No Death Penalty In Bucks Co. Farm Murders: DA

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County will not pursue the death penalty against Sean Kratz, who was convicted last week in connection with three homicides on a Solebury Township farm in 2017. The District Attorney made the announcement Monday, in advance of a sentencing hearing for Kratz.

Kratz, 22, of Philadelphia, now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison after he was convicted Friday of both first- and second-degree murder for the July 7, 2017, shooting death of Dean Finocchiaro, 19.

The jury, after three days of deliberations, also found Kratz guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of Mark Sturgis, 22, and Tom Meo, 21.

Kratz rejected a plea deal in 2018 which would have landed him a jail sentence of 59 to 118 years. DiNardo has already pleaded guilty and is serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders.

The victims were killed in three separate shootings, all of which took place on DiNardo's family farm on Lower York Road.

“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 County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said. “But I am reminded, that we do this not for the defendant’s benefit, but for our own. 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 was expected to testify at the trial, which began Nov. 6. However, he rejected a subpoena and refused a bus ride to court Friday.

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