Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini has admitted to running a ‘white guys’ faction behind bars while serving time for the murder of his father-in-law.
The former Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs star made several shock admissions during a high-stakes bid for a new trial in a California courtroom this past Monday.
Serafini, 51, was found guilty last July of the 2021 shooting of Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of Wendy Wood inside their $23 million Lake Tahoe luxury estate.
Now, the disgraced athlete is fighting to overturn that conviction on the grounds of ‘ineffective assistance of counsel’ after he declined to testify during his original trial.
Under a blistering cross-examination, the former professional pitcher was forced to address his behavior and his leadership role behind bars while awaiting justice.
He confirmed he held the title of ‘keyholder’ – slang for a leader of an inmate faction – while he was being held at the South Placer County Jail during the proceedings.
Danny Serafini was arrested in connection with murder and attempted murder of his in-laws
Serafini played for a number of teams across his career, including the Cincinnati Reds
The athlete confirmed he was the leader of the ‘white guys’ during those months, though he noted he lost the status after being transferred to a different facility.
The former pro athlete told the court he was responsible for disciplining those who ‘ran afoul’ of his group or broke the strict rules established by the inmates.
While he denied ordering physical assaults, he admitted under oath that at least six inmates were forced to perform exercises as a form of non-violent punishment.
In one instance, Serafini confirmed he ordered a man to perform 500 burpees for getting ‘caught scheming,’ a task the former Major Leaguer said he also performed.
The pitcher added that he had done 500 burpees as well alongside the individual, though he told the court he could not recall the man’s specific offense at the time.
The admissions did not stop at prison politics, as Serafini also confirmed that he had committed insurance fraud and violated a restraining order from his first wife.
He further admitted to using a variety of illegal narcotics over the years and confessed to using his late father-in-law’s prescription medication after his death.
Prosecutors allege Serafini executed the 2021 hit to secure his wife’s share of a massive $23 million inheritance just hours after she had left the family property.
Serafini looks at jury after he was found guilty of murder back in July last year
Gary Spohr, 70, died in the attack while his wife, Wendy Wood, survived the initial shooting but tragically took her own life two years after the violent incident.
Serafini’s defense recently introduced a voicemail from Wood claiming she knew he was not the shooter, but prosecutors hit back with a chilling counter-recording.
‘I remember him walking over and seeing him shooting Gary and then pointing the gun at me,’ Wood said in the recording played for the court during the hearing.
The judge is expected to rule on the motion for a new trial by February 20, and if the request is denied, the former Major Leaguer will be sentenced immediately.
