Former Rockies Pitcher Convicted on Murder, Burglary Charges by California Jury

A former Colorado Rockies pitcher was just found guilty and convicted on murder, burglary charges against his in-laws on Monday.

Dylan Sanders | Jul 15, 2025

Jun 24, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Colorado Rockies hat and glove in the dugout during the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark. The Rangers beat the Rockies 4-2. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

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Colorado Rockies

A former Colorado Rockies pitcher has made the news in the worst way possible, as he was just convicted of murder, per Doha Madani of NBC News.

A jury in Placer County found Daniel Serafini guilty of shooting and killing Gary Spohr, along with wounding Wendy Woods, his parents-in-law. Woods had survived the initial shooting but died by suicide around a year later.

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Prosecutors had accused Serafini of killing his in-laws so that his family could gain access to an inheritance that was worth millions of dollars. The jury also found the 51-year-old guilty of first-degree burglary.

Serafini ended his MLB career with plenty of controversy as well. The Rockies had signed him in late July of 2007 after he had a four-year stint in Japan's NPB.

He made 11 solid appearances for the Triple-A squad, where he posted a 3.48 ERA before getting called up. His time in Colorado did not go well, as he ended up pitching in just three games and recorded just one out while giving up two runs.

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The Rockies did not bring him back and he became a free agent. Later that offseason, MLB suspended him 50 games for using performance enhancing drugs. It was reportedly a carry-over substance from his time in Japan. Whatever the case, he never pitched in the Majors again.

Serafini's baseball career continued until 2013, when he was 39, splitting time between independent and Mexican leagues.

Over seven MLB campaigns, he posted a career 6.04 ERA with a 1.718 WHIP in 263.2 innings.

For more Rockies news, head over to Rockies On SI.

Published Jul 15, 2025|Modified Jul 15, 2025

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders