What happened to Ben Amato? Details explored ahead of Killer Relationships with Faith Jenkins on ID

The cold-blooded murder of Ben Amato in 2001 brought the community in Effort to a shock. Amato was brutally beaten to death by his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl Ann Kunkle, with a baseball bat over a bitter custody dispute.

Amato was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase in his home. Investigators assumed that he had had an accidental fall but the autopsy report revealed that he had suffered multiple blunt force trauma.

The Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins episode titled Unlucky In Love showcases the horrific 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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Who was Ben Amato? Details explored

Benjamin Joseph Amato was born on September 19, 1949, to Lee Amato in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Amato lived in New York City and was a retired sanitation department mechanic. In the 1980s, he eventually moved to Effort in Monroe County, Pennsylvania where he was residing in his home at 69 Sundance Drive, Lenape Hills.

Benjamin got married in 1985 and together he spent 13 years with his wife with whom he shared two daughters - Margaret Bohmann and Erin Stenger. Ben's daughters were the co-owners of his Sundance Drive home. He was an endearing father to his daughters who referred to him as "Papa Bear" and described him as a kind-hearted soul.

Following his divorce from his wife, Ben got into the construction business and volunteered with the fire department before joining as a fireman at the Sun Valley Volunteer Fire Company. The bartender at the fire hall’s social club and a resident of the area, Patricia Spera, described Ben as,

“He was absolutely fantastic... [He was] very quiet, meek and mild man, like a gentle giant. He was very tall, about 6 feet 2,” she said. “ He was a big guy. He was always dependable and would stop on the road if there was an accident and direct traffic. He was just a great guy. He’s going to be missed.”

His mother, Lee, lived near the Sunnybrook Farms in Chestnuthill Township, and together, the mother-son duo owned approximately $500,000, mostly in cash or liquid assets. After his divorce, Ben began dating Cheryl Kunkle with who he had a son in 1998.

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What happened to Ben Amato? Details explored

According to Pocono Record, Ben Amato was found dead at the foot of the staircase of his two-storeyed Chestnuthill Township home on November 16, 2001. Ben's neighbor called 911 when he could not reach him over the call and found his dogs left out on the porch.

The Pennsylvania State Police conducted a welfare check at his place and found him at the bottom of the stairs of the utility room. The Morning Call reported that Amato was found lying in a puddle of blood. The investigators assumed that he had fallen accidentally before an autopsy revealed multiple blunt-force trauma to the head.

The officers reportedly found a boot print at the head of the stairs in addition to an orange stain on the wall that was found out to be from a mace. There were 42 impact marks on the walls and the ceilings which the authorities believed were caused by the baseball bat used to strike Amato's skull.

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Catch all the details of Ben Amato's murder as the new episode of Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins airs on Oxygen on Saturday.