PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WTXF) - The first wrongful death civil lawsuit stemming from the slayings of four young men in Bucks County was filed Wednesday morning.
Attorney Robert Ross filed the lawsuit on behalf of the family of 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, whose body was discovered in July buried on a Bucks County farm.
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"With this lawsuit, the heartbroken parents of Mark Sturgis intend to hold accountable everyone responsible for the horrific death of their son, not just those who pulled the trigger," Ross said. "This includes those who negligently and carelessly permitted either of the accused to gain access to firearms and equipment used in these heinous crimes."
The lawsuit targets Cosmo DiNardo and his cousin Sean Kratz, the two men charged with the murder of Sturgis and three other men. DiNardo's parents, Sandra and Antonio DiNardo, are also listed as defendants. The pair own the Solebury Township farm on which the men were buried.
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Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that DiNardo used a Smith and Wesson 357 owned by and registered to his mother to kill Sturgis, and that DiNardo's parents failed to secure the handgun despite their son's history of mental illness.
The suit also alleges that DiNardo's parents created a dangerous environment on their family farm by allowing their son access to the property as well as the equipment on it.