Oak Tavern (Bullpen) Owner from Bar Rescue Charged With Murder - Bar is Closed

Danny Serafini, who appeared on season 4 (3rd set) of Bar Rescue was arrested in October 2023 and charged with the murder of his father-in-law.  There was a shooting in 2021 that left his father-in-law dead and his mother-in-law severely wounded.  The case went cold for a few years until police arrested Danny Serafini and Samantha Scott who was his former nanny.  Video surveillance of the father-in-law's home showed a hooded man wearing a face covering and a backpack prior to the killing.

Danny and Samantha waived their right to a speedy trial and the preliminary hearing is not set to begin until May 2024.  It is not clear what additional evidence the police have against the two, but that will be revealed in court and a judge will decide if the case should move forward.  Many assume money was a motive, but we will have to see what the evidence reveals. Both Danny and Samantha have pleaded not guilty in the case.

Danny's wife Erin and her sister Adrienne have apparently been battling in court over the family inheritance. Erin has accused Adrienne of elder abuse and claimed that she manipulated their mother when she was vulnerable after the shooting.  Adrienne filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing her sister Erin of involvement in her parents' deaths, along with Danny.  It appears this is a messy situation overall and we will have to see how everything plays out.

You may recall from the Bar Rescue episode that Danny was a former MLB pitcher and was once suspended 50 games for testing positive for steroids. During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer renamed his bar from The Bullpen at Aspen Glen to Oak Tavern and the bar did keep the name (link to detailed update).  Oak Tavern appeared on the show in 2015 and it appears they closed sometime around early 2022 based on online reviews.  Oak Tavern has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates Page. 

This is now the 2nd time an owner that has appeared on Bar Rescue has been charged with murder.  The owner of Pit and Barrel was convicted of murder after shooting somebody in his bar (Link).  The murder happened shortly before the Pit and Barrel episode was to air and Spike TV tried to remove the episode, but mistakenly aired the encore episode.