Found Guilty of Shooting His In-Laws, Serafini Maintains His Innocence & Says He Was ‘Crucified’ By Jury: ‘The Justice System Failed’
Click Here to Watch the Preview; ‘Deadly Swagger’ airs Friday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
April 15, 2026 – In his first-ever interview, former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini speaks with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison in an all-new broadcast this Friday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. In the exclusive sit-down, Serafini maintains his innocence following his conviction earlier this year for shooting his in-laws at their home in Lake Tahoe.
Pressed by Morrison to explain why he believes “the justice system failed,” Serafini said it was “a circumstantial case,” adding: “I believe the circumstantial stuff that they had was just making up a story. They had no proof, no anything.” Serafini also blamed the jury for his conviction, as well as his trial attorneys. “[The jury] just didn’t like me. They didn’t like my lifestyle. They didn’t like the way I acted in court, which I didn’t act anyway. So I sat there like I was supposed to because my lawyers told me to. Don’t react. Don’t respond. Sit there like nothing is bothering you.”
He added, “And I did. And I got crucified for it.”
Click here to watch the exchange. The transcript of the exchange is below.
The broadcast also features interviews with key figures in the investigation, including Detective Daniel Meier, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire and more.
Dan Serafini speaks with Keith Morrison.
TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT
KEITH MORRISON: I thought about this case a lot. I wondered how somebody with all the talent and the advantages that you’ve got in life up here, I’d love to understand it. Do you understand it?
DAN SERAFINI: Um, no, I don’t understand it at all. I believed in the justice system and the justice system failed.
KEITH MORRISON: Well, the justice system would say it didn’t fail at all that it was a good circumstantial case. And when they laid it out, there was a lot of circumstantial stuff there. Some prosecutors say that’s the best kind of case.
DAN SERAFINI: Circumstantial case. And I believe the circumstantial stuff that they had was just making up a story. They had no proof, no anything.
KEITH MORRISON VOICE OVER: THIS, DAN DECIDED, WOULD BE HIS ONLY NETWORK INTERVIEW. THERE WAS A TIME LIMIT AND JAIL RULES REQUIRED THIS SOMEWHAT AWKWARD ARRANGEMENT, THROUGH A THICK LAYER OF GLASS. DAN TOLD US HE’S BEHIND BARS BECAUSE HIS TRIAL ATTORNEYS DIDN’T MOUNT A STRONG DEFENSE. AND THE JURY.
DAN SERAFINI: They just didn’t like me. They didn’t like my lifestyle. They didn’t like, uh, the way I acted in court, which I didn’t act anyway. So, I was sat there like I was supposed to because my lawyers told me to. Don’t react. Don’t respond. Sit there like nothing is bothering you. And I did. And I got crucified for it.
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Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 34th season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Blayne Alexander, Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 9/8c, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds of hours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. Dateline 24/7 can also be viewed on channels on Roku, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, Local Now, Xfinity, Amazon Fire News App, TuneIn and Xumo. Additionally, the newsmagazine reaches millions through its #1 podcasts and its showcast. Liz Cole is the senior executive producer and Paul Ryan is the executive producer.
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