Ex-pitcher Serafini sentenced to life in prison for murdering his in-laws

A Placer County jury convicted Serafini, 51, in July 2025 on charges that included first-degree murder, attempted murder and first-degree burglary.

Published: February 28, 2026 6:26pm

Updated: February 28, 2026 6:51pm

A California judge on Friday sentenced former Major League Baseball pitcher Daniel Serafini to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his father-in-law and wounding his mother-in-law in a premeditated 2021 attack at their Lake Tahoe area home.

Serafini, 51, was convicted in July 2025 by a Placer County jury on charges that included first-degree murder, attempted murder and first-degree burglary. 

Prosecutors presented evidence that he lay in wait inside the home, ambushing the couple when they returned.

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