28-05-2025
Graphic photos, dark 'jokes,' and financial strain: Day 5 Serafini trial gets personal
( — Testimony in the Daniel Serafini murder trial took a personal turn Tuesday, as jurors heard testimony from those in the former MLB player's circle.
On day 5 of proceedings at Placer County Superior Court, prosecutors focused on Serafini's life and mental state leading up to the 2021 Lake Tahoe shooting that left his father-in-laaw Robert Spohr dead and his mother-in-law Wendy Wood seriously injured. Wood died a year after the shooting happened.
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Jurors were shown graphic autopsy images including the bullet wound to Spohr's head and projectiles recovered from Wood. Nearly 20 witnesses have taken the stand so far, but Tuesday's testimony offered more intimate insight into Serafini's relationships with others and behavior before the shooting.
A former bartender from Serafini' s Nevada business testified about overhearing patrons say that Serafini had expressed animosity and insulting remarks about his in-laws.
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Another witness, a former supervisor and coworker, testified that Serafini once talked about wanting to kill his in-laws, allegedly suggesting methods like burning their boat or poisoning their well with arsenic. However, the witness added that he believed Serafini was joking at the time.
A family friend also took the stand, testifying that Serafini and his wife had asked to borrow money from her. She said she initially believed the masked figure seen in surveillance footage from the shooting may have resembled Serafini, but later said she couldn't be certain.
Viewers following the case closely have been asking when Samantha Scott- Serafini's accused associate- will take the stand. That detail remains unclear, but interest in her potential testimony continues to grow.
The trial is set to resume next Tuesday. Stay with FOX 40 for continuing coverage of the case.
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