SCRANTON -- A Lackawanna County jury found Jason Dominick guilty of third degree murder and guilty of conspiracy of third degree murder for the shooting death of Frank Bonacci. He was found not guilty of first degree murder. The jury's decision on Saturday came on the third day of deliberations.
Bonacci disappeared after a party in July 2013. He was missing for about a week. Friends organized search teams just about every evening. They wore or carried orange, Bonacci’s favorite color.
Finally, Bonacci’s body was found in his SUV at the bottom of a ravine near Nay Aug Park in Scranton. Bonacci was found with an execution-style gunshot wound. There was a rock on top of the SUV’s gas pedal.
Two young men in Bonacci’s circle of friends were charged with his murder. Police arrested Jason Dominick and Neil Pal of Scranton.
Police say Dominick and Bonacci were fighting over a woman they both dated.
A judge ruled last month that Dominick and Neil Pal will have separate trials.
The co-defendant in the murder case, Pal, is scheduled to stand trial on June 2. He’s accused of giving Dominick the gun to kill Bonacci and helping him in the cover-up.