Philadelphia police

Cosmo DiNardo, Bucks County Murder Suspect, Claims He Killed Woman and Man in Philadelphia: Sources

However, the dates, times and locations of the 20-year-old suspect’s admissions remain sketchy, sources caution

Cosmo DiNardo, who has confessed to a murder spree that left four young men dead and buried on his family’s sprawling Bucks County, Pennsylvania, farm, says he previously killed a woman and man in Philadelphia, law enforcement sources tell NBC10.

DiNardo told Bucks County detectives he killed the woman in the basement of a Philadelphia home, the sources said. He also allegedly offered the nickname of a man he claims to have murdered.

However, the dates, times and locations of the 20-year-old suspect’s alleged previous killings remains unknown, sources said.

Sources said Philadelphia and Bucks County detectives have been communicating about DiNardo’s claims.

DiNardo and Kratz bipanel
Bucks County District Attorney's Office via AP
Cosmo DiNardo, 20, and his 20-year-old cousin, Sean Kratz, are charged in a murder spree that left four young men dead in July. Their remains were discovered buried on a Bucks County, Pennsylvania farm.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Tuesday morning his detectives would be "remiss" to not look into the admitted murder suspect's assertion.

"In order for us to lend any credence to it we would have to talk to him directly," Ross said. "When you're dealing with someone who is pathological like that you don't know where he is coming from."

Prosecutors said DiNardo, a college dropout who has been described by sources as a small-time marijuana dealer, is schizophrenic and was not allowed to have firearms. He was involuntarily committed to a mental institution in the past, though details of his institutionalization are unclear.

DiNardo, of Bensalem, and his 20-year-old cousin, Sean Kratz, remain in the Bucks County jail charged with murder and related crimes in the deaths of Jimi Taro Patrick, 19; Dean Finocchiaro, 19; Mark Sturgis, 22; and Tom Meo, 21.

DiNardo confessed to the crimes as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

An intense, meticulous search of the 90-acre farm in Solebury Township stretched on for days last week as local, state and federal investigators hunted for the men who began to disappear on July 7.

Prosecutors twice arrested DiNardo as they closed in on finding the men and linking their disappearance to him. The burned remains of Finocchiaro, Sturgis and Meo were found buried more than 12 feet underground in a common grave last Wednesday.

DiNardo later admitted to killing the men after becoming upset with them during a drug deal. He pointed investigators to a wooded hill where Patrick's body was buried.

On Friday, police arrested Kratz at his Northeast Philadelphia home and charged him with criminal homicide in the killings. A preliminary hearing at the county courthouse in Doylestown for both Kratz and DiNardo is scheduled for Sept. 7.

On Tuesday, NBC10 spoke with Kratz's lawyer, Abby Leeds, in an exclusive interview.

"He's very quiet. He seems to be in shock," Leeds said. "It's very early in the game. Sean is presumed innocent. He deserves a very vigorous defense and we intend to give that to him. And don't forget, at this point, Sean's story and DiNardo's story don't match up."

Jimi-Patrick-Dean-Finocchiaro
Newtown Township Police, Middletown Township Police
(L to R), Jimi Patrick, Dean Finocchiaro
Mark-Sturgis-Tom-Meo
Bucks County District Attorney's Office
(L-R): Mark Sturgis & Tom Meo

Sturgis' family has retained personal injury law firm Ross Feller Casey, LLP to represent them since DiNardo possibly used family-owned weapons to commit the murders, the Philadelphia-based law firm said.

"We will likely never make sense of this ghastly murder spree, but we will not rest until we understand every detail, every nuance surrounding this horrific crime," Sturgis family attorney Robert Ross said. "The families of these young men deserve nothing less."

No lawsuit was immediately filed against DiNardo or his family, which has various real estate holdings.

The families of Finocchiaro, Meo, Patrick and Sturgis have announced funeral plans for family and friends.

Funeral services for Finocchiaro will be held Saturday in Levittown followed by private burial. His family asked that donation's in his name be made to NOVA, 2370 York Road, Suite B-1, Jamison, PA 18929.

Meo's funeral will be held Thursday in Northeast Philadelphia following a viewing Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Funeral services for Patrick will be held Friday in Newtown followed by private interment. His family asked that donations in Patrick's name be made to Boys Town, 14100 Crawford St., Boys Town, NE 68010 or Nami-Bucks Chapter, 600 Louis Dr., Suite 106 Warminster, PA 18974.

Yellow ribbons now line the Newtown street where Patrick lived with his grandparents. On Tuesday night at 7:30, Holy Ghost Prep planned a prayer service in the 2016 graduate's memory.

A memorial gathering for Sturgis will be held Thursday night in Bensalem.

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