2 arrested in alleged Pennsylvania killing spree, chilling new details emerge

Source: Yahoo

Two 20-year-old men have been charged with multiple counts of homicide in the slayings of four young men in southeast Pennsylvania, authorities said.

Cosmo DiNardo, of Bensalem, and Sean Kratz, of Philadelphia, were both charged with criminal homicide in the July 7 deaths of Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township, Thomas Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township, and Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg.

Investigators found the bodies of the three men Wednesday in a roughly 12-foot-deep grave on a sprawling property in Solebury Township owned by DiNardo's parents, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

DiNardo is also accused of killing Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township, July 5, and burying him in a single grave elsewhere on the same property. DiNardo told detectives he used a backhoe to dig both graves.

DiNardo and Kratz have each provided statements to investigators, and DiNardo has described Kratz as his cousin, according to the district attorney's office.

Court documents obtained by ABC News show both men also face multiple counts of conspiracy, robbery and abuse of a corpse.

DiNardo and Kratz were arraigned Friday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Maggie Snow of Buckingham Township. Neither were able to post bail. They are scheduled for a July 31 preliminary hearing before Snow, the District Attorney's Office announced Friday night.

At a news conference earlier Friday afternoon, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said he made an "agreement" with DiNardo that allowed investigators to locate Patrick's body, which was buried as far as a half-mile away from where the three other bodies were found. The agreement includes not seeking the death penalty, Weintraub said.

Patrick went missing July 5, while Finocchiaro, Meo and Sturgis all disappeared July 7.

All four men were shot and each victim has been positively identified. Their family members were briefed on details of the case Friday morning, according to the district attorney's office.

When asked about a motive, Weintraub said, "I don't know that and I'm not sure we'll ever know."

According to court documents, here is an account of what happened: DiNardo told detectives he had agreed to sell Patrick four pounds of marijuana for $8,000. DiNardo said he picked up Patrick at the man's home in Newtown on July 5 and drove him to the DiNardo family's property in Solebury Township. DiNardo told investigators Patrick only had $800 so he instead agreed to sell the man a shotgun for that amount. They then walked to a remote part of the property where DiNardo said he fatally shot Patrick with a .22-caliber rifle. DiNardo said he then drove a backhoe that was on the property to where Patrick lay, dug a hole no more than 6 feet deep and buried his body, according to the court documents. DiNardo also told detectives he agreed to sell Finocchiaro a quarter-pound of marijuana for about $700 on July 7. DiNardo said he picked up Kratz and drove to Finocchiaro's home in Middletown, agreeing on the way there that they would rob the man. DiNardo said he handed Kratz a .357 handgun that belongs to his mother, according to the court documents. 

DiNardo told investigators he drove Kratz and Finocchiaro to his family's property in Solebury Township, where he said Kratz shot Finocchiaro in the head as they were leaving a barn on the land. DiNardo said he then took the gun and shot Finocchiaro a second time while the victim was lying face down on the ground but claimed the man was already dead, according to the court documents.