'Murder of the father-in-law → mother-in-law also dies' A baseball player before the shooting ends up paying for his life in prison

*This content was translated by AI.

A former baseball player who murdered his father-in-law ended up paying a harsh price. He was sentenced to live in prison for the rest of his life.

U.S. sports media ESPN said on the 28th (Korea time) that former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini (52) was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 murder.

Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without even parole for killing his father-in-law during a robbery at his father-in-law's home four years ago.

Serafini was convicted of first-degree murder of his father-in-law Gary Spore and attempted murder and first-degree robbery of his mother-in-law Wendy Wood in July last year. The father-in-law died and his mother-in-law survived, but eventually died a year later as well.

At that time, he entered with a .22-caliber pistol, waited until his father-in-law and mother-in-law entered the house, shot him in the head, and ran away.

The motive for the killing is also unconvincing. Prosecutors earlier said they heard Serafini say he hated his wife's wealthy parents and was willing to pay $20,000 to kill them. It is also said that he was in conflict with his father-in-law and mother-in-law over $1.3 million (about 1.8 billion won) in renovation costs of the ranch. Prosecutors also presented to jurors records of angry emails and text messages exchanged between Seraphini, his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Serafini made his big league debut in 1996 after being the Minnesota Twins' 26th pick in the first round of the 1992 MLB Rookie Draft, and went through six teams, including the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres, with a 15-16 record and a 6.04 ERA in 104 games.

From 2004 to 2007, he also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and from 2004 to 2005, he played with former Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop at the Chiba Lotte Marines. In 2005, he played with 11 wins, 4 losses and a 2.91 ERA, and he also remembers leading the team to the top by becoming a winning pitcher in Game 4 of the Japan Series.

His wife, his late father-in-law and mother-in-law, who are bereaved, fell victim to a terrible accident. "Spore and Wood were caring grandparents, and Seraphini's crimes shocked family and friends," Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gere said in a statement on the 27th. "The impact of this attack has left deep scars on families and communities beyond direct victims, and clearly shows how long deliberate violence causes lasting damage."

However, Seraphini did not accept this. After leaving the court after the sentencing hearing, he pleaded not guilty. He said he was partying with his wife on the night of the shooting and described himself as "an incomplete and wounded man who makes mistakes."

After a six-week trial, Serafini's lawyer, David Dratman, insisted there was no physical evidence linking his client to the crime scene and told the jury that Serafini had no motive to kill his father-in-law and mother-in-law, but he could not avoid a life sentence.

Serafini sought a retrial several times after his conviction, but all were rejected. Serafini will serve his sentence in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

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*This content was translated by AI.