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Sean Kratz avoids death penalty for 2017 murders at Solebury farm

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office on Monday unexpectedly dropped its demand for the death penalty in the sentencing of convicted killer Sean Kratz.

Kratz, 22, of Philadelphia, faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison after he was convicted Friday of both first- and second-degree murder for the 2017 killing of 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro of Middletown Township. Jurors found that Kratz conspired with his cousin Cosmo DiNardo to rob and kill Finocchiaro at a farm in Solebury Township owned by the DiNardo family, where the young man’s remains were discovered burned and buried in a grave more than 12 feet deep.

The jury also found Kratz guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, and Tom Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township.

“I am awed by the grace demonstrated by the Finocchiaro family in helping me to make this difficult decision to not pursue the death penalty against the defendant,” Bucks D.A. Matthew Weintraub said. “It is the right thing to do, and now this criminal saga is over. I hope that the families of Jimi Patrick, Dean Finocchiaro, Tom Meo, and Mark Sturgis can take solace that both DiNardo and Kratz will die in prison for what they did to their boys.”

DiNardo, 22, pleaded guilty last year to his role in the grisly scheme and is serving four consecutive life sentences for the killings, including that of 19-year-old Newtown Township man Jimi Taro Patrick.

About the author

Charlie Sahner

“Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy." - Einstein

1 Comment

  • No death penalty and I understand this is at the request of the victims’ families. As two men in their early twenties, Cosmo & Sean will be supported by our tax dollars for the next 50-60 years. My sympathy to the families, but I don’t agree that it is their decision to make.

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