of the police and paramedic response. In it, the first responder is heard saying they found the door unlocked, the dog inside, one patient deceased and one patient that needed a life flight. No other occupants.

There have been reports that the other building on the property was a coach house. If the children were at the scene, maybe that’s where they were?

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[Betty P]

Also,

Dotr originally posted this scanner audio of the police and paramedic response. In it, the first responder is heard saying they found the door unlocked, the dog inside, one patient deceased and one patient that needed a life flight. No other occupants.

There have been reports that the other building on the property was a coach house. If the children were at the scene, maybe that’s where they were?

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I have a feeling there might have been other things happening - other people coming and going at the home or driving by. LE probably didn't reveal all of it at the time. They may have known who was responsible, but waited until they had enough evidence?

There's DS in various videos going to and from the crime scene. There's the "nanny" somehow involved, but not seen. There's the wife somehow involved but not seen. There are DS's children involved, possibly in the vicinity when murders were committed.

Some of the involvement of other defendants not seen on video were people who were involved in the planning, etc. LE probably has digital files of texts, emails, phone conversations, etc. from all parties involved. The public probably won't see or hear any of that until trial.

Remember, DS was in the home several hours before the victims arrived. That always seemed odd to me, that the killer might have miscalculated when the victims would arrive home and had to wait longer than planned.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," Gire said.

Serafini's alleged accomplice, Scott, is still in Nevada. The district attorney's office said it is anticipating her arrival in Roseville in the next week or two.

'One step closer to justice': Ex-MLB pitcher appears in court for 2021 Tahoe-area murder

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," prosecutors said.

www.kcra.com

 

[Betty P]

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," Gire said.

Serafini's alleged accomplice, Scott, is still in Nevada. The district attorney's office said it is anticipating her arrival in Roseville in the next week or two.

'One step closer to justice': Ex-MLB pitcher appears in court for 2021 Tahoe-area murder

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," prosecutors said.

www.kcra.com

News reporter says Serafini and Scott both entered the home. When did she enter and why? Why have him walk/jog all the way there to enter the home, then later have her arrive? Strange.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

News reporter says Serafini and Scott both entered the home. When did she enter and why? Why have him walk/jog all the way there to enter the home, then later have her arrive? Strange.

He was wearing light-coloured pants and walked for kilometres to the home passing some busy businesses and it was all caught on cctv, so I’m guessing that was all purposefully done to make it look like an outside killer.

But I’m also baffled by her presence and the childrens’ presence. Maybe both Erin and Dan were supposed to be working and had the children stay with her parents with the nanny? (Possibly dropping them off and picking them up?) I don’t know when Dan started working for the mines, but a neighbour recently said Dan would spend days at work and then would be home for days.

 

[Betty P]

He was wearing light-coloured pants and walked for kilometres to the home passing some busy businesses and it was all caught on cctv, so I’m guessing that was all purposefully done to make it look like an outside killer.

But I’m also baffled by her presence and the childrens’ presence. Maybe both Erin and Dan were supposed to be working and had the children stay with her parents with the nanny? (Possibly dropping them off and picking them up?) I don’t know when Dan started working for the mines, but a neighbour recently said Dan would spend days at work and then would be home for days.

Even more puzzling is that the victims were out and about for most of the day. Had they talked Erin's parents into taking the children out for sightseeing? It seems rather unlikely because one of the children was fairly young, right?

The documents also shed light on allegations of child endangerment that Serafini also faces. The two children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were put in some kind of danger, mental or physical, in connection with the crime, according to the documents.

The children are very young. They would have needed full time attention from a nanny, especially the 8 mo old infant. Diaper changes, feeding, naps, etc. I don't see the victims volunteering to care for the infant and toddler when a) they already have a nanny and b) the children aren't related to them; they're the SIL's from a fairly recent previous marriage.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Erin's parents didn't exactly approve of their daughter's marriage. How long had they been married at that point? DS had a baby by another woman that was only 8 months old.

Does that mean in less than a year Serafini impregnated one woman, left her, married Erin and began an affair with the nanny of the children from his first relationship?

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Even more puzzling is that the victims were out and about for most of the day. Had they talked Erin's parents into taking the children out for sightseeing? It seems rather unlikely because one of the children was fairly young, right?


The children are very young. They would have needed full time attention from a nanny, especially the 8 mo old infant. Diaper changes, feeding, naps, etc. I don't see the victims volunteering to care for the infant and toddler when a) they already have a nanny and b) the children aren't related to them; they're the SIL's from a fairly recent previous marriage.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Erin's parents didn't exactly approve of their daughter's marriage. How long had they been married at that point? DS had a baby by another woman that was only 8 months old.

Does that mean in less than a year Serafini impregnated one woman, left her, married Erin and began an affair with the nanny of the children from his first relationship?

I’m confused—I thought both children were Erin and Dan’s children. (?)

 

[SophieRose]

I’m confused—I thought both children were Erin and Dan’s children. (?)

The children are Dan and Erin's children. They were married in 2015 when that Bar Rescue was filmed. I don't know if Dan had children from his previous marriage.

ETA: I think he has two grown children from his first marriage.

 

[Betty P]

The children are Dan and Erin's children. They were married in 2015 when that Bar Rescue was filmed. I don't know if Dan had children from his previous marriage.

ETA: I think he has two grown children from his first marriage.

Thanks. I thought the small children were from his first marriage as someone earlier speculated he had the children on a custody visitation. Seemed rather odd, so this makes a little more sense. Still - having both his wife and nanny and small children involved in the murder?

'One step closer to justice': Ex-MLB pitcher appears in court for 2021 Tahoe-area murder

"We're glad to see this day begin, so we can get one step closer to justice for the family," prosecutors said.

www.kcra.com

Serafini is also charged with endangering the lives of his two children, according to the criminal complaint. KCRA 3 asked why that was and if the children were believed to be around at the time of the shooting.

"At some point during this transaction, there were children present related to those charges," Gire said. "Beyond that, I can't comment."

 

[Seattle1]

10/31/23

The two are charged with illegally going into the victims' house, and then Serafini is accused of hiding and waiting inside before shooting Spohr and Wood.

[..]

Serafini is also charged with endangering the lives of his two children, according to the criminal complaint. KCRA 3 asked why that was and if the children were believed to be around at the time of the shooting.

"At some point during this transaction, there were children present related to those charges," Gire said. "Beyond that, I can't comment."

He also did not comment on the motive behind the crime

 

[dotr]

Danny Serafini murder case: Tahoe couple shot by former MLB player son-in-law, court documents say

Court documents allege former Major League Baseball player Dan Serafini shot and killed his father-in-law and shot his mother-in-law during a home burglary in 2021.

abc13.com

''A newly released criminal complaint filed in Placer County Superior Court on Oct. 18 alleges Serafini used a .22 caliber firearm in the murder. He is also facing charges of special circumstances for lying in wait.

Serafini and Scott are both accused of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of Wood. The documents allege the attempted murder was "willful, deliberate and premeditated."

According to the documents, Serafini and Scott are also accused of burglary. The documents allege they unlawfully entered the home and trailer coach of Spohr and Wood with the intent to commit theft.


The documents also shed light on allegations of child endangerment that Serafini also faces. The two children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were put in some kind of danger, mental or physical, in connection with the crime, according to the documents.''

 

[Betty P]

Danny Serafini murder case: Tahoe couple shot by former MLB player son-in-law, court documents say

Court documents allege former Major League Baseball player Dan Serafini shot and killed his father-in-law and shot his mother-in-law during a home burglary in 2021.

abc13.com

''A newly released criminal complaint filed in Placer County Superior Court on Oct. 18 alleges Serafini used a .22 caliber firearm in the murder. He is also facing charges of special circumstances for lying in wait.

Serafini and Scott are both accused of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of Wood. The documents allege the attempted murder was "willful, deliberate and premeditated."

According to the documents, Serafini and Scott are also accused of burglary. The documents allege they unlawfully entered the home and trailer coach of Spohr and Wood with the intent to commit theft.


The documents also shed light on allegations of child endangerment that Serafini also faces. The two children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were put in some kind of danger, mental or physical, in connection with the crime, according to the documents.''

I wonder what they were stealing? Just looking for anything of value? Did the daughter Erin provide them with information about certain high value possessions?