Former MLB Star Uses Voicemail From His Victim in an Attempt to Overturn Murder Conviction

Dan Serafini — a former Major League Baseball pitcher — played a voicemail from his mother-in-law in court in an effort to secure a retrial after being found guilty of murdering his father-in-law.

The 52-year-old convicted murderer appeared in court in Auburn, California, earlier this week, where he claimed his former defense attorney failed to introduce a key piece of evidence, according to KCRA.

“The voicemail left from Wendy where she said, ‘I had restoration of my visions due to electric therapy and I know who the shooter was and it wasn’t you,'” Serafini’s lawyer, Barry Zimmerman, questioned his client.

Serafini confirmed that he discussed the voicemail with his former counsel and “[expected] it to be played” at his trial.

Wendy Wood and her husband, Gary Spohr, Serafini’s in-laws, were both shot in the head at their Lake Tahoe home in 2021. Spohr was pronounced dead at the scene, while Wood survived. (She later died by suicide in 2023.)

The former Minnesota Twins player was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and burglary, in July. His previous motion for a retrial in which he claimed jury misconduct was dismissed last month.

Barring he receives a new trial, Serafini is scheduled to be sentenced on February 20.