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Cheryl Ann Kunkle was convicted in Ben Amato's murder in November 2007. Cheryl had beaten Ben to death with a baseball bat in his home on November 16, 2001. However, she was only arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Benjamin after her son, Gregory Rowe, was suspected of a double murder case in 2004.
Cheryl Ann Kunkle had already been serving time for tampering with evidence and obstructing police when she was charged with Ben Amato's murder. The Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins episode titled Unlucky In Love showcases the heinous murder of Ben Amato as it airs on August 31, 2024. The official synopsis reads,
"Firefighter Ben Amato is callously murdered, but the case goes cold; a jailhouse snitch, critical clue and seemingly unrelated homicide expose a sinister plot as investigators stay on the trail of a heartless killer."
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What evidence was present at Ben Amato's murder scene?
On November 16, 2001, Benjamin Amato was found at the foot of the stairs of his utility room at his Chestnuthill Township home. The investigators had initially presumed that Ben had suffered a fall down the stairs, but an autopsy report soon confirmed that he had multiple blunt-force traumas on his head. Ben's skull was fractured in three different areas.
The crime scene had a bloody boot print that did not match the shoe that Ben had been wearing when he tumbled down the stairs. Moreover, a wall inside the two-story building had an orange stain from mace and 42 impact marks up to the ceiling.
The authorities looked into Ben's financial records to find no money missing. His belongings had been left as is, and his car had been parked in his driveway. Moreover, there were no signs of forced entry or struggle in the house to indicate a home invasion by a stranger.
Next to Ben's body lay a CVS pharmaceutical bag indicating that he had been out while the attacker waited around for his return. The authorities confirmed that the attack was not motivated by burglary, as Ben Amato's wallet containing $1,000 in cash was found at the crime scene, per the Pocono Record.
How was Cheryl Ann Kunkle caught?
As the investigation began, the authorities interviewed Ben Amato's close ones when his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl Ann Kunkle, mentioned to the police that he said he lived on his Social Security. As a result, the detectives went through his financial details to check for an underlying motive.
With no potential leads, the case went cold before the double murders of 17-year-old Kristin Fisher and her 7-month-old daughter, Kaylee. Kaylee's biological father, Gregory Rowe, was suspected and interviewed. Per Pocono Record, he confessed to his mother, Cheryl Ann Kunkle, killing Ben Amato in 2001.
While Gregory Rowe faced time for the cold-blooded murders, his testimony proved vital to Cheryl's sentencing in June 2007. Gregory took the stand and revealed that he had driven Cheryl to Benjamin's home and waited outside in the woods for an hour till she returned in soiled clothes and with a bloody baseball bat.
Cheryl Ann Kunkle was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Catch all the details of Ben Amato's murder as the new episode of Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins airs on Oxygen on Saturday.
