Family offers reward months after brutal shooting in Tahoe home killed father, injured mother

The family of a Tahoe couple violently attacked in their home last year are now offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Robert Gary Spohr, 70, and Wendy Wood, 68, were shot on a summer night on June 5, 2021 at their residence in Homewood on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. The attack killed Spohr and left his wife suffering from two gunshot wounds to the head. Despite her injuries, Wood came to in the night and called 911, said Adrienne Spohr, their daughter.

The attacker fled the scene, leaving barely a trace.

Eight months later, no arrests have been made.

The attack has left the Spohr family searching for answers and, on Wednesday, they announced a $150,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

“For me, everyday living with the uncertainty of who did this and why, has been the most agonizing thing,” Spohr said.

Wood spent a month and a half in the hospital. She has had to participate in extensive rehabilitative surgery to learn how to do everyday tasks such as walking, reading, cooking, and showering, Spohr said.

“She is amazing,” Spohr said of her mother. “But I can’t be sure about my safety or my mom’s safety without knowing who this person is. ... We are trying to get more info from the public and maybe someone who knows the person to try to get them to come forward.”

The suspect appeared on surveillance footage walking along the bike path in broad daylight, between 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., southbound on West Lake Boulevard. The footage shows a masked man walking up the driveway of the Spohr’s home and past an SUV parked in the driveway. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, gloves, white neck gaiter and gray backpack.

Detectives later learned that the suspect was lying in wait inside the home for more than four hours before attacking them, Spohr said.

“I cannot even fathom a human being laying in wait like that,” she said.

Spohr said anyone who might have pictures or footage of the man from a selfie or a dashcam could be really helpful.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Placer County Sheriff’s Office at 530-889-7853.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 12:22 PM.