Former Major League Baseball pitcher and Nevada bar owner Daniel Serafini, known from his appearance on the popular TV show “Bar Rescue,” showed no remorse following his conviction for the murder of his father-in-law and attempted murder of his mother-in-law. Instead, he voiced his discontent with the trial proceedings.

During a courtroom address, Serafini, 51, insisted on his innocence, stating, “There was no DNA, no photos, no video, to link me to this crime, but because you don’t like me, you found me guilty,” as reported by the Sacramento Bee. He described the trial as a “popularity contest.”

Serafini received a life sentence for the fatal shooting of 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr and the serious wounding of Spohr’s wife, Wendy Wood, 68. The Placer County District Attorney’s Office stated that the motive behind the attack was to gain access to their $11 million trust fund. Last July, Serafini was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and burglary for the 2021 incident.

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire commented on the broader impact of the crime, saying, “The human toll of this case extends far beyond the courtroom. The defendant’s horrific crimes took the lives of a father, mother, loving grandparents, family members, and friends. The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence.”

Adrienne Spohr, daughter of the victims and sister to Serafini’s wife, condemned Serafini, calling him “true evil.” She expressed the devastation felt by her family, saying, “I’m left with the lasting image of my dad shot in the back of the head and my mom lying on her back bleeding out. Dan destroyed the lives of my parents and all four of their children.”

“I’m left with the lasting image of my dad shot in the back of the head and my mom lying on her back bleeding out,” she reportedly said. “Dan destroyed the lives of my parents and all four of their children.”

As Law&Crime previously reported, the attack was carried out in Tahoe City, a quiet unincorporated resort town on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, where Spohr and his wife lived at the time. First responders found the pair shot inside their home after receiving a call from Wood, who was “gravely wounded,” according to prosecutors. She died by suicide a year later.

“During the investigation, detectives determined that Serafini was responsible for the horrific attack on his in-laws,” the DA’s office said.

After the shooting incident, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office shared two videos of a “hooded male wearing a face-covering and a backpack walking to the residence several hours before the homicide occurred.” One of the videos showed a man with a backpack outside the victims’ residence, and the second added footage of the suspect walking on a sidewalk by water.

The information and evidence that police gathered led them to identify Serafini and Samantha Scott — a friend of Serafini’s wife, Erin Spohr — as the suspects. Scott, who was once a nanny for the Serafini and Spohr family, pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2025, to a charge of being an accessory to a felony in the shootings.

Adrienne Spohr filed a wrongful death lawsuit in June 2023 against Scott and Serafini, as well as Erin. In the lawsuit, Adrienne Spohr accused them of “malicious, despicable, cruel, and unjust conduct,” making them liable for damages after the “senseless murder” of Robert Gary Spohr and the eventual death of Wood.

“It’s been four years of just hell,” Adrienne Spohr told reporters after Serafini’s conviction. “The Placer County District Attorney’s Office and sheriff’s office never gave up, and today finally justice was served. And I will never forget how they never gave up on this case. They never gave up on my mom and dad despite how many people were trying to lie and manipulate.”

Serafini made a name for himself pitching for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs in the 1990s, but apparent financial woes began after his professional career ended. Prosecutors said during his trial that it was money that ultimately motivated him to target his in-laws, citing their $11 million trust and his wife’s connection to them, according to SFGate.

The former bar owner appeared with his wife on an episode of “Bar Rescue” — titled “Take Me Out to the Bar Game” — which aired in 2015 and began with the story of how Serafini’s $14 million earnings from his playing career dwindled after a series of failed investments and a “bitter divorce.” On the episode, Erin Spohr is heard commenting about how she noticed a change in Serafini’s personality as the failing bar left him $300,000 in debt and in danger of losing his parents’ home.

“My parents were so proud of me at one time for being a successful baseball player and now I’m thinking what a disappointment I am to everybody,” Serafini said in the episode.