Could a custody dispute have led to a contract killing? | Forensic Files

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[Laughter] [Music] website Benjamin amado's neighbors were worried 52-year-old Ben lived alone and
could often be seen coming and going from his home in Chestnut Hill Township in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains
region but several days had passed with no sign of him it was now Thursday November 15 2001 and the last time he'd
been seen was when he'd stopped at a CVS Pharmacy the previous Monday evening stranger still Ben's dogs are being left
out on the wraparound porch of his house this was completely unlike him friends and family who tried calling
Ben were surprised to find that his voicemail was full another anomaly for a man who was typically easy to
reach Chad price not his real name lived next door to Ben on Sundance Road a leafy residential street surrounded by
Woodland although the homes sat on spacious blocks with plenty of privacy Chad was familiar enough with Ben's
movements to know that something seemed off that Thursday Chad went to Ben's house and rang the
doorbell there was no answer Chad returned home but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't
right when Ben still hadn't surfaced the following morning Chad called his phone
it went to his answering machine by now 4 days had passed since anyone had seen or spoken to Ben unsure
what else to do Chad called 911 and asked if someone could conduct a welfare check he told the
dispatcher it's not an emergency but it could be it was approaching midday when two
state troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police arrived at Benjamin amado's property they were familiar with Ben as
he volunteered for the local fire department but knocks to Ben's door continued to go
unanswered the Troopers called Dick Hoffman another volunteer firefighter who they knew was close friends with Ben
dick promptly arrived at the property and headed straight to a window that he knew Ben always kept unlocked
it didn't budge dick was officially concerned he'd known Ben for 20 years and was aware that he struggled with his
mental health in the past few years Ben had made two serious attempts to end his
own life it had been a year since his last suicide attempt and Ben had since sought professional
help although he seemed much happier lately Ben's Depression was an ongoing concern for his loved ones
[Music] the Troopers decided there was no more time to waste they forced their way in
through Ben's garage door which was located on the lower level of the house there at the bottom of the narrow
stairwell lay Benjamin amado's body blood pulled around him and was spattered on the walls although Ben was
face down it was clear that he'd been dead for several days forensic investigators were called
to the scene their preliminary examination found no signs of forced entry or homicidal violence instead it
appeared that Ben had fallen down the stairs sustaining fatal head injuries but then investigators noticed
something odd clearly visible in the pool of blood was an impression from a boot there was no way Ben could have
made the print as he'd been wearing sneakers at the time he died realiz ation dawned on the
investigators this wasn't an accident or a suicide it was [Music] [Music] murder
a postmortem revealed that Benjamin Amato had been killed by three to four blows to the head with an unknown blunt
object investigators climbed the staircase searching for Clues at the top they found the blood
spatter as well as orange stains consistent with pepper spray blood spatter was also present at
the base of the stairs several feet from where Ben's body was found this led investigators to conclude
that Ben was likely climbing the stairs when someone jumped out and assaulted him with pepper spray once Ben was
incapacitated they struck him with either a baseball bat or baton this caused him to fall down the
stairs where the as salant continued to strike him before fleeing the [Music] scene the exact time of Ben's death was
unclear but the level of decomposition suggested that his body had been lying undiscovered for several days
this made it likely that he'd been killed shortly after leaving the CVS Pharmacy on Monday November
12th the obvious question was why up until his 30s Ben had been living in New York where he was a member of the
sanitation department he'd relocated to the Poconos after building a summer house with his father and falling in
love with the area's natural beauty he married a local woman and became a doting stepfather to her three children
although the marriage ended in divorce Ben maintained a close relationship with his stepkids who continued calling him
dad or papa bear semi-retired at the time of his death he did some occasional snowplow
work and enjoyed repairing cars in his spare time those who knew Ben described him as
kind caring and funloving his friend dick said he was quote big and jolly just a hell of a
nice Sky Ben lived a modest lifestyle and mostly survived off Social Security making him an unlikely Target for theft
nothing appeared to have been stolen from his home and he still had his wallet which held $11,000 cash nobody in
the area had seen or heard anything unusual but after speaking to those close to Ben police had their
suspicions Ben's neighbor Chad price had allegedly let himself into Ben's house on several occasions when nobody was
home he hadn't been given permission to do so this was intriguing in and of itself
but police grew even more suspicious after noticing that Chad wore boots that looked like they could match the bloody
print of the crime scene Chad price was called in for questioning he seemed nervous flat out
denying that he'd ever let himself into Ben's house without permission his boots were conf sked for
testing they weren't a match to the crime scene print although this lead fizzled out
Ben's loved ones were quick to suggest another potential Person of Interest four years earlier in late 1997 Ben had
been ficking for parts at a local scrapyard owned by a man named Robert kungle as Ben regularly frequented
Roberts the two men established a good rapport Robert introduced Ben to his daughter a
single mother named Cheryl conle Cheryl was considered a tough and independent woman viewed by some as a little rough
around the edges she'd given birth to her son Gregory at the age of 17 and had spent the 12 years since working hard to
build a comfortable life for the two of them with a penchion for physical labor she'd worked in welding construction and
as a forklift driver before starting a successful Paving business although there was a 20-year age
difference between them Ben and Cheryl hit it off right away with the shared love for sports and the outdoors they
soon began dating it was an exciting time for the couple they spent their spare time
boating fishing and riding quad bikes with Cheryl's 12-year-old son Gregory to whom Ben became like a father
figure after about 7 months Cheryl announced that she was pregnant but this wasn't the exciting news for
Ben that Cheryl hoped it would be while Ben was excellent with children and loved his step kids he didn't actually
want any biological children of his own he was too afraid that they would inherit his mental health
issues Ben's father had also recently passed away the two had been incredibly close and Ben was still struggling with
intense grief Ben's lackluster reaction up upset Cheryl she ended the relationship
deciding to raise the child on her own Ben spiraled into a deep depression which led to his first suicide
attempt but by the time Cheryl gave birth to a baby boy Ben's mental health was improving he wanted to accept
responsibility and to be a part of his son's life after all Cheryl felt differently she ceased
all contact with Ben and refused to let him visit their son Ben was distraught by this and his
loved ones watched his mental health plumber Unsure how they could help as Ben didn't like to talk about his
problems in 2000 Ben attempted suicide again which led to him being admitted to a mental health
facility there Ben was prescribed to medication that helped him as his mental health improved so did his determination
to be part of his son's life but Cheryl remained firm she didn't want Ben involved with their child in
any capacity the issue went to Family Court a conciliation Conference was held in
the hopes that Ben and Cheryl could reach an agreement without having to go before a
judge Cheryl argued that Ben was incapable of being a responsible parent to support her argument she presented
photos of his home which he argued was dirty and uncamp but these photos were obtained
without Ben's permission after Cheryl snuck into his house while he was out in May 2001 to Cheryl's shagrin Ben was
granted a 3-hour supervised visit with his son in a public park in June 2001 Cheryl claimed Ben was stalking her by
driving past her house and filed a harassment charge against him with no evidence to support her claim the judge
dismissed the case enraged Cheryl stood up and stated what do I have to do [ __ ] kill
him to get him to leave me alone at a subsequent conciliation conference it was suggested that Ben be
given unsupervised visits this made Cheryl seee Ben's lawyer described her as openly belligerent arrogant and
completely out of control it was clear to him that had no intention whatsoever of letting Ben be
involved with their child she even tried to Blackmail Ben threatening to report him for alleged tax evasion if he
continued to seek custody then on September 18 2001 a court order was entered eliminating the
supervised nature of Ben's visits with his son additionally Ben told his lawyer he wanted to file a petition against
Cheryl for contempt of court this wasn't a decision he took lightly according to his lawyer Ben was
terrified that doing so would escalate the situation on multiple occasions Ben apparently told his
lawyer I am dead I am going to be dead if I am found dead Cheryl will have done it another conciliation conference was
scheduled for November 13 2001 but Ben's lawyer never got around to filing the ition by the time the conference rolled
around Ben was already dead 4 days after Ben amado's murder investigators went to question Cheryl
kungl at the home she shared with her two sons it was clear to police that Cheryl
had a strong motive to want Ben out of the piture but they knew motive alone wasn't an indication of
guilt Cheryl admitted to the investigators that she didn't like Ben Ben she said that he wasn't the gentle
and caring man others believed him to be Cheryl claimed Ben had been stalking her
sometimes showing up at her house unannounced and driving past to yelling things out the
window while she admitted to being angry at Ben she denied that they'd been part
of a bitter custody dispute or that she had any reason to want him dead Cheryl added that on the night the murder was
thought to have occurred she'd been at home with her two kids investigators presented Cheryl with a
search warrant nonetheless inside her home they found several pairs of boots this wasn't unexpected given that
Cheryl had always worked in manual labor the boots were taken for testing but none matched the bloody bootprint
found at the crime scene prior to the bit of custody dispute Ben had given Cheryl $3,000 to
buy a car for her teenage son Gregory the car was towed for forensic examination nothing of Interest was
found Cheryl told investigators that she'd along since moved on from Ben and had recently started dating a man named
Marty rolds he worked as an officer for the Pocono Mountain Regional Police this detail gave the
investigator's pause the key weapons in Ben's murder had been pepper spray and a blunt object
possibly a baton items carried by Pennsylvania police officers investigators paid Marty
Reynolds a visit at the station where he worked he denied having anything to do with Ben amado's murder and consented to
his locker being searched investigators confiscated Marty's pepper spray and inspected his
baton it was obvious to them it wasn't the murder weapon after providing an airtight Al by
Mighty Reynolds was ruled out as a suspect as for Cheryl kungl investigators weren't so
sure as the days continued to pass with no major breakthroughs police appealed for anyone who had contact with Ben in
the week leading up to his murder to come forward Cheryl remained a person of interest but there was no evidence tying
her to the crime while a search for fingerprints in Ben's home had turned up one usable set
of prints on the sliding glass door they didn't match Cheryl's or anyone else in
the police database some foreign DNA was also found at the crime scene testing revealed it
belonged to an unknown male then a search of police records revealed something interesting in early August of 2001 3
months before Ben was killed Cheryl had called the police to report a break-in at at her home according to the report a
safe containing $8,000 in cash had been stolen during the burglary Cheryl had her suspicions about
who was responsible she gave the police two names April steinhauser was a close friend of Cheryl's she'd previously been
in a long-term relationship with Cheryl's brother with whom she shared children after the relationship ended
April became involved with a man named Nathaniel Evans or Nate for short a reputed drug dealer with a criminal
record April also used to drugs leading Cheryl to suspect that the couple could have targeted her for the
theft but shortly after Cheryl made the report she' contacted the police saying she wanted to drop the
charges this detail intrigued investigators they wondered what could have prompted Cheryl's change of heart
perhaps April or Nate had threatened her in some way or what if the theft was somehow linked with Ben amado's
murder their next move was to question Nate Evans tracking him down was easy he was currently serving time for an
unrelated assault at the lern County Correctional Facility Nate had been incarcerated
since November 5 one week before benam was killed while this me he couldn't have committed the crime itself
investigators were still interested in any details he could provide about Cheryl kl's retracted report against
him Nate was taken to an interview room at the jail the detectives asked him if he knew
why they were there Nate responded yeah you'll he about us getting paid by that lady to kill that
dude according to corroborated statements from Nate Evans and April steinhauser it
all started when Cheryl approached April with a proposition she wanted someone to kill
Ben Amado and was willing to pay them to do so April told Cheryl that Nate would
do it the two women then allegedly drove to Ben's house to scope the place out Cheryl thought the best way to go about
it was for Nate to sneak into the garage while Ben was sleeping he could then climb the stairs into the house and
shoot Ben before staging the scene to look like a robbery but according to April Cheryl
then came up with a better idea she suggested that Nate hide in the trees near Ben's driveway while he was out and
lie in waight for him to come home when Ben got out of his truck Nate could then
shoot him in the back of the head using a gun with a silencer attached April claimed that Cheryl
initially offered $5,000 for the hit before realizing she didn't have enough money she offered $3,000 instead with
$1,500 paid up front and the remaining amount to be paid once the hit was complete April accepted the deal taking
the cash advance and a photo of Ben to give to Nate however both April and Nate told
investigators that neither of them ever had any intention of going through with the hit instead they used the $1,500 to
buy presents for April's children and drugs for themselves desperate for money April
then returned to sherl's house and stole her safe which contained $65,000 she stuffed it under her clothes
and ran into the woods when Cheryl discovered the safe was missing she reported the theft to
the Pocono Mountain Regional Police where her boyfriend Marty Reynolds was an officer Marty responded to the complaint
taking April aside and asking if she knew who was responsible Marty allegedly told her you
have 1 hour to return it and we forget everything the couple arranged to meet Cheryl in a public parking lot there
they handed over what was left of the cash just over $3,700 they'd already spent the rest of
it on drugs alcohol and a down payment for a truck Cheryl dropped the charges regardless seemingly spooked by a
comment Nate had made when calling to arrange the Handover he'd apparently told her hey
I'm the guy that you paid to kill benam to prove they were telling the truth Nate handed police a letter that
April had sent him while he was behind bars in it she broke the news that benam had been
murdered April wrote that she couldn't believe Cheryl had actually found someone to go through with her plan
although according to April Cheryl had caught her shortly after Ben's death claiming she had nothing to do with it
Cheryl said the timing of his murder was a complete coincidence investigators confronted
Cheryl kungle with the couple's version of events she adamantly denied their story saying the truth was that April
steinhauser had been visiting her at home when she asked if she could borrow some money for her
children Cheryl said she left the room to fetch some cash and when she came back April had stolen her safe and
fled after reporting the theft to the police and giving both April and Nate evans's names Cheryl said she had second
thoughts she knew about Nate's criminal reputation and was scared of what he might do she decided she wanted to press
charges against April alone but law enforcement told her this wasn't possible too nervous to proceed with
charging both of them Cheryl dropped to the issue entirely according to Cheryl she never
told April that she wanted Ben dead but she had mentioned wanting him out of her
life April allegedly used this knowledge against Cheryl fabricating the story about a contract killing just in case
Cheryl ever decided to pursue the theft charges against her investigators weren't sure what to make
of all this with Cheryl's motive the murder For Hire allegation was incredibly compelling and the accounts
provided by April and Nate could certainly be used to build a solid case against
her the problem was April andate weren't exactly credible Witnesses furthermore not a single shred
of physical evidence connected Cheryl to Ben's murder itself if she had indeed found someone else to carry out the hit
there was no proof then cherol presented the police with a recording she claimed could prove
she was telling the truth it was a taped conversation between herself and April in which Cheryl said she'd been
questioned by the police about Ben's Murder She told April that the police had mentioned April's name and
asked you never said anything to get back at me for what I did to you for pressing
charges April responded that given she'd already spent half of the stolen money she had to come up with
something I was scared she said I didn't want to go to jail I needed to get out of it somehow because I was thinking
about my kids I'm sorry police remained strongly suspicious of Cheryl but the recording
essentially debunked the only evidence they had against her with April admitting on tape that she'd
made up the whole murder for higher story it was back to square one the months continued to pass with no
breakthroughs in Ben amado's case investigators pursued every line of inquiry but nothing compelling
emerged by the 18-month Mark they conducted a deep dive into Ben's Financial records and assets desperate
to identify a motive for his murder those close to Ben described him as a man of limited financial means who
survived off Social Security his financial records revealed otherwise according to court records
published by the Pocono Record at the time of Ben's death he had almost $500,000 in cash and liquid assets
spread across multiple savings accounts trusts stocks and bonds some of this was shared with his
83-year-old mother who was partially incapacitated records also revealed that the mother and son rented a safe deposit
box together investigators wondered whether this could hold a clue as to why someone would want the 52-year-old
Dad they went to the bank and drilled the safe deposit box open nothing of Interest was
inside regardless they were surprised to find that Ben was so well off and wondered if his murder could have been
financially motivated after all Ben hadn't left behind an official will only an unsigned copy the shared
funds automatically went to his ailing mother but once she passed away they would go to Ben's Soul Heir the son he
shared with Cheryl conl and until their son turned 18 the person in control of the money would be
Cheryl although police still could wouldn't Tire Cheryl to Ben's murder with no other Persons of Interest they
felt it was time to make a move in July 2003 1 year and 8 months after Ben was killed Cheryl was arrested
for her alleged attempt to hire April steinhauser and Nate Evans to kill him she maintained her innocence but was
formally charged with the first-degree felony of solicitation to commit murder a month later she posted
$250,000 as baale and was free to go while investigators continued to build their case against
her they remained convinced she'd been involved in Ben's murder they just couldn't figure out exactly
how 10 months later just after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday May 4 2014 49-year-old Kathleen fiser arrived home from a day
at work Kathleen lived with her daughter 17-year-old Kristen as well as Kristen's
7-month-old baby Kaylee the trio lived in a private housing development in a wooded area of
Pike County in Northern Pennsylvania Kathleen opened her garage door and was met by a horrific
sight her daughter Kristen lay lifeless on the ground an upturned stool by her side and a noose tied around her
neck Kathleen frantically dialed 911 while still facing a terrifying question where was baby
Kaye Kathleen raced through the house looking for her granddaughter she found her in the
bathroom her tiny body floating face down in a bathtub full of water it was obvious that Kaye hadn't
died due to a tragic accident Kristen typically bathed Kaye in the sink not the bathtub when she did so she kept a
towel and clean clothing nearby items which were nowhere to be seen yet Kathleen knew that Kristen
would never intentionally hurt her own baby Kristen adored Kaye despite her young age she was an
exceptional and devoted mother taking Kaye everywhere she went and doting on her every step of the
way police quickly arrived at the scene of the apparent murder suicide when they exam Kristen's body
they immediately noticed something odd the rope that she' apparently used to hang herself had been tied to a rail
on the garage ceiling but it hadn't been tied securely enough to have ever held Kristen's
weight there was also way too much slack on the Rob for the news to have been effective realization dawned on them
this wasn't a murder suicide but a double homicide whoever killed Kristen had used
the Rope to strangle her then staged the scene to look like she'd killed her daughter before taking her own
life Kathleen fiser suspected she knew exactly who was responsible from the moment Kristen
discovered she was pregnant the baby's father had wanted nothing to do with either of them he' urged Kristen to get
an abortion then abandoned her when she'd refused to do so since kayle's birth he' refused to pay child support a
decision that had gone before the courts their next hearing was scheduled for the day after the
murders 5 days before this Kristen told a friend that kayle's father had left a voice message on her phone
warning I'm going to [ __ ] kill you if you don't stop trying to sue me for child
support on the day of the murders Kristen told her mother that kayle's father was coming over
he claimed to have a surprise for them Kathleen had called her daughter warning her not to let him in but by
that time he was already at the house Kathleen told Kristen to kick him out and to lock the
doors investigators familiar with Ben amado's murder couldn't help but note the similarities between these two
cases the two crimes had happened only 35 M apart both involved either a custody or child support dispute and the
victims were killed in staged accidents or suicides but the real watershed moment
came when they realized the significance of who kayle's father was 18-year-old Gregory row Cheryl
conkle's eldest son by the time of the double homicide 2 and 1/2 years had passed passed since
Ben amado's murder and Cheryl kungle remained on bail awaiting trial for her solicitation
charge Gregor still lived with her but the relationship between the mother and son was severely
fractured according to other family members Cheryl had always been incredibly critical of Gregory she was
mean and domineering and never hesitated to dump him on a relative whenever she wanted a
break from a young age Cheryl had told Greg that his biological father wanted nothing to do with him in reality she'd
been so jealous of Gregory's father's new girlfriend that she'd purposely kept the two
apart as Gregory got older he sought comfort from his paternal Aunt whom he came to view as a mother
figure he also began to establish a relationship with his father which Cheryl resented on the day that Kristen and
Kaye fiser were murdered a security guard who worked in their Housing Development had noticed an unfamiliar
Honda Civic in the neighborhood and taken note of its license plate the police ran this number through
their system the car was registered to Gregory row Gregory was summoned to the police
station with officers telling him there had been a family emergency when told that Kristen and
Kaye were dead he didn't ask a single question about how they had died he denied being anywhere near their home or
having anything to do with their deaths with one detective describing him as very cold stone
cold meanwhile investigators approached Gregory's home there they gave Cheryl kungle strict instructions to stay away
from the garage as a search warrant was about to be issued for her son's vehicle
which was parked inside Cheryl ignored them she went into Gregory's car and removed several items
a decision that landed her with a charge for tampering with evidence and hindering a police
investigation being charged with a crime was a direct violation of her bail conditions and she was subsequently
remanded in jail a preliminary search of the house and car didn't turn up any evidence police confiscated Gregory's
computer in the hopes they might uncover an email linking him to the crime they found no such
thing what they did find was child exploitation material enough to Warrant three felony charges against
him Gregory row was jailed for these charges while police continued to hunt for evidence in the Fisher's double
homicide while news spread many of those close to Gregory were shocked to learn that he was Kay's father they never even
knew about his relationship with Kristen let alone that the two had a child together Cheryl had forbidden Gregory
from telling anyone about it even his current girlfriend Rachel had no idea Rachel told police that on the
morning of the double homicide she had accompanied Gregory to a True Value Hardware Store just a few miles from the
Fisher's home there he asked an employee to direct him towards the Rope Rachel asked what he needed it for
Gregory explained he was going to put a clothes line up for his mother checks with the store confirmed
the sale of the Rope the type of which was then compared to the Rope used to strangle Kristen
fiser it was an exact match according to Rachel Gregory had also asked her to do a Google search on
how to tie a hangman's noose and print the instructions out for him Gregory row was charged with the
murders of Kristen and Kaylee Fisher but continued to maintain that he was innocent from jail he wrote his
girlfriend Rachel a letter in it Gregory claimed that he never wanted Kristen and
Kaye killed according to him the person responsible was his mother Cheryl conle she had asked him to buy her the
rope and to print some instructions from the internet showing how to tie noose Gregory wrote that after the
murders Cheryl told him I took care of the business that you should have taken care of
yourself Gregory urged Rachel to support his story by saying that she'd witnessed
to these things herself he warned that if she didn't Cheryl would kill her too this is a must Gregory wrote or this
is the end for me Gregory instructed Rachel not to show the letter to anyone else and to burn it
after reading instead Rachel showed it to the police she said she had never heard
Cheryl kungl make any mention of Kristen Kaye rope or NES investigators didn't believe Gregory
Rose claims but they did recognize his desperation as an opportunity they approached him in jail
saying they wanted to speak about the murder of Benjamin Amato Gregory immediately began to
cry when asked if his mother was involved in any way Gregory replied I don't know what you're talking
about the following day Gregory row was hit with a hard reality given that Kaylee fiser was
under the age of 12 being charged for her premeditated murder meant that he would be eligible for the death
penalty when Gregory learned this he contacted the detective he was finally ready to
[Music] talk Gregory row had been just 12 years old when his mother Cheryl conle began
her relationship with Benjamin Amado over those seven months Gregory grew fond of Ben he enjoyed spending
time with him and came to consider him a father figure by the time Gregory was 15 he had
witnessed the Fallout between Ben and Cheryl and the bitter custody battle over his baby
brother regardless Gregory's feelings towards Ben never changed and the two continued to spend time together at one
point Gregory even considered going to live with him in early November of 2001 Gregory
thought nothing of it when Cheryl asked him to go to a local store to pick up a can of pepper
spray the store didn't sell such products to m but Cheryl had called ahead of time and
arranged everything so there were no issues when Gregory arrived to make the purchase according to Gregory a few days
later on November 12th Cheryl asked him to join her for a Drive Gregory thought they were going to
visit his grandparents but Cheryl veered off course and parked the car near a tree farm about a mile away from Ben's
house she told Gregory to get in the driver's seat although he was only 15 and didn't
have a license he did as he was told Cheryl then directed Gregory to drive to Ben's house on Sundance
Road when they got there Ben's truck wasn't in the driveway Cheryl allegedly told her son
to drive back to the tree farm wait for an hour and then return to pick her up again Gregory did as he was told he
assumed his mother was going to break into Ben's house and perhaps steal something but he knew better than to ask
any questions Cheryl had a volatile temper and didn't like to be questioned Gregory
knew that one wrong move could send her into a rage at the tree farm he sat in the car
listening to the radio for about an hour before driving back to Sundance Road this time Ben's truck was in the
driveway Gregory could see Cheryl crouching down in some trees outside she jumped into Gregory's back seat
panting as though she'd just ran a mile Gregory thought she seemed excited she told him to drive home via
the back road as they did so Cheryl began taking off her clothes and throwing them out the
window she had a change of clothes in the back seat which she put on she also tossed a child-sized baseball bat out
the window a bat Gregory said he'd seen her pick up from a friend's house house a few days
earlier Gregory was worried about what all this meant but he said nothing it was only after the police arrived at
their house with a search warrant in the days following that he dared to ask his
mother what was going on according to Gregory Cheryl admitted that she'd waited inside Ben's house
until he arrived home she then jumped out and sprayed him with pepper spray before using the baseball bat to beat
him to death this confession left Gregory shocked he asked Cheryl why she would do such a thing she apparently
told him because of you it was your fault she said she couldn't stand the fact that Gregory kept Ben hanging
around Cheryl warned her son to keep his mouth shut if anyone found out the truth
she would take him down with her after all he was the one who bought the pepper spray and acted as the getaway
driver Cheryl then drove Gregory to the back roads they' taken on the day of Ben's Murder She ordered him to find the
clothes she tossed outside before abandoning him there with his bicycle Gregory made no real attempt to
find the items before returning home empty-handed he refused to go out searching for a second time but a couple
of years later in 2003 Cheryl directed him into a field behind her parents' backyard and ordered him to
dig Gregory eventually uncovered a blanket and a garbage bag full of clothes at Cheryl's request he burned
the items Gregory Rose's confession was the Breakthrough investigators had spent
almost 2 and a half years waiting for but Gregory himself had just been charged with two counts of murder and
his version of events raised some serious questions for starters when police had
executed the search warrant at Cheryl con's home just days after Ben's murder a forensic examination of her car had
turned up nothing if Cheryl had indeed jumped into the car wearing bloody clothes and
carrying a bloody baseball bat surely some blood would have been found inside the vehicle and if the clothes had since
been burned there was no way to verify their EX distance the bloody shoe print that had
been left at benam mado's crime scene had since been determined to have come from a Timberland brand boot the initial
search of Cheryl's home had turned up several pairs of boots but none were Timberlands with no forensic evidence
tying Cheryl to Ben's murder all investigators had was the word of one accused killer against the
other not only did Gregory row openly Harbor resentment against his mother he also had something to gain by throwing
her under the BS for starters if Cheryl was found guilty of killing Ben it could add
weight to Gregory's allegations that it was she who killed his ex-girlfriend Christen Fisher and their daughter
Kaye if rage over one child related dispute had motivated her to kill one person what was to stop her from doing
it again if this didn't work testifying against Cheryl could also benefit Gregory in that it might lead to a less
severe sentence if he was found guilty in the Fisher case it was possible he was making the entire story up for
bargaining power another option also had to be considered given the similarities
between the murders of Ben Amado and Kristen and Kaylee fiser what if the mother and son had worked together on
both crimes investigators found themselves in a difficult position Gregory's alleged confession
was highly compelling but they knew that questionable testimony from one unsavory
witness wouldn't be enough to secure a conviction against Cheryl then Gregory wrote a letter that
changed everything for two and a half years Jerry teski had carried the weight of an
unwanted Secret Jerry worked with Cheryl's Father Robert kungl in November 2001 days after Ben amado's murder
Cheryl approached a Jerry in tears she said that the police had just executed a search warrant at her house
and she was afraid afraid because she was the one who killed Ben according to Jerry Cheryl said that
she'd waited inside Ben's house for him to arrive home when he reached the top of his
stairs she attacked him with a baseball bat where he quote went down like a [ __ ] Cheryl then fled out the side door
and onto the deck injuring her leg in the process Cheryl told a Jerry she needed
his help to find the clothes and baseball bat used in the attack which she'd since discarded around Campa keba
Road a wooded area connecting the Chestnut Hill and Jackson townships Jerry wasn't entirely sure whether to
believe Cheryl's story he accompanied her out to campaka Road regardless and began scouring the side of the road for
any sign of the disposed of items it wasn't long before he came across the baseball
bat a chill ran down Jerry's spine as he realized that Cheryl was telling the truth Cheryl told him to pick up the bat
and burn it realizing this this would implicate him in the crime Jerry refused Cheryl became enraged and
started quote raving like a lunatic she reluctantly retrieved the bat herself Jerry then drove with her to a
wooded area nearby where Cheryl burnt the bat under a pile of leaves Jerry was terrified he kept this
information to himself until a letter arrived from an incarcerated Gregory row saying he was cooperating with the
police in Ben amado's murder investigation and that Jerry should stop being afraid of Cheryl and do the
same overcome with regret for not coming forward earlier Jerry finally told investigators what he knew and according
to Jerry he wasn't the only one who Cheryl had confided in back in November 2001 officer Marty
Reynolds was working a night shift when his girlfriend Cheryl conl called him in
tears saying the police had just executed a search Warren at her house in relation to Ben amado's
murder Marty went to visit Cheryl only to find her in the dark crying I was there she told him Cheryl
began pacing nervously saying I don't want to die I can't believe this is happening to
me she pulled her pants down and showed Marty some bruises on her leg we fought all the way down the stairs she
said she then changed her tune entirely saying that the bruises were from a motorcycle
accident I might as well say I was there she said they're trying to make me believe I
was Marty found Cheryl to be incoherent and confusing nothing she said made any sense he later explained
for lack of a better word she was cuckoo she was out there Marty managed to calm Cheryl down
before leaving while he didn't believe she was involved in Ben's murder her behavior set him on
edge the truth was Marty Reynolds was a married man nervous that the 10-month affair
he'd been having with Cheryl would be exposed Marty ended the relationship and stopped returning Cheryl's calls
a few weeks later the two ran into one another in a convenience store parking lot Cheryl brought up Ben and said if
this didn't happen to him it would have happened to me in the Years following Marty refused
to believe that Cheryl had anything to do with Ben's death but when investigators approached him he could no
longer convince himself of this after revealing everything he knew Marty was given two options for withholding this
information either resign from the police force or be fired after almost two decades on the
job he reluctantly turned in his badge with two independent Witnesses corroborating Gregory Rose version of
evance the decision was made to charge Cheryl conle with Ben amado's first-degree
murder given the similarities between the crimes for which she and Gregory were charged some continued to suspect
that the two could have helped each other yet with no evidence to support this no further charges were laid
against either of them Gregory row faced trial for the murders of Kristen and Kaylee Fischer in
January 2006 he testified in his own defense tearfully telling the court I know it's your opinion I did
this but I honestly tell you I did please don't take me from my family by this point Gregory was no
longer in contact with Cheryl Gregory's father sobbed as he begged the jury to spare his son from a
death sentence saying I know my son didn't do this please don't take him from me again I
know two innocent lives were lost but taking his life won't make it right the prosecution urged the jury not
to be moved by Gregory Rose so story telling them to think of Kaylee fiser in the bathtub instead
quote you think about that last bubble of air passing through her lips and breaking the surface of the water
carrying her soul to heaven after 6 days of testimony the jury deliberated for 5 and a half hours
before declaring Gregory Rogue guilty on all counts Gregory doubled over in apparent
disbelief he was spared the death penalty but given life in prison outside Court Gregory told
reporters the truth is out there but they failed to see it when one of them asked if his mother
was the real culprit Gregory responded Yes Cheryl kl's trial for the murder of Ben Amado commenced the following year
on Tuesday February 6th 2007 she also faced charges for solicitation to commit murder aggravated
assault burglary and tampering with evidence the 38-year-old appeared confident as she entered the courtroom
despite the fact that Jerry teski Marty Reynolds and her own son Gregory had all
agreed to testify against her the defense team cast a doubt on Gregory's story they pointed out out
that the charges against him for possessing child exploitation material had been dropped without
explanation they urged the jury to consider whether this was due to a lack of evidence or because Gregory had
struck a deal with the prosecution by agreeing to testify against his mother according to the defense Gregory
had made the entire story up to evade these charges and avoid the death penalty for his own murder
trial their main argument was that their still hadn't been a single piece of physical evidence tying Cheryl to the
crime the only foreign DNA found at the scene didn't even belong to a woman also testifying against Cheryl
kungl was her former friend April steinhauser after all these years April maintained her story about Cheryl's
failed murder for H plot as for the recording that Cheryl had given the police in which April
claimed to have made made the whole story up to save herself from theft charges April claimed it had been
staged everything she'd set on tape had allegedly been scripted by Cheryl the recording was played to the
court the prosecution pointed out that it did indeed sound stilted and unnatural as though the two women were
reading the conversation from a script on the stand Cheryl's Father Robert spoke of his fondness for Ben
Amato and how hard things had been for his family he called Ben a good guy saying he didn't have a mean bone in his
body on Valentine's Day of 2007 the jury deliberated for just a few hours before
delivering its verdict guilty on all counts Cheryl appeared genuinely shocked she gasped doubling over with her face
in her hands sobbing no and telling the judge it's not over your honor Ben's two stepdaughters from his
first marriage Aon and Peggy also burst into tears but theirs were tears of relief outside Court eron told reporters
that while she was extremely happy with the verdict quote things won't change for me I still
won't have a dad tomorrow he'll still be gone because of her in the leadup to her sentencing Cheryl
kungl claimed she'd been the victim of a police conspiracy according to Cheryl the truth
was that benam had accidentally fallen down the stairs and died the amount of blood spatter found at the scene had
been planted there to frame her the sentencing judge said of these claims quote anyone who believes that is
delusional Ben's stepdaughters argued that Cheryl should spend the rest of her life in prison haunted by what she did
and surrounded by inmates like herself Peggy said for the first time in your life you
will finally see evil face to face when you look into those many evil eyes may you finally see what my stepfather saw
just before he took his last breath on this Earth the judge agreed on Wednesday June 20 2007 he sentenced
Cheryl to life in prison without the possibility of parole remarking for a life to be snuffed out
with such brutality and lack of concern is hard to understand for Ben's stepdaughters the
depth of their loss was felt when they visited bent grave one Father's Day Aaron remarked that instead of taking
her dad to dinner or having him over for a barbecue she was kissing a cold pitcher on a
headstone while it was clear to Ben's loved ones that Cheryl didn't want to share her youngest son with Ben they
found it difficult to comprehend what Cheryl hoped to achieve by killing him ultimately the ACT had stripped her of
both her children at Cheryl's sentencing Ben's stepdaughter Peggy had asked her was it
worth method yes you did get Ben out of your life that goal you did accomplish but in turn you messed up your older son
Greg so much that he is currently spending the rest of his life in prison for double homicide and he says that you
aren't even worthy to be called mother some believe that Greg wouldn't have committed his own crimes had it not
been for his mother's influence if there is any truth to this it means that the trickle down effect of
of Cheryl's actions also stripped another mother of her child at Greg's trial Kathleen Fisher's
voice shook as she spoke about her deep love for Kristen her only daughter born on Christmas Day Kristen
was the greatest gift she ever received then when Kaye was born she stole everyone's
heart Kathleen said holding Kaye in my arms was the closest thing to heaven for me what
keeps me going is the memory of how it felt to hold her Kristen and Kaylee were beautiful children in both physical and
spiritual qualities I was blessed to have them to love and cherish even if it was for only a short
time custody of Ben and Cheryl's son was awarded to Cheryl's family Ben's stepdaughter eron remarked in
cord maybe Cheryl will realize what she did when she has to explain to her son why his father is not alive
anymore he didn't deserve to die so horribly no one deserves [Music] [Music] that

Case 274: Benjamin Amato

*** Content warnings: Child victim ***

On November 16 2001, two state troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police arrived to conduct a welfare check at the Poconos Mountains home of 52-year-old Benjamin Amato. Friends and neighbours had reported their concerns after noticing Ben’s car in his driveway for several days but no sign of Ben himself.

What they found inside the house led to an investigation full of twists, with one question at the core – could Ben’s ex-girlfriend, Cheryl Kunkle, have something to do with Ben’s death?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Benjamin Amado was murdered; his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Kungl was convicted after her son Gregory confessed involvement.

Key points

The Mysterious Disappearance of Ben Amato. Neighbors grow concerned when Ben Amato goes missing for days, leading to a shocking discovery.
The Investigation Unfolds. Initial investigations suggest foul play in Ben's death, leading to suspicions about those close to him.
A Custody Battle Turns Dark. Cheryl's contentious custody battle with Ben raises questions about her motives and actions.
A Shocking Allegation. Cheryl is implicated in a murder-for-hire plot against Ben, raising the stakes in the investigation.
The Twist of the Investigation. As evidence mounts, the investigation takes unexpected turns involving Cheryl's past and acquaintances.
Cheryl's Arrest. Cheryl was arrested for soliciting murder, maintaining her innocence despite strong suspicions.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This wasn't an accident or a suicide, it was murder.

The realization of Ben's death circumstances.

4:43WatchMar 2, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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