Crime & Safety
Cosmo DiNardo Murders: Lawsuit Against Parents Can Continue
A judge has ruled Cosmo DiNardo's parents can be held responsible for the actions of their son, who shot four and buried their bodies.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A civil lawsuit filed against Cosmo DiNardo's parents in connection with the 2017 shooting death of Jimi Patrick can continue, a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge has ruled. Patrick, 19 at the time of his death, was one of four young men who were murdered on the DiNardo family farm in July 2017.
Lawyers for Antonio and Sandra DiNardo had requested the lawsuit be dismissed, but Judge Shelly Robins-New ruled the couple can be held legally responsible for the actions of their mentally ill son, who shot the victims and buried their bodies at the 90-acre farm off Rt. 202 in Solebury.
Cosmo DiNardo pleaded guilty in connection with the murders and is serving consecutive life sentences in state prison.
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Carin O’Donnell, a lawyer for Patrick's family, argued his parents' responsibility was uniquely substantiated because of their son's access to guns and his documented history of disruptive and violent behavior. "According to court documents, his violent conduct was not only well known to his parents, but was at times directed at them," O'Donnell's firm, Stark & Stark, said in a statement following the ruling.
In an interview with Philadelphia Magazine in February, Sandra DiNardo spoke of her son's issues.
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She detailed his spiraling descent into mental illness and the family's efforts to get him treatment for bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia.
“We are pleased that the court has sustained the parental-liability claim in our complaint, which also includes claims of wrongful death and negligence, and look forward to rightfully pursuing this case — and the companion cases brought on behalf of the other three victims — being tried before a jury,” O’Donnell said.
The civil lawsuits against the DiNardos and their affiliated businesses were filed in 2018, a year after Patrick's death. Also killed were Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township, Tom Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township, and Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg.
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