Cosmo DiNardo Pleads Not Guilty In Solebury Slayings

Cosmo Dinardo and Sean Kratz, the pair authorities say killed four young men in Solebury Township in July, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Thursday. Both men are facing charges of criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, robbery and conspiracy, and related charges in connection with the deaths of the four area men.

DiNardo, 20, of Bensalem, faces four counts of criminal homicide in the deaths of Jimi Taro Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township; Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township; Thomas Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township; and Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Montgomery County.

Kratz, 20, of Northeast Philadelphia, is charged with the deaths of Finocchiaro, Meo and Sturgis, but not Patrick.

Despite the plea, Weintraub said he still intends to honor his agreement with DiNardo to not seek the death penalty, provided he continues to cooperate. Authorities say DiNardo admitted he killed the men, and directed investigators to Patrick’s body, which was still missing at the time. This was in exchange for being spared the death penalty.

However, on Wednesday, the District Attorney's office filed paperwork allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty if DiNardo fails to cooperate. "If we uncover additional evidence or he wishes to go to trial, that’s his prerogative. We will be prepared and we will at that time seek the death penalty," Weintraub said.

The death penalty is a "very, very real possibility" for Kratz, Weintraub said.

A trial date has not yet been set.

Bucks County President Judge Jeffrey L. Finley said he would meet soon with attorneys in the case to agree upon a schedule for discovery deadlines, pretrial motions and the trial date, the Bucks County District Attorney's office said.

Dinardo and Kratz remain in prison, housed separately as a safety precaution. DiNardo is at the Bucks County Correctional Facility and Kratz is at the Northampton County Prison.

Prosecutors allege that DiNardo lured the victims to his family's sprawling Solebury property with the promise of selling them marijuana. But once they were there, he killed them instead.

Authorities say DiNardo has acknowledged fatally shooting every victim except Finocchiaro. He said Kratz killed Finocchiaro. Kratz told investigators he was there for three of the killings, but claims DiNardo was the one who actually shot the young men.

Patrick was reported missing first. Investigators say DiNardo shot him on July 5 and buried his body on the remote property.

Finocchiaro, Meo and Sturgis were shot and killed two days later, authorities say. Their bodies were found in 12-foot-deep common grave. Investigators say the pair tried to burn the bodies before they were buried.

The disappearance of the men set off a multi-day search, which resulted in the gruesome discovery of charred remains.

Dinardo faces additional felony charges of illegally possessing firearms, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

“We intend to stay the course until this case is brought to a resolution and we can get justice for the four boys that were murdered,” Weintraub said.

PHOTO: Cosmo Dinardo, via Bucks County District Attorney