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all. Forty.

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Seven years ago when a warm

0:32

summer's night in Melbourne, Susan Bartlett

0:34

and Suzanne Armstrong was stabbed to

0:36

death in their home in easy

0:38

straight Collingwood. Suzanne. Sixteen

0:40

month old son was asleep in his card

0:42

at the time. To. This day,

0:45

the Ac Street Murders is still

0:47

one of Australia's most confronting cold

0:49

cases. No one has ever been

0:52

charged and critical questions remain unanswered.

0:55

Journalist Helen Thomas has been

0:57

investigating Susan and Suzanne deaths

0:59

from more than a decade

1:01

initially but the Australian Broadcasting

1:03

Corporation's background briefing program and

1:05

then for her book Murder

1:07

on Easy Street. Now.

1:09

Helen has delved into the case

1:11

again for a brand new original

1:13

podcast made for Case Fall Present.

1:16

Search case. File presents the

1:18

easy street murders wherever you get

1:20

your podcasts or binge the entire

1:22

series for free on the I

1:25

Heart radio. Stay. Tuned

1:27

to the end of today's episode to

1:29

hear the trailer. Hour

1:44

episodes deal with serious and often

1:46

distressing incidents. If. You feel

1:48

at any time you need support,

1:51

please contact your local crisis center.

1:53

For. Suggested phone numbers for confidential

1:55

support and for a more

1:57

detailed list of content Warnings:

2:00

Police say the show notes for this

2:02

episode on Europe or on our website.

2:12

Benjamin. A modest neighbors were

2:14

worried. Fifty. Two

2:16

year old Ben lived alone and

2:18

could also be same coming and

2:20

going from his home in Chestnut

2:22

Hill Township in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains

2:24

region. But several

2:26

days had passed with no sign of

2:28

him. It was

2:31

now Thursday, November fifteen two thousand and

2:33

one, and the last time he'd been

2:35

seen was when it stopped at a

2:37

Cvs pharmacy the previous Monday evening. Stranger.

2:40

Still, bends dogs are being left out

2:42

on the wraparound porch of his house.

2:45

This. Was completely unlike him. Friends.

2:50

And family who tried calling Ben

2:52

was surprised to find that he's

2:54

voicemail was for another anomaly for

2:56

a man who was typically easy

2:58

to rate. Sad

3:00

Price not his real name. Lived

3:02

next door to Ban on Sundance

3:05

Road, a leafy residential street surrounded

3:07

by woodwind. Although. The

3:09

home side on spaces blocks with

3:12

plenty of privacy child was familiar

3:14

enough with benz movements to know

3:16

that something same. That

3:19

Thursday to advance events house and

3:21

rang the doorbell. There

3:23

was no way and saw. Said.

3:26

Returned home the couldn't shake the

3:29

feeling that something wasn't right. When

3:32

ten still haven't surfaced the following

3:35

morning said called his phone it

3:37

was to his answering machine. By

3:40

now four days had passed since anyone

3:43

had seen or spoken to Ban. On

3:46

sure what else to do charge Called

3:48

Nine One One and asked if someone

3:50

could conduct a welfare check. He

3:53

told the dispatcher. It's

3:55

not an emergency. But they

3:57

could be. It

4:00

was approaching midday when to state

4:03

troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police

4:05

arrived at Benjamin Amato's property. They.

4:08

Were familiar with Ben as he volunteered

4:10

for the local fire department. But.

4:12

Not the bends door continued to go

4:15

on. The

4:18

troopers code a Dick Hoffman, another volunteer

4:20

firefighter who they knew was close friends

4:22

with Ben. Dick

4:24

promptly arrived at the property and headed

4:26

straight to a window that he knew

4:28

Ben always kept on lock. It

4:31

didn't budge. Dick

4:34

was officially concerned. He'd

4:37

known dancer twenty years since, was aware

4:39

that he struggled with his mental health.

4:42

in the past few years then had

4:44

made to serious attempt to and his

4:46

own was. It had been

4:49

a year since he's last suicide attempts

4:51

and then had since sought professional help.

4:54

Although he seemed much happier lately,

4:56

bends depression was an ongoing concern

4:58

say he's loved ones. The

5:01

truth is decided. There was no more time

5:04

to waste. They. Forced to their

5:06

way in through bands garage door which was

5:08

located on the lower level of the house.

5:11

There at the bottom of the

5:13

narrow stairwell lay Benjamin Amato's body.

5:17

Blood. Pooled around him and was spotted

5:19

on the walls. Although. Ben

5:21

was face down. It was clear that

5:23

he'd been dead for several days. Forensic.

5:28

Investigators were called to the Saints.

5:31

Their preliminary examination sound no

5:34

signs of forced entry or

5:36

homicidal violence. Instead it

5:38

appeared the band had fallen down

5:40

the stairs, sustaining site or head

5:43

injuries. But. Then

5:45

investigators noticed something odd.

5:48

Clearly. Visible in the pool of blood

5:50

was an impression from a boot. There

5:53

was no way Ben could have made to print

5:56

says he'd been wearing sneakers at the time he

5:58

died. The

6:00

nation dawned on the investigators

6:02

this wasn't an accident. Sure.

6:05

suicide. It was

6:07

murdered. A

6:32

post mortem revealed that Benjamin a Moto

6:34

had been killed by three to four

6:36

blows to the head with an unknown

6:38

blunt object. Investigators climbed

6:41

the staircase searching for

6:43

clues. At the

6:45

top they found the blood spatter as

6:47

well as orange stains consistent with pepper

6:50

spray. Blood spatter

6:52

was also present at the base of

6:54

the stairs, several feet from where Benz

6:56

body was found. This

6:58

led investigators to conclude that then

7:00

was likely climbing the stairs when

7:02

someone jumped out and assaulted him

7:04

with pepper spray. Once.

7:07

Banned was incapacitated. They struck him

7:09

with either a baseball bat. so

7:11

button. This caused him

7:13

to for down the stairs were the

7:16

assailant continue to strike him before fleeing

7:18

the same. The

7:21

exact time as bends death was

7:23

unclear, but the level of decomposition

7:25

suggested that his body had been

7:28

lying undiscovered for several days. Dismayed

7:31

at likely that he'd been killed

7:33

shortly after leaving the Cvs pharmacy

7:35

on Monday Nov. twelve. The.

7:38

Obvious question was was.

7:42

Up until he's thirties, Ben had been

7:44

living in New York, where he was

7:46

a member of the sanitation department. He'd

7:48

relocated to the Poconos off the building

7:50

a summer house with his father and

7:52

falling in love with the areas natural

7:54

beauty. He married a local

7:57

woman and became a doting stepfather to her

7:59

three two. Although

8:01

the marriage ended in divorce, been

8:03

maintained a close relationship with his

8:06

step kids who continued calling him

8:08

dad or papa Bear. Semi.

8:11

Retired at the time of his death,

8:13

he did some occasional snow plow work

8:15

and enjoyed repairing causing. he spat on.

8:19

Those. Who New band describes him

8:21

as kind, caring, and fun loving.

8:24

His. Friend Dicks said he was

8:26

quote. Big and jolly. Just

8:28

a hell of a nice got. Then

8:32

lived a modest lifestyle and

8:34

mostly survived of social security,

8:36

making him an unlikely target

8:38

for theft. Nothing appeared

8:40

to have been stolen from his home and

8:43

he still had his wallet which held one

8:45

thousand dollars cash. Nobody. In

8:47

the area had seen or heard anything

8:49

unusual. But. After speaking to

8:51

those close to ban police had

8:54

their suspicions. Bends

8:57

neighbor Chad Price had allegedly let

8:59

himself into Benz house on several

9:01

occasions when nobody was home. He

9:04

hadn't been given permission to do said.

9:08

This. Was intriguing in and of itself.

9:10

The police grew even more suspicious after

9:12

noticing that Chad war boots that looked

9:14

like they could match the bloody printed

9:16

the crime say. Chad.

9:19

Price was called into question. He.

9:22

Seemed nervous slide out, denying that

9:24

he never let himself into bends

9:26

house without permission. These.

9:28

Boots were confiscated for testing.

9:31

They. Weren't a match to the crime. Same

9:34

truth. Although.

9:38

Displayed fizzled out Bends loved ones

9:41

were quick to suggest another potential

9:43

person of interest. For.

9:45

Years earlier, in late Nineteen, Ninety Seven

9:47

then had been forsaking for parts at

9:50

a local scrap yard owned by a

9:52

man named Robert Tunku. As

9:55

band regularly frequented Roberts, the two

9:57

men established a good rapport. Robert.

10:00

Introduced to ban to his daughter,

10:02

a single mother named Cheryl Congo.

10:05

Cheryl. Was considered a tough and

10:07

independent woman, viewed by some as a

10:10

little rough around the edges. She'd.

10:12

Given birth to her son Gregory at the

10:15

age of seventeen, and it's spent the twelve

10:17

years since working hard to build a comfortable

10:19

life for the two of them. With.

10:22

A penchant for physical labor. she'd

10:24

worked in loading construction and as

10:26

a forklift driver before starting a

10:29

successful paving business. Although.

10:31

There was a twenty year age difference between

10:34

them then, and Shero hit it off right

10:36

away. With. The share to

10:38

love the sports in the outdoors. They

10:40

soon began dating. It.

10:42

Was an exciting time that a couple. They.

10:45

Spent their spare time boating, fishing and

10:47

writing quad bikes with shovels. Twelve year

10:50

old son Gregory so whom Ben became

10:52

like a father see go. After

10:56

about seven months, Cheryl announced that

10:58

she was pregnant. But

11:00

this wasn't the exciting news for Ben

11:02

that Cheryl hoped it would be. While.

11:05

Ben was excellent with children and love

11:07

to step kids. He didn't actually want

11:10

any biological children of his own. He

11:13

was too afraid that they would inherit

11:15

his mental health issues. Dense

11:18

father had also recently passed away.

11:21

The. To had been incredibly close and

11:23

Ben was still struggling with intense

11:25

grace. Benz.

11:28

A lackluster reaction upset Shero.

11:31

See. Ended the relationship, deciding to

11:33

raise the child on her own.

11:36

Ben spiraled into a deep depression

11:38

which led to his first suicide

11:40

attempt. But by

11:42

the time Cheryl gave birth to a

11:45

baby boy bands mental health was improving.

11:48

He. Wanted to accept responsibility and to be

11:50

a part of his sons loss. after all,

11:53

Cheryl. Felt differently. Ccs.

11:56

don't contact with band and refused to

11:58

let him visit desk Ben

12:02

was distraught by this and his loved

12:04

ones watched his mental health plummet, unsure

12:06

how they could help as Ben didn't

12:08

like to talk about his problems. In

12:12

2000, Ben attempted suicide again, which

12:14

led to him being admitted to

12:16

a mental health facility. There,

12:19

Ben was prescribed medication that helped

12:21

him. As

12:23

his mental health improved, so did his

12:25

determination to be part of his son's

12:27

life. But

12:29

Cheryl remained firm. She

12:32

didn't want Ben involved with their

12:34

child in any capacity. The

12:41

issue went to family court. A

12:43

conciliation conference was held in the hopes that

12:46

Ben and Cheryl could reach an agreement without

12:48

having to go before a judge. Cheryl

12:51

argued that Ben was incapable of

12:53

being a responsible parent. To

12:56

support her argument, she presented photos of

12:58

his home, which she argued was dirty

13:01

and unkempt. But these

13:03

photos were obtained without Ben's permission after

13:05

Cheryl snuck into his house while he

13:07

was out. In

13:10

May 2001, to Cheryl's chagrin, Ben

13:12

was granted a three-hour supervised visit

13:14

with his son in a public

13:17

park. In

13:19

June 2001, Cheryl claimed Ben was stalking

13:21

her by driving past her house and

13:24

filed a harassment charge against him. With

13:27

no evidence to support her claim, the

13:29

judge dismissed the case. Enraged,

13:32

Cheryl stood up and stated,

13:36

What do I have to do? Fucking kill him

13:38

to get him to leave me alone. At

13:42

a subsequent conciliation conference, it was

13:44

suggested that Ben be given unsupervised

13:47

visits. This made

13:49

Cheryl seethe. Ben's

13:51

lawyer described her as openly

13:54

belligerent, arrogant and completely out

13:56

of control. It

13:58

was clear to him that she had no interest. intention

14:00

whatsoever of letting Ben be involved

14:02

with their child. She

14:05

even tried to blackmail Ben, threatening to

14:07

report him for alleged tax evasion if

14:09

he continued to seek custody. Then

14:13

on September 18, 2001,

14:16

a court order was entered, eliminating the

14:18

supervised nature of Ben's visits with his

14:20

son. Additionally, Ben

14:22

told his lawyer he wanted to file

14:24

a petition against Cheryl for contempt of

14:26

court. This

14:29

wasn't a decision he took lightly. According

14:32

to his lawyer, Ben was terrified that

14:34

doing so would escalate the situation. On

14:38

multiple occasions, Ben apparently told

14:40

his lawyer, I

14:42

am dead. I am going to be

14:44

dead. If I am

14:46

found dead, Cheryl will have done it.

14:51

Another conciliation conference was scheduled for November 13,

14:54

2001, but Ben's lawyer never got

14:58

around to filing the petition. By

15:01

the time the conference rolled around, Ben

15:03

was already dead. Four

15:09

days after Ben Amato's murder, investigators went

15:11

to question Cheryl Cunkel at the home

15:14

she shared with her two sons. It

15:17

was clear to police that Cheryl had a

15:19

strong motive to want Ben out of the

15:21

picture, but they knew motive alone wasn't an

15:24

indication of guilt. Cunkel

15:27

admitted to the investigators that she didn't like

15:29

Ben. She said that

15:31

he wasn't the gentle and caring man others

15:33

believed him to be. Cheryl

15:36

claimed Ben had been stalking her, sometimes

15:38

showing up at her house unannounced and

15:40

driving past to yelling things out the

15:42

window. While

15:45

she admitted to being angry at Ben, she

15:47

denied that they'd been part of a bitter

15:49

custody dispute or that she had any reason

15:51

to want him dead. Cunkel

15:54

added that on the night the murder was thought

15:56

to have occurred, she'd been at home with her

15:58

two kids. Investigators

16:01

presented Cheryl with a search

16:03

warrant nonetheless. Inside

16:06

her home, they found several pairs of

16:08

boots. This

16:10

wasn't unexpected given that Cheryl had always

16:12

worked in manual labour. The

16:15

boots were taken for testing, but none

16:17

matched the bloody boot print found at

16:20

the crime scene. Prior

16:23

to the bitter custody dispute, Ben had given Cheryl $3,000

16:25

to buy a car for her teenage son

16:29

Gregory. The

16:31

car was towed for forensic examination.

16:35

Nothing of interest was found. Cheryl

16:38

told investigators that she'd long since moved

16:41

on from Ben and had recently started

16:43

dating a man named Marty Reynolds. He

16:47

worked as an officer for the Pocono

16:49

Mountain Regional Police. This

16:52

detail gave the investigators pause.

16:55

The key weapons in Ben's murder had

16:57

been pepper spray and a blunt object,

16:59

possibly a baton, items

17:01

carried by Pennsylvania police officers.

17:06

Investigators paid Marty Reynolds a visit at the

17:08

station where he worked. He

17:11

denied having anything to do with Ben

17:13

Amado's murder and consented to his locker

17:15

being searched. Investigators

17:19

confiscated Marty's pepper spray and inspected

17:21

his baton. It

17:23

was obvious to them it wasn't the murder

17:25

weapon. After

17:27

providing an airtight alibi, Marty Reynolds

17:29

was ruled out as a suspect.

17:33

As for Cheryl Kunkel, investigators

17:35

weren't so sure. As

17:41

the days continued to pass with no

17:43

major breakthroughs, police appealed for anyone who

17:45

had contact with Ben in the week

17:47

leading up to his murder to come

17:49

forward. Cheryl

17:51

remained a person of interest, but there was

17:53

no evidence tying her to the crime. While

17:57

a search for fingerprints in Ben's home had turned up,

17:59

while the police were unusable set of prints

18:01

on the sliding glass door, they

18:03

didn't match Cheryl's or anyone else

18:05

in the police database. Some

18:08

foreign DNA was also found at the

18:10

crime scene. Testing

18:13

revealed it belonged to an unknown male.

18:17

Then a search of police records

18:19

revealed something interesting. In

18:22

early August of 2001, three months

18:24

before Ben was killed, Cheryl

18:26

had called the police to report a break-in

18:28

at her home. According

18:31

to the report, a safe containing $8,000 in

18:34

cash had been stolen during the burglary. Cheryl

18:38

had her suspicions about who was responsible.

18:41

She gave the police two names. April

18:45

Steinhauser was a close friend of Cheryl's.

18:49

She'd previously been in a long-term

18:51

relationship with Cheryl's brother with whom

18:53

she shared children. After

18:56

the relationship ended, April became involved

18:58

with a man named Nathaniel Evans,

19:00

or Nate for short, a reputed

19:02

drug dealer with a criminal record.

19:06

April also used the drugs, leading Cheryl

19:08

to suspect that the couple could have

19:10

targeted her for the theft. But

19:13

shortly after Cheryl made the report, she'd

19:15

contacted the police saying she wanted to

19:18

drop the charges. This

19:21

detail intrigued investigators. They

19:24

wondered what could have prompted Cheryl's change of

19:26

heart. Perhaps April

19:28

or Nate had threatened her in some way. Or

19:31

what if the theft was somehow linked

19:34

with Ben Amato's murder? Their

19:37

next move was to question Nate Evans. Tracking

19:40

him down was easy. He

19:42

was currently serving time for an

19:44

unrelated assault at the Luzerne County

19:46

Correctional Facility. Nate

19:49

had been incarcerated since November 5, one

19:53

week before Ben Amato was killed. While

19:56

this meant he couldn't have committed the

19:58

crime itself, investigators were still interested

20:00

in any details he could provide

20:02

about Cheryl Kunkle's retracted report against

20:04

him. Nate

20:07

was taken to an interview room at the jail.

20:10

The detectives asked him if he knew why they

20:12

were there. Nate

20:15

responded, Yeah,

20:17

you'll hear about us getting paid by that

20:19

lady to kill that dude. Casefile

20:32

will be back shortly. Thank

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deliver quality content. According

22:52

to corroborated statements from Nate Evans

22:54

and April Steinhauser, it all started

22:57

when Cheryl approached April with a

22:59

proposition. She wanted

23:01

someone to kill Ben Amato and was willing

23:03

to pay them to do so. April

23:06

told Cheryl that Nate would do it. The

23:09

two women then allegedly drove to Ben's house

23:12

to scope the place out. Cheryl

23:15

thought the best way to go about it was

23:17

for Nate to sneak into the garage while Ben

23:19

was sleeping. He could then

23:21

climb the stairs into the house and shoot

23:23

Ben before staging the scene to look like

23:25

a robbery. But

23:27

according to April, Cheryl then came up with

23:30

a better idea. She

23:32

suggested that Nate hide in the trees near

23:34

Ben's driveway while he was out and lie

23:36

in wait for him to come home. When

23:39

Ben got out of his truck, Nate could then

23:42

shoot him in the back of the head using

23:44

a gun with a silencer attached. April

23:47

claimed that Cheryl initially offered $5,000 for

23:49

the hit before realizing she didn't have

23:53

enough money. She offered

23:55

$3,000 instead, with $1,500 paid up front. and

24:00

the remaining amount to be paid once the

24:02

hit was complete. April

24:04

accepted the deal, taking the cash advance and

24:07

a photo of Ben to give to Nate.

24:11

However, both April and Nate told investigators

24:13

that neither of them ever had any

24:15

intention of going through with the hit.

24:18

Instead, they used the $1500

24:20

to buy presents for April's

24:23

children and drugs for themselves.

24:27

After money, April then returned to

24:29

Cheryl's house and stole her safe,

24:31

which contained She

24:35

stuffed it under her clothes and ran into

24:37

the woods. When

24:40

Cheryl discovered the safe was missing,

24:42

she reported the theft to the

24:44

Pocono Mountain Regional Police, where her

24:46

boyfriend Marty Reynolds was an officer.

24:49

Marty responded to the complaint, taking

24:51

April aside and asking if she

24:53

knew who was responsible. She

24:57

allegedly told her, ''You

24:59

have one hour to return it and

25:01

we'll forget everything.'' The

25:04

couple arranged to meet Cheryl in a

25:06

public parking lot. There,

25:08

they handed over what was left of the

25:10

cash, just over $3,700. They'd

25:15

already spent the rest of it on drugs,

25:17

alcohol and a down payment for a truck.

25:21

Cheryl dropped the charges regardless, seemingly

25:23

spooked by a comment Nate had

25:25

made when calling to arrange the

25:27

handover. He'd

25:29

apparently told her, ''Hey, on

25:32

the guy that you paid to kill Ben Amato.''

25:39

To prove they were telling the truth, Nate

25:41

handed police a letter that April had sent

25:43

him while he was behind bars. In

25:46

it, she broke the news that Ben Amato

25:48

had been murdered. April

25:51

wrote that she couldn't believe Cheryl had actually

25:53

found someone to go through with her plan.

25:57

Although according to April, Cheryl had called

25:59

her. shortly after Ben's death claiming she

26:01

had nothing to do with it. Cheryl

26:05

said the timing of his murder was a

26:07

complete coincidence. Investigators

26:11

confronted Cheryl Kunkel with the couple's version

26:13

of events. She

26:15

adamantly denied their story, saying the truth

26:17

was that April Steinhauser had been visiting

26:19

her at home when she asked if

26:22

she could borrow some money for her

26:24

children. Cheryl

26:26

said she left the room to fetch

26:28

some cash and when she came back,

26:30

April had stolen her safe and fled.

26:34

After reporting the theft to the police

26:36

and giving both April and Nate Evans

26:39

names, Cheryl said she had second thoughts.

26:42

She knew about Nate's criminal reputation and

26:44

was scared of what he might do.

26:48

She decided she wanted to press

26:50

charges against April alone, but law

26:52

enforcement told her this wasn't possible.

26:55

Too nervous to proceed with charging

26:57

both of them, Cheryl dropped the

27:00

issue entirely. According

27:03

to Cheryl, she never told April that

27:05

she wanted Ben dead, but she had

27:07

mentioned wanting him out of her life.

27:10

April allegedly used this knowledge

27:12

against Cheryl, fabricating the story

27:14

about a contract killing just in

27:17

case Cheryl ever decided to pursue

27:19

the theft charges against her. Others

27:23

weren't sure what to make of all this. With

27:27

Cheryl's motive, the murder for hire

27:29

allegation was incredibly compelling and the

27:31

accounts provided by April and Nate

27:33

could certainly be used to build

27:35

a solid case against her. The

27:39

problem was, April and Nate

27:41

weren't exactly credible witnesses. Furthermore,

27:45

not a single shred of physical evidence

27:47

connected Cheryl to Ben's murder itself. Perhaps

27:51

she had indeed found someone else to carry

27:53

out the hit. There was no

27:55

proof. Then

27:58

Cheryl Presented the police. With a

28:00

recording she claimed could prove she was

28:02

telling the truth. It. Was

28:05

it saves conversation between herself and

28:07

April him with Cheryl said she'd

28:09

been questioned by the police about

28:11

Benz murder. She. Told

28:13

April that the police had mentioned

28:16

April's name and dost. You.

28:18

Never said anything to get back at me

28:21

for what I did to you so pressing

28:23

charges. April responded

28:25

that given she'd already spent half of

28:27

the stolen money, she had to come

28:29

up with something. I

28:31

was scared she said. I didn't

28:33

want to go to jail. Or needed to

28:36

get out of it somehow because I was thinking

28:38

about my kids. On sorry.

28:43

Police. Remained strongly suspicious of Cheryl,

28:45

but the recording essentially debunked the

28:48

only evidence they had against her.

28:51

With. April at a meeting on tape that

28:53

she'd made up the whole murder for Hire

28:55

story. That was back to square

28:57

one. The

29:02

months continued to pass with no

29:04

breakthroughs in than a Matos case.

29:07

Investigators. Pursued every line

29:09

of inquiry, but nothing compelling

29:11

emerged. By. The I'd

29:13

a month marks they conducted a deep

29:16

dive into Benz financial records and assets

29:18

desperate to identify a motive for his

29:20

murder. Those

29:22

close to Ban described him as

29:24

a man of limited financial means

29:26

who survived of social security. He's

29:29

financial records reveal would

29:31

otherwise. According

29:34

to court records published by the

29:36

Pocono Record at the time of

29:39

bends death, he had almost five

29:41

hundred thousand dollars in cash into

29:43

liquid assets spread across multiple savings

29:46

accounts, trusts, stocks and bonds. Some.

29:49

Of this was shared with these eighty

29:51

three year old mother who was partially

29:53

incapacitated. records also

29:55

revealed that the mother and son rented

29:58

a safe deposit box together Investigators

30:01

wondered whether this could hold a clue as

30:03

to why someone would want the 52-year-old dead.

30:07

They went to the bank and to drill the safe

30:10

deposit box open. Nothing

30:12

of interest was inside. Regardless,

30:16

they were surprised to find that

30:18

Ben was so well off and

30:20

wondered if his murder could have

30:23

been financially motivated after all. Ben

30:27

hadn't left behind an official will, only

30:29

an unsigned copy. The

30:31

shared funds automatically went to his ailing

30:34

mother, but once she passed away they

30:36

would go to Ben's sole heir, the

30:39

son he shared with Cheryl Cunkel. And

30:42

until their son turned 18, the person

30:44

in control of the money would be

30:47

Cheryl. Although

30:49

police still couldn't tie Cheryl to Ben's

30:51

murder, with no other persons of interest,

30:53

they felt it was time to make

30:55

a move. In

30:58

July 2003, one year and

31:00

eight months after Ben was killed, Cheryl

31:02

was arrested for her alleged attempt to

31:05

hire April Steinhauser and Nate Evans to

31:07

kill him. She

31:09

maintained her innocence, but was formally

31:12

charged with the first-degree felony of

31:14

solicitation to commit murder. A

31:17

month later, she posted $250,000 bail and was

31:19

free to go while investigators continued to

31:24

build their case against her. They

31:27

remained convinced she'd been involved in

31:30

Benamato's murder. They

31:32

just couldn't figure out exactly how. Ten

31:40

months later, just after 5pm on

31:42

Tuesday, May 4, 2004, 49-year-old Kathleen

31:44

Fisher arrived home

31:47

from a day at work. Kathleen

31:50

lived with her daughter, 17-year-old

31:53

Kristen, as well as Kristen's

31:55

seven-month-old baby, Kaylee. development

32:00

in a wooded area of Pike

32:02

County in northern Pennsylvania. Kathleen

32:06

opened her garage door and was

32:08

met by a horrific side. Her

32:11

daughter Kristen lay lifeless on the ground,

32:13

an upturned stool by her side and

32:16

a noose tied around her neck. Kathleen

32:19

frantically dialled 911 while still facing

32:23

a terrifying question. Where

32:25

was baby Kaylee? Kathleen

32:28

raced through the house looking for her

32:31

granddaughter. She found

32:33

her in the bathroom, her tiny body

32:35

floating face down in a bathtub full

32:37

of water. It

32:40

was obvious that Kaylee hadn't died due

32:42

to a tragic accident. Kristen

32:44

typically bathed Kaylee in the sink,

32:47

not the bathtub. When

32:49

she did so, she kept her towel

32:51

and clean clothing nearby, items

32:53

which were nowhere to be seen. Yet,

32:56

Kathleen knew that Kristen would never

32:59

intentionally hurt her own baby. Kristen

33:02

adored Kaylee. Despite

33:04

her young age, she was an

33:06

exceptional and devoted mother, taking Kaylee

33:08

everywhere she went and doting on

33:10

her every step of the way.

33:14

Police quickly arrived at the scene

33:17

of the apparent murder-suicide. When

33:19

they examined Kristen's body, they

33:22

immediately noticed something odd. The

33:25

rope that she'd apparently used to hang

33:27

herself had been tied to a rail

33:29

on the garage ceiling. But

33:32

it hadn't been tied securely enough to

33:34

have ever held Kristen's weight. There

33:37

was also way too much slack on the rope

33:39

for the noose to have been effective. Realization

33:43

dawned on them. This

33:45

wasn't a murder-suicide, but a double homicide. Whoever

33:50

killed Kristen had used the rope to strangle

33:53

her, then staged the scene to look like

33:56

she'd killed her daughter before taking her own life. Kathleen

34:01

Fisher suspected she knew exactly

34:03

who was responsible. From

34:06

the moment Kristen discovered she was pregnant, the

34:08

baby's father had wanted nothing to do with

34:10

either of them. He

34:13

urged Kristen to get an abortion, then

34:15

abandoned her when she'd refused to do

34:17

so. Since

34:19

Kaylee's birth, he'd refused to pay child

34:22

support, a decision that had gone before

34:24

the courts. The

34:26

next hearing was scheduled for the day after

34:28

the murders. Five

34:31

days before this, Kristen told a

34:33

friend that Kaylee's father had left

34:35

a voice message on her phone,

34:37

warning, I'm gonna

34:39

fucking kill you if you don't stop trying to

34:42

sue me for child support. On

34:45

the day of the murders, Kristen told her

34:47

mother that Kaylee's father was coming over. He

34:51

claimed to have a surprise for them. Kristen

34:55

had called her daughter, warning her not to

34:57

let him in, but by that time, he

34:59

was already at the house. Kathleen

35:03

told Kristen to kick him out and lock

35:05

the doors. Investigators

35:09

familiar with Benamato's murder couldn't help

35:11

but note the similarities between these

35:13

two cases. The

35:16

two crimes had happened only 35 miles apart. Both

35:21

involved either a custody or child

35:23

support dispute, and the victims were

35:25

killed in staged accidents or suicides.

35:29

But the real watershed moment came

35:31

when they realised the significance of

35:33

who Kaylee's father was. 18-year-old

35:37

Gregory Rawr, Cheryl

35:40

Panko's eldest son. By

35:47

the time of the double homicide, two

35:49

and a half years had passed since

35:52

Benamato's murder, and Cheryl Panko remained on

35:54

bail awaiting trial for her solicitation charge.

35:57

Gregory still lived with her, but the relationship was not as bad as the other two.

36:00

relationship between the mother and son

36:02

was severely fractured. According

36:05

to other family members, Cheryl had

36:07

always been incredibly critical of Gregory.

36:10

She was mean and domineering and never

36:12

hesitated to dump him on a relative

36:14

whenever she wanted a break. From

36:18

a young age, Cheryl had told Gregory

36:20

that his biological father wanted nothing to

36:22

do with him. In

36:24

reality, she'd been so jealous of

36:26

Gregory's father's new girlfriend that she'd

36:28

purposely kept the two apart. As

36:32

Gregory got older, he sought comfort from

36:34

his paternal aunt, whom he came to

36:36

view as a mother figure. He

36:39

also began to establish a relationship with

36:42

his father, which Cheryl resented.

36:46

On the day that Kristen and Kaylee

36:48

Fisher were murdered, a security guard who

36:50

worked in their housing development had noticed

36:52

an unfamiliar Honda Civic in the neighbourhood

36:55

and taken note of its license plate.

36:58

The police ran this number through their system.

37:02

The car was registered to Gregory Rowe.

37:06

Gregory was summoned to the police station with

37:09

officers telling him there had been a family

37:11

emergency. When told

37:13

that Kristen and Kaylee were dead, he

37:15

didn't ask a single question about how

37:17

they had died. He

37:19

denied being anywhere near their home

37:21

or having anything to do with

37:23

their deaths, with one detective describing

37:25

him as, very

37:27

cold, stone cold.

37:33

Meanwhile, investigators approached Gregory's

37:35

home. There

37:37

they gave Cheryl Cunkel strict instructions to

37:39

stay away from the garage as a

37:41

search warrant was about to be issued

37:43

for her son's vehicle which was parked

37:45

inside. Cheryl

37:48

ignored them. She went

37:50

into Gregory's car and removed several items,

37:52

a decision that landed her with a

37:54

charge for tampering with evidence and hindering

37:56

a police investigation. charged

38:00

with a crime was a direct violation

38:02

of her bail conditions and she was

38:05

subsequently remanded in jail. A

38:08

preliminary search of the house and car

38:10

didn't turn up any evidence. Police

38:13

confiscated Gregory's computer in the hopes they

38:16

might uncover an email linking him to

38:18

the crime. They

38:20

found no such thing. What

38:23

they did find was child exploitation

38:25

material, enough to warrant three felony

38:27

charges against him. Gregory

38:33

Rowe was jailed for these charges while

38:35

police continued to hunt for evidence in

38:37

the fish's double homicide. While

38:40

news spread, many of those close to Gregory

38:42

were shocked to learn that he was

38:44

Kaylee's father. They never

38:46

even knew about his relationship with Kristen, let

38:49

alone that the two had a child together.

38:52

Cheryl had forbidden Gregory from telling anyone

38:54

about it. When his

38:57

current girlfriend Rachel had no idea.

39:01

Rachel told police that on the morning

39:03

of the double homicide she had accompanied

39:05

Gregory to a True Value hardware store

39:07

just a few miles from the fish's

39:09

home. There

39:11

he asked an employee to direct him towards

39:14

the rope. Rachel

39:16

asked what he needed it for. Gregory

39:19

explained he was going to put a clothes line

39:21

up for his mother. Police

39:24

with the store confirmed the sale of

39:26

the rope, the type of which was

39:28

then compared to the rope used to

39:30

strangle Kristen Fisher. It

39:33

was an exact match. According

39:36

to Rachel, Gregory had also asked her to

39:39

do a Google search on how to tie

39:41

a hangman's noose and print the instructions out

39:43

for him. Gregory

39:47

Rowe was charged with the murders

39:49

of Kristen and Kaylee Fisher, but

39:51

continued he was innocent.

39:54

From jail he wrote his girlfriend Rachel

39:56

a letter. In

39:58

it Gregory claimed that he never

40:01

wanted Kristen and Kaylee killed. According

40:04

to him, the person responsible

40:06

was his mother, Cheryl Kunkel.

40:10

She had asked him to buy her the

40:12

rope and print some instructions from the internet

40:14

showing how to tie a noose. Gregory

40:17

wrote that after the murders, Cheryl

40:20

told him, I

40:22

took care of the business that you should have

40:24

taken care of yourself. Gregory

40:28

urged Rachel to support his story

40:30

by saying that she'd witnessed these

40:32

things herself. He

40:35

warned that if she didn't, Cheryl would

40:37

kill her too. This

40:40

is a must, Gregory wrote, or

40:42

this is the end for me. Gregory

40:46

instructed Rachel not to show the letter

40:48

to anyone else and to burn it

40:50

after reading. Instead,

40:52

Rachel showed it to the police.

40:56

She said she'd never heard Cheryl Kunkel

40:58

make any mention of Kristen, Kaylee, rope,

41:01

or nooses. Investigators

41:04

didn't believe Gregory Rose claims, but

41:06

they did recognize his desperation as

41:09

an opportunity.

41:12

They approached him in jail, saying they wanted to speak

41:14

about the murder of Benjamin Amato.

41:18

Gregory immediately began to cry.

41:22

When asked if his mother was involved

41:24

in any way, Gregory replied, I don't

41:26

know what you're talking about. The

41:32

following day, Gregory Rose was hit with a

41:34

hard reality. Given that Kaylee Fisher

41:36

was under the age of 12, being charged for her

41:39

premeditated murder meant that he would be eligible for the

41:43

death penalty. When

41:46

Gregory learned this, he contacted

41:49

the detectives. He was finally

41:51

ready to talk. Case

42:01

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By supporting our sponsors, you

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support Casefile to continue to

43:16

deliver quality content. Gregory

43:26

Rowe had been just 12 years old

43:28

when his mother Cheryl Kunkel began her

43:30

relationship with Benjamin Amato. Over

43:33

those seven months, Gregory grew fond of

43:36

Ben. He enjoyed spending time

43:38

with him and came to consider him a

43:40

father figure. By

43:42

the time Gregory was 15, he

43:44

had witnessed the fallout between Ben and Cheryl

43:46

and the bit of custody battle over his

43:48

baby brother. Regardless,

43:50

Gregory's feelings towards Ben never changed

43:53

and the two continued to spend

43:55

time together. At

43:58

one point, Gregory even considered going to

44:00

live with him. In

44:03

early November of 2001, Gregory

44:05

thought nothing of it when Cheryl asked him to

44:08

go to a local store to pick up

44:10

a can of pepper spray. The

44:13

store didn't sell such products to miners

44:15

but Cheryl had called ahead of time

44:17

and arranged everything so there were no

44:19

issues when Gregory arrived to make the

44:21

purchase. According

44:23

to Gregory, a few days later on

44:25

November 12, Cheryl asked him

44:28

to join her for a drive. Gregory

44:31

thought they were going to visit his

44:33

grandparents but Cheryl veered off course and

44:35

parked the car near a tree farm

44:37

about a mile away from Benomato's house.

44:40

She told Gregory to get in the driver's

44:42

seat. Although he was

44:44

only 15 and didn't have a

44:46

license, he did as he was told. Cheryl

44:50

then directed Gregory to drive to

44:52

Ben's house on Sundance Road. When

44:56

they got there, Ben's truck wasn't in

44:58

the driveway. Cheryl

45:00

allegedly told her son to drive back to

45:02

the tree farm, wait for an hour and

45:05

then return to pick her up. Again,

45:08

Gregory did as he was told. He

45:11

assumed his mother was going to break

45:14

into Ben's house and perhaps steal something

45:16

but he knew better than to ask

45:18

any questions. Cheryl

45:20

had a volatile temper and didn't like

45:22

to be questioned. Gregory

45:24

knew that one wrong move could send

45:26

her into a rage. At

45:29

the tree farm, he sat in the car

45:31

listening to the radio for about an hour

45:34

before driving back to Sundance Road. This

45:37

time, Ben's truck was in the

45:39

driveway. Gregory

45:41

could see Cheryl crouching down in

45:43

some trees outside. She

45:45

jumped into Gregory's back seat, panting as

45:47

though she'd just ran a mile. Gregory

45:51

thought she seemed excited. She

45:54

told him to drive home via the back roads.

45:57

As they did so, Cheryl began taking off the road.

46:00

of clothes and throwing them out the window.

46:03

She had a change of clothes in the back seat

46:05

which she put on. She

46:08

also tossed a child-sized baseball bat out

46:10

the window. A bat Gregory said

46:12

he'd seen her pick up from a friend's

46:14

house a few days earlier. Gregory

46:18

was worried about what all this meant but

46:21

he said nothing. It

46:23

was only after the police arrived at their house

46:25

with a search warrant in the days following that

46:27

he dared to ask his mother what was going

46:29

on. According

46:32

to Gregory, Cheryl admitted that she'd

46:34

waited inside Ben's house until he

46:36

arrived home. She then

46:38

jumped out and sprayed him with pepper spray

46:40

before using the baseball bat to beat him

46:43

to death. This

46:45

confession left Gregory shocked. He

46:48

asked Cheryl why she would do such a thing.

46:51

She apparently told him, Because

46:54

of you. It

46:56

was your fault. She

46:59

said she couldn't stand the fact

47:01

that Gregory kept Ben hanging around.

47:04

Cheryl warned her son to keep his mouth shut.

47:07

If anyone found out the truth, she would

47:09

take him down with her. After

47:12

all, he was the one who bought the

47:14

pepper spray and acted as the getaway driver.

47:19

Cheryl then drove Gregory to the back roads

47:21

they'd taken on the day of Ben's murder.

47:24

She ordered him to find the clothes

47:26

she'd tossed outside before abandoning him there

47:29

with his bicycle. Gregory

47:32

made no real attempt to find

47:34

the items before returning home empty-handed.

47:37

He refused to go out searching for a

47:39

second time, but a couple of years later

47:41

in 2003, Cheryl

47:44

directed him to a field behind her

47:46

parents' backyard and ordered him to dig.

47:50

Gregory eventually uncovered a blanket and a

47:52

garbage bag full of clothes. At

47:55

Cheryl's request, he burned the items.

48:02

Gregory Rowe's confession was that breakthrough

48:04

investigators had spent almost two and

48:06

a half years waiting for. But

48:10

Gregory himself had just been charged

48:12

with two counts of murder and

48:14

his version of events raised some

48:16

serious questions. For

48:19

starters, when police had executed the

48:21

search warrant at Cheryl Cunkel's home

48:23

just days after Ben's murder, a

48:25

forensic examination of her car had

48:27

turned up nothing. If

48:30

Cheryl had indeed jumped into the car

48:33

wearing bloody clothes and carrying a bloody

48:35

baseball bat, surely some blood would

48:37

have been found inside the vehicle. And

48:40

if the clothes had since been burned,

48:42

there was no way to verify their

48:44

existence. The

48:47

bloody shoe print that had been left at

48:49

Ben Amado's crime scene had since been

48:51

determined to have come from a Timberland

48:53

brand boot. The

48:55

initial search of Cheryl's home had turned

48:57

up several pairs of boots, but none

49:00

were Timberlands. With

49:03

no forensic evidence tying Cheryl to

49:05

Ben's murder, all investigators had was

49:07

the word of one accused killer

49:10

against the other. Not

49:13

only did Gregory Rowe openly harbor resentment

49:15

against his mother, he also had something

49:17

to gain by throwing her under the

49:19

bath. For

49:21

starters, if Cheryl was found guilty

49:24

of killing Ben, it could add

49:26

weight to Gregory's allegations that it

49:28

was she who killed his ex-girlfriend

49:30

Kristen Fisher and their daughter Kaylee.

49:33

If rage over one child-related dispute

49:35

had motivated her to kill one

49:37

person, what was to stop

49:39

her from doing it again? If

49:43

this didn't work, testifying against Cheryl could

49:45

also benefit Gregory in that it might

49:47

lead to a less severe sentence if

49:50

he was found guilty in the Fisher

49:52

case. It was

49:54

possible he was making the entire story

49:56

up for bargaining power. Another

50:00

option also had to be considered. Given

50:03

the similarities between the murders of

50:05

Ben Amato and Kristen and Kaylee

50:07

Fisher, what if the

50:09

mother and son had worked together on

50:11

both crimes? Investigators

50:15

found themselves in a difficult

50:17

position. Gregory's

50:19

alleged confession was highly compelling,

50:22

but they knew that questionable testimony

50:24

from one unsavory witness wouldn't be

50:27

enough to secure a conviction against

50:29

Cheryl. Then

50:32

Gregory wrote a letter that changed

50:34

everything. For

50:38

two and a half years, Jerry Tolesky

50:40

had carried the weight of an unwanted

50:43

secret. Jerry worked

50:45

with Cheryl's father, Robert Kunkel.

50:48

In November 2001, days after

50:50

Ben Amato's murder, Cheryl

50:53

approached Jerry in tears. She

50:56

said that the police had just executed a

50:58

search warrant at her house and she was

51:00

afraid. Afraid because she

51:03

was the one who killed Ben.

51:07

According to Jerry, Cheryl said that she'd

51:09

waited inside Ben's house for him to

51:11

arrive home. When

51:14

he reached the top of his stairs,

51:16

she attacked him with a baseball bat

51:18

where he quote, went down

51:20

like a pussy. Cheryl

51:23

then fled out the side door and

51:25

onto the deck, injuring her leg in

51:27

the process. Cheryl

51:29

told Jerry she needed his help

51:31

to find the clothes some baseball

51:34

bat used in the attack, which

51:36

she'd since discarded around Camp Akiba

51:38

Road, a wooded area

51:40

connecting the Chestnut Hill and Jackson

51:42

townships. Jerry

51:45

wasn't entirely sure whether to

51:47

believe Cheryl's story. He

51:50

accompanied her out to Camp Akiba Road

51:52

regardless and began scouring the side of

51:54

the road for any sign of the

51:57

disposed-of items. It wasn't

51:59

long before he He came across the baseball

52:01

bat. A

52:03

chill ran down Jerry's spine as he

52:05

realised that Sheryl was telling the truth.

52:10

Sheryl told him to pick up the bat and burn

52:12

it. Realising

52:14

this would implicate him in the crime,

52:16

Jerry refused. Sheryl

52:19

became enraged and started, quote,

52:22

raving like a lunatic. She

52:25

reluctantly retrieved the bat herself.

52:28

Jerry then drove with her to a wooded

52:31

area nearby where Sheryl burned the bat under

52:33

a pile of leaves. Jerry

52:37

was terrified. He kept

52:39

this information to himself until a

52:42

letter arrived from an incarcerated Gregory

52:44

Rowe saying he was cooperating with

52:46

the police in Benomato's murder investigation

52:49

and that Jerry should stop being afraid of

52:52

Sheryl and do the same. To

52:55

come with regret for not coming forward

52:57

earlier, Jerry finally told investigators

52:59

what he knew and

53:02

according to Jerry, he wasn't the only

53:04

one who Sheryl had confided in. Back

53:12

in November 2001, Officer

53:14

Marty Reynolds was working a night shift

53:16

when his girlfriend Sheryl Kunkel called him

53:18

in tears saying the police had just

53:21

executed a search warrant at her house

53:23

in relation to Benomato's murder. Marty

53:26

went to visit Sheryl only to find her

53:29

in the dark, crying. I

53:32

was there, she told him. Sheryl

53:35

began pacing nervously saying, I don't

53:38

want to die. I can't believe this

53:40

is happening to me. She

53:44

pulled her pants down and showed Marty some bruises

53:46

on her leg. She

53:49

fought all the way down the stairs,

53:51

she said. She then changed her tune

53:53

entirely, saying that the bruises were from

53:56

a motorcycle accident. I

53:58

might as well say I was there. was there," she said.

54:01

They're trying to make me believe I was."

54:05

Marty found Cheryl to be incoherent

54:08

and confusing. Nothing

54:10

she said made any sense. He

54:13

later explained, "...for

54:15

lack of a better word, she was cuckoo.

54:18

She was out there." Marty

54:21

managed to calm Cheryl down before leaving.

54:25

While he didn't believe she was involved

54:27

in Ben's murder, her behavior set him

54:29

on edge. The

54:31

truth was, Marty Reynolds was a married

54:34

man. Nervous

54:36

that the ten-month affair he'd been

54:38

having with Cheryl would be exposed,

54:40

Marty ended the relationship and stopped

54:42

returning Cheryl's calls. A

54:45

few weeks later, the two ran into one

54:47

another in a convenience store parking lot. Cheryl

54:51

brought up Ben and said, "...if

54:54

this didn't happen to him, it would

54:56

have happened to me." In

55:00

the years following, Marty refused to believe

55:02

that Cheryl had anything to do with

55:04

Ben's death, but when

55:06

investigators approached him, he could no

55:09

longer convince himself of this. After

55:12

revealing everything he knew, Marty was

55:14

given two options for withholding this

55:17

information, either resign

55:19

from the police force or be

55:21

fired. After

55:24

almost two decades on the job,

55:26

he reluctantly turned in his badge.

55:32

With two independent witnesses corroborating Gregory

55:34

Rowe's version of events, the decision

55:37

was made to charge Cheryl Cunkle

55:39

with Ben Amato's first-degree murder. Given

55:43

the similarities between the crimes for which

55:45

she and Gregory were charged, some continued

55:47

to suspect that the two could have

55:49

helped each other. Yet,

55:51

with no evidence to support this, no

55:54

further charges were laid against either of

55:56

them. the

56:00

murders of Kristen and Kaylee Fisher in January

56:02

2006. He

56:05

testified in his own defense, tearfully

56:07

telling the court, I

56:10

know it's your opinion I did this, but

56:12

I honestly tell you I didn't. Please

56:15

don't take me from my family. By

56:19

this point, Gregory was no longer in

56:21

contact with Cheryl. Gregory's

56:24

father sobbed as he begged the jury

56:26

to spare his son from a death

56:28

sentence, saying, I

56:30

know my son didn't do this. Please

56:32

don't take him from me again. I

56:35

know two innocent lives were lost, but

56:37

taking his life won't make it right.

56:42

The prosecution urged the jury not to

56:44

be moved by Gregory Rose sob story,

56:47

telling them to think of Kaylee Fisher

56:49

in the bathtub instead. You

56:53

think about that last bubble of air

56:55

passing through her lips and breaking the

56:57

surface of the water, carrying

56:59

her soul to heaven. After

57:04

six days of testimony, the jury

57:06

deliberated for five and a half

57:08

hours before declaring Gregory Rose guilty

57:10

on all counts. Gregory

57:13

doubled over in apparent disbelief.

57:16

He was spared the death penalty, but

57:18

given life in prison. Outside

57:22

court, Gregory told reporters,

57:25

the truth is out there, but they failed

57:27

to say it. When

57:30

one of them asked if his mother

57:32

was the real culprit, Gregory responded, yes.

57:39

Cheryl Conkle's trial for the murder of

57:41

Ben Amato commenced the following year on

57:43

Tuesday, February 6, 2007. She also faced

57:46

charges for solicitation

57:50

to commit murder, aggravated assault,

57:52

burglary, and tampering with evidence.

57:57

The 38-year-old appeared confident as she entered

57:59

the courtroom. room, despite the fact

58:01

that Jerry Telesky, Marty Reynolds and

58:03

her own son Gregory had all

58:05

agreed to testify against her. The

58:09

defense team cast doubt on Gregory's

58:11

story. They pointed out

58:14

that the charges against him for

58:16

possessing child exploitation material had been

58:18

dropped without explanation. They

58:21

urged the jury to consider whether this was

58:23

due to a lack of evidence or

58:25

because Gregory had struck a deal with

58:28

the prosecution by agreeing to testify against

58:30

his mother. According

58:33

to the defense, Gregory had made the

58:35

entire story up to evade these charges

58:37

and avoid the death penalty for his

58:39

own murder trial. Their

58:42

main argument was that there still hadn't

58:44

been a single piece of physical evidence

58:46

tying Cheryl to the crime. The

58:49

only foreign DNA found at the scene

58:51

didn't even belong to a woman. Also

58:56

testifying against Cheryl Kunkel was

58:59

her former friend, April Steinhauser.

59:02

After all these years, April maintained

59:04

her story about Cheryl's failed murder

59:06

for hire plot. As

59:09

for the recording that Cheryl had given the

59:11

police in which April claimed to have made

59:14

the whole story up to save herself from

59:16

theft charges, April claimed

59:18

it had been staged. Something

59:21

she'd set on tape had allegedly been

59:24

scripted by Cheryl. The

59:27

recording was played to the court. The

59:29

prosecution pointed out that it did

59:31

indeed sound stilted and unnatural as

59:33

though the two women were reading

59:35

the conversation from a script. On

59:40

the stand, Cheryl's father Robert spoke of

59:42

his fondness for Ben Amato and how

59:44

hard things had been for his family.

59:47

He called Ben a good guy,

59:49

saying he didn't have a mean

59:51

bone in his body. On

59:55

Valentine's Day of 2007, the jury

59:57

deliberated for just a few hours.

1:00:00

before delivering its verdict. Guilty

1:00:03

on all counts. Cheryl

1:00:06

appeared genuinely shocked. She

1:00:09

gasped, doubling over with her face

1:00:11

in her hands, sobbing no and

1:00:13

telling the judge, it's

1:00:16

not over, Your Honor. Ben's

1:00:20

two stepdaughters from his first marriage,

1:00:22

Erin and Peggy also burst into

1:00:25

tears, but theirs were tears of

1:00:27

relief. Outside

1:00:29

court, Erin told reporters that while

1:00:31

she was extremely happy with the

1:00:34

verdict, quote, things

1:00:36

won't change for me. I still

1:00:38

won't have a dad tomorrow. He'll

1:00:41

still be gone because of her. In

1:00:45

the lead up to her sentencing, Cheryl

1:00:47

Kunkel claimed she'd been the victim of

1:00:50

a police conspiracy. According

1:00:52

to Cheryl, the truth was that

1:00:54

Ben Amado had accidentally fallen down

1:00:56

the stairs and died. The

1:00:59

amount of blood spatter found at the scene

1:01:01

had been planted there to frame her. The

1:01:05

sentencing judge said of these claims,

1:01:07

quote, anyone who

1:01:09

believes that is delusional. Ben's

1:01:13

stepdaughters argued that Cheryl should spend

1:01:16

the rest of her life in

1:01:18

prison, haunted by what she did

1:01:20

and surrounded by inmates like herself.

1:01:23

Peggy said, for

1:01:25

the first time in your life, you

1:01:27

will finally see evil face to face.

1:01:30

When you look into those many evil

1:01:33

eyes, may you finally see what my

1:01:35

stepfather saw just before he took his

1:01:37

last breath on this earth. The

1:01:42

judge agreed on Wednesday,

1:01:44

June 20, 2007. He sentenced Cheryl to life in prison without

1:01:49

the possibility of parole, remarking

1:01:53

for a life to be snuffed out

1:01:55

with such brutality and the lack of

1:01:57

concern is hard to understand. For

1:02:06

Ben's stepdaughters, the depth of their loss

1:02:08

was felt when they visited Ben's grave

1:02:10

one Father's Day. Erin

1:02:12

remarked that instead of taking her dad

1:02:14

to dinner or having him over for

1:02:16

a barbecue, she was kissing

1:02:18

a cold pitcher on a headstone. While

1:02:22

it was clear to Ben's loved ones

1:02:24

that Cheryl didn't want to share her youngest

1:02:26

son with Ben, they found it difficult

1:02:28

to comprehend what Cheryl hoped to achieve

1:02:30

by killing him. Ultimately,

1:02:33

the act had stripped her of both

1:02:35

her children. At

1:02:38

Cheryl's sentencing, Ben's stepdaughter Peggy had

1:02:40

asked her, Was

1:02:43

it worth it? Yes, you

1:02:45

did get Ben out of your life,

1:02:47

that goal you did accomplish. But

1:02:49

in turn, you messed up your older

1:02:51

son Greg so much that he is

1:02:54

currently spending the rest of his life

1:02:56

in prison for double homicide and he

1:02:58

says that you aren't even worthy to

1:03:00

be called mother. Some

1:03:03

believe that Greg wouldn't have committed his own

1:03:06

crimes had it not been for his mother's

1:03:08

influence. If there

1:03:10

is any truth to this, it means

1:03:12

that the trickle-down effect of Cheryl's actions

1:03:14

also stripped another mother of her child.

1:03:18

At Greg's trial, Kathleen Fisher's voice

1:03:20

shook as she spoke about her

1:03:22

deep love for Kristin, her only

1:03:24

daughter. Born

1:03:27

on Christmas Day, Kristin was the

1:03:29

greatest gift she ever received. Then

1:03:32

when Kaylee was born, she stole

1:03:34

everyone's heart. Kathleen

1:03:37

said, Holding

1:03:39

Kaylee in my arms was the closest thing

1:03:41

to heaven for me. What

1:03:44

keeps me going is the memory of how it

1:03:46

felt to hold her. Ben

1:03:48

and Kaylee were beautiful children in

1:03:50

both physical and spiritual qualities. I

1:03:53

was blessed to have them to love and cherish,

1:03:56

even if it was for only a short

1:03:58

time. Custody

1:04:01

of Ben and Cheryl's son was

1:04:03

awarded to Cheryl's family. Ben's

1:04:06

stepdaughter Erin remarked in court, "'Maybe

1:04:10

Cheryl will realise what she did when

1:04:12

she has to explain to her son

1:04:14

why his father is not alive anymore.

1:04:17

He didn't deserve to die so horribly.

1:04:21

No one deserves that.'" One

1:04:48

quiet summer night in Melbourne 46 years ago, Suzanne

1:04:52

Armstrong and Susan Bartlett were brutally stabbed

1:04:54

to death in their home in Easy

1:04:56

Street, Melbourne, as Suzanne's young toddler lay

1:04:58

in his cot. Their

1:05:01

killer has never been found, and

1:05:03

their double homicide remains one of Australia's

1:05:05

most chilling cold cases. It

1:05:08

would be absolutely fair

1:05:10

to say that I'm 75 now.

1:05:14

Hardly a day goes by that

1:05:16

I don't think about this particular

1:05:18

murder. Did

1:05:20

they know their killer, or was it a random attack?

1:05:24

At the time police weren't sure and warned

1:05:26

women in Melbourne to lock their doors and

1:05:28

windows. Yet they failed

1:05:30

to interview a number of witnesses living in

1:05:33

the street, one right next

1:05:35

door to Susan and Suzanne. She

1:05:37

told me that she was sitting there at

1:05:39

the window because it was a hot night

1:05:41

and she said she saw a bloke

1:05:44

leaving out the back gate. Till

1:05:46

this day, until I die, I'm convinced

1:05:48

there were two killers, not one. Was

1:05:51

the investigation focused on the wrong

1:05:53

person? How many men were really

1:05:55

there? In the Easy Street

1:05:57

murders, we'll talk to forensic and legal experts.

1:06:00

as well as Suzanne and Susan's family and

1:06:02

friends. She had a good

1:06:05

sense of humour and the kids loved

1:06:07

her because she made

1:06:09

them feel real. She

1:06:12

wasn't constrained, I should say, by

1:06:14

the norms of the time which

1:06:16

45 years ago a single mother was

1:06:21

regarded very poorly by

1:06:23

society. And

1:06:25

the retired detective who'll never forget walking into the little house

1:06:28

in Easy Street. This

1:06:31

guy has done something so bad, so

1:06:33

bad that humanity just would

1:06:35

never even forgive him no

1:06:38

matter who the relative was,

1:06:40

what he did to those two girls could

1:06:42

never, never, never be forgiven anyone. One

1:06:58

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