According to one school counselor, teen gamblers start out playing innocent gambling games with their family before taking it outside the home. The big danger is with free apps that feature in-app purchases for upgrades, but that's not the only place teens are gambling.
A South Jersey high school superintendent is apologizing after a teen girl accused two students of harassing her and calling her a racial slur during a rowing competition over the weekend.
Myasia Joga, a junior at Absegami High School, was participating in a crew competition at Lake Lenape on Mother’s Day. After the race, Joga joined her teammates and coaches on the bus. That’s when she said two members of Mainland Regional High School’s team sat next to her and called her “Rosa Parks” before using the N-word.
“That was the most unforgettable few moments of my life and crew,” Joga said.
Joga’s mother, Ulyses Joga, told NBC10 she went to speak with an adult from Mainland when one of the teens who yelled the racial slur tried to apologize.
“He said, ‘Well I’m telling you I’m sorry and I hope it does not get back to my coach,’” Joga said.
The two Mainland students were later disciplined and Mainland’s superintendent released a statement, apologizing for their actions.
“We will continue to enforce our commitment to Mainland being a safe and inclusive place for our students, staff and those that we interact with, whether in our school or in the fields, through additional education and continued enforcement of our zero tolerance policies," the superintendent wrote.
Joga, who is the only black girl on her crew team, said she’s hurt by the incident but it won’t stop her from persevering.
“We row through it every day,” Joga said. “Every year.”
The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby is this Saturday. We have a preview of some of things to expect. A team of students from West Philadelphia's The Workshop School are in high hopes of winning in one or more categories.
John Fetterman is a small-town mayor from the Rust Belt of western Pennsylvania, yet much of his strongest appeal is among the urban progressives of big cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The 6-foot-8-inch goateed (and bald) native of Reading, Berks County, is a contradiction-in-terms: He abhors the conformity of traditional politics, yet he seeks the biggest stages. He comes from a small town, but is full of big-city ideas. He's a progressive Democrat who received Bernie Sanders' endorsement but looks like he just walked out of a biker bar.
His approach paid off Tuesday. Fetterman, 48, pulled off an upset in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. He beat incumbent Mike Stack, a fixture in Harrisburg and Northeast Philadelphia political circles. Stack's manicured look contrasts 180 degrees with Fetterman's blue-collar everyman.
Fetterman will be Gov. Tom Wolf's running mate in the November general election. The two will face off against the Republican ticket of gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner and lieutenant governor candidate Jeff Bartos, who also secured their victories Tuesday night.
"It's overwhelming," Fetterman told supporters after his victory. He did not wear a suit to the party. "I'm just coming at this from a low-key, overwhelmed, humble place."
Stack left his Election Night party before NBC10 could get comment. His political career was on tenuous ground for the last year. In a bizarre scandal, Wolf ordered an investigation into the treatment of the security detail for Stack and his wife over allegations of mistreatment. It led to Wolf eventually stripping the Stacks of state police protection.
Fetterman's appeal is rooted both in his unusual aesthetic and his progressive politics. The latter has been developed more than the decade he has served as mayor of Braddock, a former steel town in Allegheny County, population 2,100.
He went to the borough in decline with plans to create a non-profit and initiate revitalization efforts. He has credited his roots in central Pennsylvania with keeping him grounded. Before moving to Braddock, he received a master's degree in public policy at Harvard University.
Fetterman first gained traction in Pennsylvania politics when he finished third in the 2016 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate.
"I just want to take our message of 'All Places Matter,'" he told his supporters. "And I’m so honored by the people of Pennsylvania to be your nominee for lieutenant governor."
During his rise to prominence in the Senate primary two years ago, he was profiled by Rolling Stone, The New York Times and many other news outlets. He appeared on "The Colbert Report." In an interview on NBC10's @Issue program, Fetterman called now-President Donald Trump a "jag-off."
He has Braddock's zip code, 15014, tattooed on one forearm and the names of everyone murdered in the borough since he became mayor on the other arm.
A man is in custody after he allegedly vandalized an Israeli flag in Center City to protest recent violence in Gaza.
Members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia say they responded to a report Tuesday that the Israeli flag, which hangs on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was being defaced. When they arrived they spotted a man spraying red paint on the flag.
“I’m very upset to hear that a symbolism of Israel, symbolism of the Jewish community had been vandalized in such a horrific and horrid way,” Laura Frank, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said. "So it was quite a shock to see that actually happening, to see an active anti-Semitism actually happen in front of you.”
Philadelphia police later arrested the man though they have not yet revealed his identity. Officials say he will likely be charged overnight or Wednesday morning with institutional vandalism.
“Hate and anti-Semitism have no place in the City of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney wrote in a released statement. “While I understand that emotions are running high and there are many viewpoints stemming from recent violence against Palestinians and other protestors in the Gaza Strip, it doesn’t warrant hateful acts of vandalism.”
A city spokesperson told NBC10 the vandalized Israeli flag was later replaced Tuesday.
The vandalism comes after the deadliest day the Gaza strip has seen in years. On Monday, 59 Palestinians were killed and more than 2700 were injured by Israeli gunfire during mass protests. Israeli officials said its troopers were defending its border.
This week we are taking a close look at the science of sleep to help you and your family get the best rest possible. Here are some tips from experts on the importance of kids and teens getting a certain amount of sleep every night.
Here are the top news stories you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.
TODAY'S TOP STORY
Protester Vandalizes Israeli Flag on Ben Franklin Parkway: A man is in custody after he allegedly vandalized an Israeli flag in Center City to protest recent violence in Gaza. Members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia say they responded to a report Tuesday that the Israeli flag, which hangs on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was being defaced. When they arrived they spotted a man spraying red paint on the flag. “I’m very upset to hear that a symbolism of Israel, symbolism of the Jewish community had been vandalized in such a horrific and horrid way,” Laura Frank, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said. "So it was quite a shock to see that actually happening, to see an active anti-Semitism actually happen in front of you.” Philadelphia police later arrested the man though they have not yet revealed his identity. Officials say he will likely be charged overnight or Wednesday morning with institutional vandalism.
WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY
2 Suspects Attack Men Outside Bar: Police are searching for two suspects accused of attacking two men outside a bar in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Kyle Leitham, 24, told NBC10 he was celebrating his brother's 21st birthday with a group of friends at the Landmark Americana Bar on W. Gay Street back on May 6 around 12:10 a.m. While outside the bar, Leitham says he and his friend accidentally bumped into two other men. The suspects then attacked them. "The way they started swinging for no reason, it seemed like they were looking for a fight," Leitham said. Leitham was knocked unconscious after one of the suspects punched him, causing him to fall and hit his head on the curb. He also said his friend’s jaw was broken and it had to be wired shut after the attack. Leitham had four staples in his head which were removed Monday. He's still feeling the after effects of his injury.
YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST
Rain is expected for Wednesday and Thursday with temperatures in the 70s. Friday is also expected to see rain with temperatures in the 60s. Saturday could see rain and temperatures back in the 70s. There is a potential for thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday as well. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.
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Weapons Training, Tracking Before Murder-Suicide: A distraught wife underwent weapons training and used a tracking device on her husband before killing his mistress and then taking her own life inside a Main Line home, according to sources close to the investigation. The sources revealed new details on the events leading up to the murder-suicide in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, on April 23. Jennair Gerardot shot and killed Meredith Sullivan Chapman, 30, inside her home before turning the gun on herself. Chapman had been having an affair with Gerardot's husband, Mark Gerardot, prior to the shooting, police said. Chapman was a former WHYY producer for its Delaware bureau and ran an unsuccessful bid as a Republican for a state senate seat in Delaware. She was also married to Newark City Councilman Luke Chapman, but the couple was reportedly separated. She had recently moved to the home on Lowrys Lane in Radnor Township for a new job at nearby Villanova University. Gerardot's life had also changed prior to her death. A recent transplant to the East Coast, her social media photos with her husband Mark showed a seemingly happy couple. But underneath the surface there were signs of trouble. Gerardot began posting messages on social media begging for help while claiming her marriage was crumbling and her husband wanted out. She was also searching for therapy. Sources told NBC10 Gerardot began using a tracking device and computer software to find out more about her husband's affair with Chapman.
AROUND THE WORLD
Trump Supporter Barletta Wins GOP Nod to Take on Casey: Four-term U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who first got national notice as a small-city mayor for his attempted crackdown on illegal immigration, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Barletta had paid little attention to his Republican rival, state Rep. Jim Christiana, during the primary campaign. Instead, he focused his attacks on the candidate he hopes to unseat in the fall, two-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. Barletta is a favorite of Trump, whom Barletta endorsed in 2016. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate, and the president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him. Casey, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination, has opposed Trump's Supreme Court pick, many of his highest-profile nominees and the GOP tax-cutting law. Casey is among 10 Democratic senators seeking re-election this year in states won by Trump, making Casey a target for Republicans.
That's what you need to know to Catch Up Quickly, but we've got more stories worthy of your time. Click here to check them out.
Passengers tell us they have been stranded at Philadelphia International Airport for days due to flight problems with Frontier Airlines. We have reached out to Frontier and are now waiting for their response.
The father of a woman shot while driving on a New Jersey highway spoke out on the loss as her killer was in court. Brian Thompson reports.
Jacob has big dreams of joining the Navy or maybe play professional basketball player when he's older. He's hoping to find a family who will support his endeavors. NBC10's Vai Sikahema introduces us to this week's Wednesday's Child. Call 1-866-DO-ADOPT to adopt any Wednesday's Child.
Cosmo DiNardo received four consecutive life sentences Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to killing four young men and burying their bodies on his family's sprawling suburban Philadelphia farm.
Twelve family members of the men killed -Dean Finocchiaro, Thomas Meo, Mark Sturgis and Jimi Taro Patrick - at times angry and other times tearfully grieving, read emotional victim impact statements before Judge Jeffrey Finley. Their sorrow filled the courtroom for nearly two hours.
“I’m going to ask him to do something, that every day he wakes up in jail, please say a pray for Jimmy’s mother,” Sharon Patrick, Jimmy Patrick’s grandmother, said as DiNardo sat with his head down just feet away. “ Please pray for me that I’ll be able to forgive you.”
Others were more blunt.
“You’re the perfect example of starting at the top and working their way down to the gutter,” Mark Potash, Mark Sturgis’s father, told DiNardo. “You brought shame and embarrassment to your family name.”
Thomas Meo’s mother, Melissa Fratanduono, called DiNardo “a f------ piece of s---.”
Before he was sentenced to life, DiNardo apologized to the families in a brief statement.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “If there was anything I could do to take back the things that occurred, I would. I’m so sorry.”
Judge Finley was unmoved.
“Your apology at least from my perspective comes across as false and insincere,” he said.
He said he spent some time in the last week listening to DiNardo’s confession to law enforcement following the heinous slayings.
“The tone of your voice stood out as having such a total and complete disregard to the value of human life,” Finley said. He added that if DiNardo were to ever be released from prison, Finley believes DiNardo would kill again.
“I try to think of something to say to you and to them to make sense of all this, to bring peace to them,” Finley told DiNardo. “Nothing I say will do that.”
Police found the bodies of the missing men after a grueling, five-day search in July 2017. Three were lit on fire and placed in an oil tank converted into a pig roaster. One was buried in the ground.
DiNardo, 21, had lured the men, ages 19 to 22, to his family's 90-acre farm under the guise of making marijuana deals. Each meeting turned into an ambush and then a bloodbath.
His cousin, Sean Kratz, also 21, will appear in court at 2 p.m.
Tuesday's storm was intense with hundreds of lightning strikes across the region including this wild hit on three Center City skyscrapers.
The body of a murder victim remained on a Philadelphia sidewalk for eight hours as part of another bloody night in the city.
Medics were called to 62nd Street near Lebanon Avenue in the city’s Overbrook neighborhood around 5 a.m. Wednesday after getting 911 calls about the body. They announced the man dead shortly after, investigators said.
Philadelphia police investigated and found that the man, who appears to be in his 60s, was shot in the chest, Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. They also found evidence that multiple bullets had been fired.
“We looking into the possibility that this victim may have been laying on the sidewalk for eight hours before he was discovered,” Small said.
Neighbors told investigators they thought they heard gunshots around 9 p.m. Tuesday, Small said.
The man had no identification on him.
Police had no description of a possible suspect as of Wednesday morning.
The killing was one of several violent incidents overnight:
A 30-year-old man was shot during a home invasion along Hunter Street in Overbrook just before midnight and a 53-year-old man was shot early Wednesday along North 36th Street in Mantua, police said. Both victims were hospitalized.
A 35-year-old man was also injured after being stabbed in the neck along North Newkirk Street in Brewerytown early Wednesday.
SEPTA will be adding more kiosks to third-party locations for Key card holders after they officially stop selling tokens this July.
George Bengal was a man who dedicated his life to saving animals, and now the Pennsylvania SPCA is helping to make sure his dying wish comes true by raising funds to fight animal cruelty.
Two young boys were killed in a house fire last December, and now friends of the family joined together to create a rock concert memorial in Montgomery County. They hope to raise funds for the Lukens family in their time of need.
The mind boggling audio debate that's trending everywhere tonight. Everyone's listening to the same exact clip but hearing two different things. Now people from our area are weighing in on the "Laurel vs. Yanny" debate.
Does it seem like the rain just won’t stop? Well, you’re right. It hasn’t. And it won’t—for a while at least. Periods of rain (and at times, thunderstorms) have passed over the region since last Thursday.
The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team is forecasting rain for the next five days (through Monday, May 21). That’ll make it a 12-day rain stretch!
Between Thursday, May 10, and Tuesday, May 15, Philadelphia officially picked up 2.53” of rain. Allentown saw 1.35”. Wilmington picked up 3.03”. The Atlantic City (Airport) total topped 2.86”.
For the year, Philadelphia is well above average for precipitation. The year-to-date total sits at 20.08”. The average? Only 14.74”! We’re running 5.34” wetter than normal. Last year was less damp, running right along the average at this point in the year.
In the following days, we’re stuck under a very damp pattern. A frontal boundary will align along the southern edge of our region. Although it may wobble some around our area, it continues to sit atop the Delaware Valley. The result? Tropical moisture will ride the boundary, all the way to us! This brings periods of light, steady and even heavy rain. Thunderstorms are less likely until the weekend.
How much more rain are we expecting? The region will see between 3-5” more by next Monday. Isolated areas may see up to 7 more inches!
There are a few concerns with this type of prolonged rain event.
The main threat? Flooding.
A Flood Watch has been issued through the entire region from Thursday at 6 p.m. through Saturday at 6 a.m. Periods of heavy rain are likely during this time period.
Low-laying areas and those prone to flooding could see ponding. Creek swelling is possible through the weekend, and this may lead to river swelling as well. Many river gauges throughout the tri-state area indicate reaching minor flood stage could occur, although not guaranteed.
Flash flooding might become an issue as well, when periods of heavier rain or thunderstorms approach. With all the rain that has already fallen, the ground is saturated. So, additional rain, especially when heavy, cannot absorb into the ground.
Another issue? Crops or plants sensitive to too much rain may not have a chance to dry out—leaving puddles atop of them for days. Plus, trees that were weakened from this Springs’ Nor’Easters (or even semi-rotted old trees) can more easily pull out of the soggy soil.
One silver-lining? Allergy suffers should be noticing the huge drop in pollen count. The constant rain has and will continue to wash out the air.
When does the region finally dry out? It looks like Tuesday, May 22, has the best chance of staying dry. Keep up-to-date on this forecast by following us on social media, online and on air.
Tom Meo crumbled the moment Cosmo DiNardo’s bullet struck his back.
Paralyzed and laying on the gravel driveway of DiNardo’s secluded farm, Meo screamed.
“I can’t feel my legs! I can’t feel my legs!”
Meo’s friend, Mark Sturgis, ran when the shooting started. He made it only 20 feet before DiNardo sprayed him with bullets from a silver revolver. Then, flustered by Meo’s screaming, DiNardo jumped onto his father’s backhoe. As he turned the earthmover toward Meo, the screams stopped.
Seconds later, the backhoe rolled over Meo. He died instantly.
On that grisly day in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, only Meo had plans to meet DiNardo. Sturgis was not expected to be there.
The murders — two of four DiNardo and his cousin, Sean Kratz, would commit in July 2017 — captivated the nation. A week-long search for the victims led local and federal investigators to a sprawling 90-acre farm near New Hope. It belonged to DiNardo’s family, who made their fortune from various trucking and concrete businesses.
All four victims — Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township; Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Montgomery County; Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township; and Jimi Taro Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township — thought they were meeting DiNardo to buy pot.
Each drug deal turned into an ambush.
In confession tapes obtained exclusively by NBC10, DiNardo and Kratz, both 21 years old, detail the gruesome murders and the cousins’ attempts to cover their tracks. The motivation behind these murders seemed arbitrary, at best, throughout the nearly four hours of recorded audio.
DiNardo, who has a history of schizophrenia, was calm and unsentimental as he described shooting the men, dousing three of their bodies with gasoline and burning them in a pig roaster. By contrast, Kratz’s voice cracked in the recordings when he recalled closing his eyes and shooting Finocchiaro moments before his cousin shot the dying man, again, for good measure.
On Wednesday, DiNardo pleaded guilty to homicide and related charges. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.
In a shocking twist, Kratz pleaded not guilty Wednesday. Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said he will seek the death penalty and that prosecutors will use Kratz's recorded confession against him in trial.
Weintraub's office refused to release the recordings publicly saying the interviews were not part of the public record.
The cousins' murderous spree started on July 5, 2017 with Jimi Taro Patrick. He and DiNardo had been classmates at Holy Ghost Preparatory High School in Bensalem. On that particular day, Patrick was in the market for marijuana. DiNardo considered himself a middle man, selling pot for a big dealer whom he identified only as Carlos.
Prior to their meeting, DiNardo told Patrick to bring $8,000 for a large amount of marijuana. He only showed up with $800, DiNardo told investigators. For that amount of money, DiNardo suggested selling him a gun instead. Patrick humored him. As Patrick goes to shoot the 12-gauge shotgun, DiNardo shot him in the back. He fell just 10 feet away from where DiNardo would later bury his body.
“I go, get the backhoe, dig the hole, said a prayer, put him in the hole,” DiNardo said during his confession.
He then burned Patrick’s money.
“I didn’t want the kid’s $800. I didn’t kill him over the $800. I wasn’t robbing him,” he said. “This was not going to go good for me. The guy would have shot me if I went to meet up with him and I didn’t have the money.”
Two days later, on July 7, DiNardo got ready for another drug deal. But first, DiNardo took a moment to buy nearly $300 worth of steaks and fish for his family.
With food in hand, DiNardo drove to his cousin’s home in Ambler and then to their grandmother’s house to deliver the food. Together, DiNardo and Kratz went to meet Dean Finocchiaro and sell him a quarter-pound of weed.
DiNardo only had 2 ounces on him.
Their plan was simple. Instead of selling anything to Finocchiaro, the cousins would rob him. Maybe even kill him. It wouldn’t be the first time DiNardo did that, he told Kratz.
“He wanted me to rob [Finocchiaro] and then to shoot him,” Kratz said in his confession tape. “I wanted to go home, but [DiNardo] just made it clear that he wasn’t taking me home.”
The cousins were not close friends. DiNardo told investigators the two had only just started hanging out a few months prior. In his confession, DiNardo couldn’t even remember which last name Kratz used.
Both men had a history of violence, however. DiNardo claimed to investigators he strangled one man to death in North Philadelphia and shot another in West Philadelphia when he was a teen. Philadelphia police said they have no evidence he committed those crimes.
In more recent years, DiNardo was banned from Arcadia University in Glenside and escorted off his high school alma mater’s campus. In both instances, officials reported that DiNardo made people feel uncomfortable. Arcadia University school officials told NBC10 they considered DiNardo a threat to public safety.
Kratz, meanwhile, was shot 19 times in March 2017. At the time of Finocchiaro’s murder, Kratz was out on bail following a pair of burglaries in Northeast Philadelphia. One neighbor told NBC10 he stole lawn equipment from a house and a dog from another. In June 2016, security cameras in Montgomery County showed Kratz breaking into a shed. He retaliated against the woman who turned him in by stealing her jewelry, according to court documents.
Despite his record, Kratz didn’t consider himself a murderer. When it came time to kill Finocchiaro, he hesitated.
“He wanted me to rob him in the woods and shoot him, take his money,” Kratz said in his confession tape. “I just couldn’t do it.”
DiNardo and Kratz picked up Finocchiaro in Bensalem and drove him to the DiNardo property in Solebury Township, where Patrick’s body lay freshly buried. Once there, the three jumped on four wheelers and followed dirt trails into the woods. There, Kratz was to shoot Finocchiaro, both told investigators.
When he didn’t, DiNardo became agitated. He led Kratz and Finocchiaro into a barn under the pretense of checking out a Vespa. Kratz was nervous. He lit a cigarette. Finocchiaro fiddled on his phone.
"[DiNardo] gave me a signal — a hand gesture as a gun," Kratz said in the confession recording. "I kinda was hesitant. I pulled the gun out. I aimed it in the air, closed my eyes and fired a shot."
Finocchiaro collapsed to the ground. DiNardo took the gun away from Kratz and shot the dying Finocchiaro.
Kratz rushed out of the barn and vomited. DiNardo followed, laughing at his cousin who had never seen a dead body, Kratz said.
“His head was split the hell open,” DiNardo said during his confession. “Half his brain was in the barn.”
DiNardo covered Finocchiaro’s body with a tarp after cleaning out the dead man’s pockets. A wad of cash, a phone and other belongings that could help identify Finochiarro were taken. DiNardo rolled the body onto the backhoe and then lifted it into a pig roaster located just outside the barn.
Around the same time, DiNardo’s father suddenly drove onto the property, Kratz said. The younger DiNardo went to meet him but the older DiNardo backed up his car and left. There was a woman sitting in the front seat who wasn’t DiNardo’s mother, Kratz said. DiNardo was “bent out of shape” about this other woman. He swore to kill them both, according to Kratz's recorded confession.
Shortly after, DiNardo received a phone call from Tom Meo to arrange a drug deal that same day. It was supposed to be another set up. DiNardo and Kratz would rob Meo and then let him go. Instead, he showed up with Mark Sturgis and the deal soon turned into a bloodbath.
Several feet away, Finocchiaro's body slumped inside a metal pig roaster and Taro laid several feet underground. The bodies of Meo and Sturgis would soon join Finocchiaro in the roaster, later to be covered in gasoline and lit on fire. DiNardo used a blow torch to burn the phones and Meo’s car registration. He tried to give his cousin “a dead man’s cigarettes” but Kratz refused, he said.
It was time for a break.
DiNardo drove to a nearby gas station and purchased about $30 worth of root beer, cream soda, water, iced tea and cigarettes for Kratz. He picked up Kratz at the barn after ensuring everything else appeared in order. The cousins jumped into DiNardo’s car and drove down Interstate 95 back to DiNardo’s house in Bensalem.
But first, they stopped for cheesesteaks.
“I didn’t eat mine,” DiNardo said. “I just did something so gruesome. I didn’t have the appetite.”
That night, Kratz stayed over DiNardo’s home. They each showered and put on clean clothes. They slept. Meanwhile, the bodies smoldered in the pig roaster.
Early the next morning, on July 8, the cousins made further preparations to hide evidence. They hand washed DiNardo’s truck and then drove to Kratz’s mother house in Northeast Philadelphia, where DiNardo would later hide the gun used to kill his victims. They also visited with Kratz’s sister and her new baby. Kratz told investigators that during this visit, DiNardo made lewd comments to the young mom.
The cousins then drove to a barber shop owned by Kratz’s uncle. DiNardo wanted a haircut and a shave. There, Kratz tossed the victims’ IDs into a sewer.
After the barber shop, Kratz and DiNardo drove to Franklin Mills for a professional car wash.
DiNardo received a frantic call from his mother. Kratz would later describe her in his police interview as “hysterical.” She drove to meet her son and nephew, and was sobbing by the time she arrived. Word had spread that Finocchiaro was missing and DiNardo was the last person to see with him.
“I told her I didn’t know anything about it,” DiNardo said. “She said they always try to put everything on me.”
DiNardo he was shaken by the encounter, Kratz told investigators during his confession.
“He’s all, now, fired up and said that he has to go to the farm again … to get rid of the bodies,” Kratz said in the confession.
Kratz asked to be taken home, but DiNardo brought him to the farm and disappeared into the woods with the backhoe. DiNardo hurried to bury the remains that had burned overnight. DiNardo also grabbed two guns, which police later determined were used in the murders. Those guns were taken to the home of Kratz’s mother for hiding, but Kratz eventually removed them.
When asked why he moved that evidence, Kratz told investigators:
“The same reason that I shot Dean — I was scared [DiNardo] was going to harm not only myself, but I have a one-and-a-half month-old nephew, got a little brother, a mother. He made it out like ‘You say anything and I’ll hurt you.’ After knowing what he’s capable of, I was scared for others.”
Kratz never spoke to his cousin again.
After more than an hour of questioning by Bucks County detectives, DiNardo finally broke down. His breathing quickened and sobs erupted in a moment of uncharacteristic distress.
“I threw my life away for nothing. All I’ve done is nothing,” he cried. “I ruined people’s families.”
DiNardo was charged with four counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, abuse of corpse and several other related charges.
Kratz was charged with three counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, abuse of corpse and related charges.
