Ex-MLB Star Dan Serafini Admits to Being Head of 'White Guys' Group in Prison, Forcing Inmate to Do 500 Burpees

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Ex-MLB Star Dan Serafini Admits to Being Head of 'White Guys' Group in Prison, Forcing Inmate to Do 500 Burpees

Serafini was questioned by prosecutors on Monday, Feb. 9, in his quest for a new trial after being convicted of murder in July

Dan Serafini Humboldt County Sheriff's Office — Dan Serafini
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office

Chris Spargo

Thu, February 12, 2026 at 12:17 AM UTC

4 min read

NEED TO KNOW

Former MLB star Dan Serafini admitted he headed up a group of "White guys" in prison and would dole out punishments to certain inmates, KCRA reported
He reportedly confirmed that he made one inmate do 500 burpees and said he made six inmates do exercises as punishment for "scheming"
Serafini testified in his attempt to be granted a new trial after his murder conviction back in July

Dan Serafini was back on the witness stand this week in his ongoing quest for a retrial following his murder conviction in July of last year.

On Monday, Feb. 9, prosecutors questioned the former MLB star and presented evidence in support of their request that the judge deny his motion for a new trial on grounds of insufficient counsel.

Serafini, who declined to testify in his defense at his first trial, spent much of the day being forced to answer questions about his character that placed him in a less-than-optimal light.

While under cross-examination on Monday, Serafini admitted that at one time he headed up a faction of inmates composed of “White guys“ while in jail, according to a KCRA reporter who was in the courtroom for the proceedings.

The athlete reportedly confirmed that he was “the keyholder” during the months he served in the South Placer County Jail, but said he lost that position when he was forced to transfer to a different facility.

A "keyholder" is a slang term used to describe an individual who heads up a faction of inmates inside a jail or prison.

Dan Serafini in 1999 Brian Bahr /Allsport — Dan Serafini in 1999
Brian Bahr /Allsport

Serafini also claimed that he was tasked with disciplining individuals who ran afoul in his group, KCRA reported.

He reportedly denied ever assaulting or ordering an assault on any of these individuals, but did admit to other punishments, stating under oath that at least six inmates were forced to do exercises.

One individual was ordered to do 500 burpees on Serafini’s order, he reportedly confirmed when asked by the prosecutor.

The former pitcher, who played for the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago Cubs in the late 1990s, added that he had done 500 burpees as well alongside the individual.

He could not recall the specific offense that man had committed, but reportedly said the six who received punishment had “got caught scheming.”

That was not all Serafini admitted on the stand during his testimony.

Dan Serafini, Wendy Wood, Gary Spohr and Erin Spohr Courtesy Adrienne Spohr — Dan Serafini, Wendy Wood, Gary Spohr and Erin Spohr
Courtesy Adrienne Spohr

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Serafini reportedly confirmed that he had committed insurance fraud and previously violated a restraining order filed by his first wife.

He also admitted to using a variety of illegal narcotics over the years, as well as his father-in-law‘s prescription medication after his death.

Serafini was arrested in October 2023 following a two-year investigation into the June 5, 2021, shooting, which killed his father-in-law, Gary Spohr, 70, and severely wounded his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, 68, PEOPLE previously reported.

It all happened inside the wealthy real estate investor's Lake Tahoe home just a few hours after his now-estranged wife Erin Spohr and their two sons had left after spending a day out on the water.

Wood survived but later took her own life two years after the shooting.

Serafini was found guilty after a six-week trial, which included testimony from dozens of witnesses, as well as physical, digital and forensic evidence that prosecutors said all pointed to the retired baseball player as the killer. During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Serafini wanted to kill his in-laws so that he could share his wife’s inheritance of their $23 million estate.

He is now hoping for a new trial and last week introduced a voicemail recording in which his mother-in-law said she knew he was not the shooter.

Prosecutors responded to that on Monday with their own recording, KCRA reported.

That audio is reportedly of his mother-in-law speaking with a detective and saying Serafini was the gunman in their home that night.

"I remember him walking over and seeing him shooting Gary and then pointing the gun at me," Wood reportedly said in the recording.

The judge in the case will issue a decision by Feb. 20. If the motion is denied, the judge will sentence Serafini on that date.

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