Dan Serafini, the former MLB pitcher who was sentenced to life in prison for shooting his in-laws in a twisted scheme to inherit their money, is adamant he’s innocent.
In a recent interview with “Dateline” correspondent Keith Morrison, the ex-Minnesota Twin insisted he was not the gunman who opened fire on Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood in 2021.
“I don’t understand it at all,” Serafini told Morrison of his case’s disposition while behind bars. “I believed in the justice system. And the justice system failed.”
Serafini was accused of ambushing Spohr and Wood at their Lake Tahoe, Calif. home nearly five years ago after he allegedly believed murdering them would result in him getting a piece of their massive fortune via inheritance owed to his then-wife, Erin Spohr.
Prosecutors alleged Serafini snuck into the couple’s house while they were enjoying time on the lake, and then hid in a closet with a gun for several hours.
When the couple returned to their residence, Serafini allegedly surprised them and shot them both in the head. Gary was killed, and Wood was left for dead.
Wood, however, went on to survive the attack, but she died by suicide two years later.
Serafini was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder as well as first-degree burglary in July 2025 following a weekslong trial, and in February, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Serafini blamed the jury and his attorneys for the outcome, claiming prosecutors had “no proof” and “no anything” that he committed wrongdoing.
“They just didn’t like me,” Serafini said of the jury. “They didn’t like my lifestyle. They didn’t like the way I acted in court. Which I didn’t act anyway. I sat there like I was supposed to because my lawyers told me to. ‘Don’t react. Don’t respond. Sit there like nothing’s bothering you.’ And I did.
“And I got crucified for it.”
Serafini was picked by the Twins in the first round of the 1992 MLB draft. He went on to have a seven-year MLB career, playing for a total of six teams.
The “Dateline” special on Serafini’s criminal case, titled “On the Shores of Lake Tahoe,” is slated to air on Friday.
