Shocking Turn in Case of Missing Men: a Murder Confession

A stunning twist in the case of four men who disappeared this month in Pennsylvania: A person of interest in the disappearances confessed Thursday to murdering the missing men, the Washington Post reports. “[Cosmo DiNardo] confessed to his participation or commission in the murders of four young men,” defense attorney Paul Lang says. According to ABC News, the 20-year-old DiNardo offered his full confession in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. Lang says DiNardo told authorities where the four bodies are located as part of his confession and that the motivation for the killings will be revealed in time. Lang says DiNardo has "deep remorse" over the murders, and DiNardo told the victims' families he's sorry as he left the courthouse Thursday.

There are a lot of questions surrounding DiNardo and the deaths of the four men, one of whom's remains were found Wednesday in a deep grave on property belonging to DiNardo's parents. The AP reports it's unclear how the victims died. It's also unclear how DiNardo is connected to the men. The district attorney hasn't commented on DiNardo's confession. DiNardo was originally arrested Monday on an unrelated weapons charge before being released on $1 million bail. He was arrested again Wednesday and held on $5 million bail for allegedly trying to sell a car belonging to one of the victims. An acquaintance of DiNardo says DiNardo sold guns and talked "about weird things like killing people." The district attorney says DiNardo has been diagnosed as schizophrenic. (More Cosmo DiNardo stories.)