Sean Kratz Convicted of Murder in Deaths of Three Young Men Found Buried in Mass Grave
JAILED
A Pennsylvania man accused of killing three young men before dumping their bodies in a 12-foot grave on a farm was found guilty on Friday. Sean Kratz, 22, was convicted of several crimes, including the first-degree murder of 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro and the voluntary manslaughter of 21-year-old Thomas Meo and 22-year-old Mark Sturgis. He was also found guilty of abusing the remains of all three victims.
Prosecutors argued Kratz’s 22-year-old cousin, Cosmo DiNardo, lured the victims to his family’s farm estate in 2017 to rob them. Kratz then shot one in the head and served as a lookout while DiNardo killed the other two. The pair then burned the men in a makeshift pig roaster and buried them in a 12-foot grave. After the slayings, prosecutors said the two cousins went out for cheesesteaks. The defense, however, argued Kratz was coerced by his cousin. DiNardo pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for his “participation in murders of four young men.” Kratz went to trial after rejecting an earlier plea deal and was convicted after jurors deliberated for 18 hours.