Source: Man killed 4 men separately, burned them

Associated Press

DOYLESTOWN, Pa.

A drug dealer has confessed to killing four young men separately after selling them marijuana and then burning their bodies at his family’s farm, a person with firsthand knowledge of his confession said Thursday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss details of the case. The person said a co-conspirator was involved in the killings of three of the men, who had been reported missing.

The details were provided after one of Cosmo DiNardo’s lawyers said Thursday that DiNardo had confessed to murdering the missing men, who included a Maryland college student.

DiNardo, 20, confessed to taking part in the four slayings and agreed to plead guilty to four first-degree murder counts, attorney Paul Lang said outside court, where DiNardo had met with investigators.

“I’m sorry,” a shackled DiNardo said as he left the courthouse.

The person with firsthand knowledge of DiNardo’s confession said the men were killed after DiNardo felt cheated or threatened during three drug transactions. DiNardo sold quarter-pound quantities of marijuana for several thousand dollars and sold handguns to area residents, the person said.

DiNardo said one victim was killed July 5 and the other three were killed July 7, the person said.

Authorities had charged DiNardo earlier this year with having a gun despite an involuntary mental-health commitment. In seeking $5 million bail on a stolen-car charge this week, prosecutors said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.