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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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[Laughter] [Music] website Benjamin amado's neighbors were worried 52-year-old Ben lived alone and
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could often be seen coming and going from his home in Chestnut Hill Township in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains
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region but several days had passed with no sign of him it was now Thursday November 15 2001 and the last time he'd
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been seen was when he'd stopped at a CVS Pharmacy the previous Monday evening stranger still Ben's dogs are being left
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out on the wraparound porch of his house this was completely unlike him friends and family who tried calling
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Ben were surprised to find that his voicemail was full another anomaly for a man who was typically easy to
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reach Chad price not his real name lived next door to Ben on Sundance Road a leafy residential street surrounded by
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Woodland although the homes sat on spacious blocks with plenty of privacy Chad was familiar enough with Ben's
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movements to know that something seemed off that Thursday Chad went to Ben's house and rang the
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doorbell there was no answer Chad returned home but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't
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right when Ben still hadn't surfaced the following morning Chad called his phone
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it went to his answering machine by now 4 days had passed since anyone had seen or spoken to Ben unsure
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what else to do Chad called 911 and asked if someone could conduct a welfare check he told the
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dispatcher it's not an emergency but it could be it was approaching midday when two
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state troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police arrived at Benjamin amado's property they were familiar with Ben as
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he volunteered for the local fire department but knocks to Ben's door continued to go
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unanswered the Troopers called Dick Hoffman another volunteer firefighter who they knew was close friends with Ben
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dick promptly arrived at the property and headed straight to a window that he knew Ben always kept unlocked
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it didn't budge dick was officially concerned he'd known Ben for 20 years and was aware that he struggled with his
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mental health in the past few years Ben had made two serious attempts to end his
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own life it had been a year since his last suicide attempt and Ben had since sought professional
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help although he seemed much happier lately Ben's Depression was an ongoing concern for his loved ones
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[Music] the Troopers decided there was no more time to waste they forced their way in
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through Ben's garage door which was located on the lower level of the house there at the bottom of the narrow
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stairwell lay Benjamin amado's body blood pulled around him and was spattered on the walls although Ben was
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face down it was clear that he'd been dead for several days forensic investigators were called
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to the scene their preliminary examination found no signs of forced entry or homicidal violence instead it
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appeared that Ben had fallen down the stairs sustaining fatal head injuries but then investigators noticed
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something odd clearly visible in the pool of blood was an impression from a boot there was no way Ben could have
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made the print as he'd been wearing sneakers at the time he died realiz ation dawned on the
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investigators this wasn't an accident or a suicide it was [Music] [Music] murder
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a postmortem revealed that Benjamin Amato had been killed by three to four blows to the head with an unknown blunt
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object investigators climbed the staircase searching for Clues at the top they found the blood
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spatter as well as orange stains consistent with pepper spray blood spatter was also present at
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the base of the stairs several feet from where Ben's body was found this led investigators to conclude
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that Ben was likely climbing the stairs when someone jumped out and assaulted him with pepper spray once Ben was
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incapacitated they struck him with either a baseball bat or baton this caused him to fall down the
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stairs where the as salant continued to strike him before fleeing the [Music] scene the exact time of Ben's death was
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unclear but the level of decomposition suggested that his body had been lying undiscovered for several days
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this made it likely that he'd been killed shortly after leaving the CVS Pharmacy on Monday November
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12th the obvious question was why up until his 30s Ben had been living in New York where he was a member of the
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sanitation department he'd relocated to the Poconos after building a summer house with his father and falling in
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love with the area's natural beauty he married a local woman and became a doting stepfather to her three children
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although the marriage ended in divorce Ben maintained a close relationship with his stepkids who continued calling him
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dad or papa bear semi-retired at the time of his death he did some occasional snowplow
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work and enjoyed repairing cars in his spare time those who knew Ben described him as
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kind caring and funloving his friend dick said he was quote big and jolly just a hell of a
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nice Sky Ben lived a modest lifestyle and mostly survived off Social Security making him an unlikely Target for theft
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nothing appeared to have been stolen from his home and he still had his wallet which held $11,000 cash nobody in
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the area had seen or heard anything unusual but after speaking to those close to Ben police had their
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suspicions Ben's neighbor Chad price had allegedly let himself into Ben's house on several occasions when nobody was
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home he hadn't been given permission to do so this was intriguing in and of itself
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but police grew even more suspicious after noticing that Chad wore boots that looked like they could match the bloody
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print of the crime scene Chad price was called in for questioning he seemed nervous flat out
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denying that he'd ever let himself into Ben's house without permission his boots were conf sked for
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testing they weren't a match to the crime scene print although this lead fizzled out
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Ben's loved ones were quick to suggest another potential Person of Interest four years earlier in late 1997 Ben had
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been ficking for parts at a local scrapyard owned by a man named Robert kungle as Ben regularly frequented
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Roberts the two men established a good rapport Robert introduced Ben to his daughter a
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single mother named Cheryl conle Cheryl was considered a tough and independent woman viewed by some as a little rough
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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
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build a comfortable life for the two of them with a penchion for physical labor she'd worked in welding construction and
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as a forklift driver before starting a successful Paving business although there was a 20-year age
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difference between them Ben and Cheryl hit it off right away with the shared love for sports and the outdoors they
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soon began dating it was an exciting time for the couple they spent their spare time
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boating fishing and riding quad bikes with Cheryl's 12-year-old son Gregory to whom Ben became like a father
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figure after about 7 months Cheryl announced that she was pregnant but this wasn't the exciting news for
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Ben that Cheryl hoped it would be while Ben was excellent with children and loved his step kids he didn't actually
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want any biological children of his own he was too afraid that they would inherit his mental health
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issues Ben's father had also recently passed away the two had been incredibly close and Ben was still struggling with
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intense grief Ben's lackluster reaction up upset Cheryl she ended the relationship
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deciding to raise the child on her own Ben spiraled into a deep depression which led to his first suicide
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attempt but by the time Cheryl gave birth to a baby boy Ben's mental health was improving he wanted to accept
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responsibility and to be a part of his son's life after all Cheryl felt differently she ceased
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all contact with Ben and refused to let him visit their son Ben was distraught by this and his
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loved ones watched his mental health plumber Unsure how they could help as Ben didn't like to talk about his
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problems in 2000 Ben attempted suicide again which led to him being admitted to a mental health
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facility there Ben was prescribed to medication that helped him as his mental health improved so did his determination
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to be part of his son's life but Cheryl remained firm she didn't want Ben involved with their child in
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any capacity the issue went to Family Court a conciliation Conference was held in
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the hopes that Ben and Cheryl could reach an agreement without having to go before a
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judge Cheryl argued that Ben was incapable of being a responsible parent to support her argument she presented
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photos of his home which he argued was dirty and uncamp but these photos were obtained
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without Ben's permission after Cheryl snuck into his house while he was out in May 2001 to Cheryl's shagrin Ben was
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granted a 3-hour supervised visit with his son in a public park in June 2001 Cheryl claimed Ben was stalking her by
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driving past her house and filed a harassment charge against him with no evidence to support her claim the judge
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dismissed the case enraged Cheryl stood up and stated what do I have to do [ __ ] kill
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him to get him to leave me alone at a subsequent conciliation conference it was suggested that Ben be
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given unsupervised visits this made Cheryl seee Ben's lawyer described her as openly belligerent arrogant and
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completely out of control it was clear to him that had no intention whatsoever of letting Ben be
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involved with their child she even tried to Blackmail Ben threatening to report him for alleged tax evasion if he
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continued to seek custody then on September 18 2001 a court order was entered eliminating the
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supervised nature of Ben's visits with his son additionally Ben told his lawyer he wanted to file a petition against
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Cheryl for contempt of court this wasn't a decision he took lightly according to his lawyer Ben was
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terrified that doing so would escalate the situation on multiple occasions Ben apparently told his
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lawyer I am dead I am going to be dead if I am found dead Cheryl will have done it another conciliation conference was
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scheduled for November 13 2001 but Ben's lawyer never got around to filing the ition by the time the conference rolled
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around Ben was already dead 4 days after Ben amado's murder investigators went to question Cheryl
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kungl at the home she shared with her two sons it was clear to police that Cheryl
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had a strong motive to want Ben out of the piture but they knew motive alone wasn't an indication of
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guilt Cheryl admitted to the investigators that she didn't like Ben Ben she said that he wasn't the gentle
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and caring man others believed him to be Cheryl claimed Ben had been stalking her
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sometimes showing up at her house unannounced and driving past to yelling things out the
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window while she admitted to being angry at Ben she denied that they'd been part
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of a bitter custody dispute or that she had any reason to want him dead Cheryl added that on the night the murder was
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thought to have occurred she'd been at home with her two kids investigators presented Cheryl with a
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search warrant nonetheless inside her home they found several pairs of boots this wasn't unexpected given that
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Cheryl had always worked in manual labor the boots were taken for testing but none matched the bloody bootprint
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found at the crime scene prior to the bit of custody dispute Ben had given Cheryl $3,000 to
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buy a car for her teenage son Gregory the car was towed for forensic examination nothing of Interest was
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found Cheryl told investigators that she'd along since moved on from Ben and had recently started dating a man named
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Marty rolds he worked as an officer for the Pocono Mountain Regional Police this detail gave the
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investigator's pause the key weapons in Ben's murder had been pepper spray and a blunt object
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possibly a baton items carried by Pennsylvania police officers investigators paid Marty
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Reynolds a visit at the station where he worked he denied having anything to do with Ben amado's murder and consented to
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his locker being searched investigators confiscated Marty's pepper spray and inspected his
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baton it was obvious to them it wasn't the murder weapon after providing an airtight Al by
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Mighty Reynolds was ruled out as a suspect as for Cheryl kungl investigators weren't so
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sure as the days continued to pass with no major breakthroughs police appealed for anyone who had contact with Ben in
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the week leading up to his murder to come forward Cheryl remained a person of interest but there was no evidence tying
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her to the crime while a search for fingerprints in Ben's home had turned up one usable set
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of prints on the sliding glass door they didn't match Cheryl's or anyone else in
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the police database some foreign DNA was also found at the crime scene testing revealed it
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belonged to an unknown male then a search of police records revealed something interesting in early August of 2001 3
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months before Ben was killed Cheryl had called the police to report a break-in at at her home according to the report a
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safe containing $8,000 in cash had been stolen during the burglary Cheryl had her suspicions about
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who was responsible she gave the police two names April steinhauser was a close friend of Cheryl's she'd previously been
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in a long-term relationship with Cheryl's brother with whom she shared children after the relationship ended
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April became involved with a man named Nathaniel Evans or Nate for short a reputed drug dealer with a criminal
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record April also used to drugs leading Cheryl to suspect that the couple could have targeted her for the
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theft but shortly after Cheryl made the report she' contacted the police saying she wanted to drop the
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charges this detail intrigued investigators they wondered what could have prompted Cheryl's change of heart
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perhaps April or Nate had threatened her in some way or what if the theft was somehow linked with Ben amado's
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murder their next move was to question Nate Evans tracking him down was easy he was currently serving time for an
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unrelated assault at the lern County Correctional Facility Nate had been incarcerated
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since November 5 one week before benam was killed while this me he couldn't have committed the crime itself
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investigators were still interested in any details he could provide about Cheryl kl's retracted report against
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him Nate was taken to an interview room at the jail the detectives asked him if he knew
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why they were there Nate responded yeah you'll he about us getting paid by that lady to kill that
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dude according to corroborated statements from Nate Evans and April steinhauser it
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all started when Cheryl approached April with a proposition she wanted someone to kill
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Ben Amado and was willing to pay them to do so April told Cheryl that Nate would
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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
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it was for Nate to sneak into the garage while Ben was sleeping he could then climb the stairs into the house and
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shoot Ben before staging the scene to look like a robbery but according to April Cheryl
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then came up with a better idea she suggested that Nate hide in the trees near Ben's driveway while he was out and
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lie in waight for him to come home when Ben got out of his truck Nate could then
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shoot him in the back of the head using a gun with a silencer attached April claimed that Cheryl
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initially offered $5,000 for the hit before realizing she didn't have enough money she offered $3,000 instead with
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$1,500 paid up front and the remaining amount to be paid once the hit was complete April accepted the deal taking
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the cash advance and a photo of Ben to give to Nate however both April and Nate told
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investigators that neither of them ever had any intention of going through with the hit instead they used the $1,500 to
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buy presents for April's children and drugs for themselves desperate for money April
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then returned to sherl's house and stole her safe which contained $65,000 she stuffed it under her clothes
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and ran into the woods when Cheryl discovered the safe was missing she reported the theft to
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the Pocono Mountain Regional Police where her boyfriend Marty Reynolds was an officer Marty responded to the complaint
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taking April aside and asking if she knew who was responsible Marty allegedly told her you
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have 1 hour to return it and we forget everything the couple arranged to meet Cheryl in a public parking lot there
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they handed over what was left of the cash just over $3,700 they'd already spent the rest of
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it on drugs alcohol and a down payment for a truck Cheryl dropped the charges regardless seemingly spooked by a
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comment Nate had made when calling to arrange the Handover he'd apparently told her hey
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I'm the guy that you paid to kill benam to prove they were telling the truth Nate handed police a letter that
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April had sent him while he was behind bars in it she broke the news that benam had been
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murdered April wrote that she couldn't believe Cheryl had actually found someone to go through with her plan
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although according to April Cheryl had caught her shortly after Ben's death claiming she had nothing to do with it
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Cheryl said the timing of his murder was a complete coincidence investigators confronted
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Cheryl kungle with the couple's version of events she adamantly denied their story saying the truth was that April
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steinhauser had been visiting her at home when she asked if she could borrow some money for her
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children Cheryl said she left the room to fetch some cash and when she came back April had stolen her safe and
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fled after reporting the theft to the police and giving both April and Nate evans's names Cheryl said she had second
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thoughts she knew about Nate's criminal reputation and was scared of what he might do she decided she wanted to press
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charges against April alone but law enforcement told her this wasn't possible too nervous to proceed with
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charging both of them Cheryl dropped to the issue entirely according to Cheryl she never
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told April that she wanted Ben dead but she had mentioned wanting him out of her
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life April allegedly used this knowledge against Cheryl fabricating the story about a contract killing just in case
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Cheryl ever decided to pursue the theft charges against her investigators weren't sure what to make
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of all this with Cheryl's motive the murder For Hire allegation was incredibly compelling and the accounts
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provided by April and Nate could certainly be used to build a solid case against
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her the problem was April andate weren't exactly credible Witnesses furthermore not a single shred
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of physical evidence connected Cheryl to Ben's murder itself if she had indeed found someone else to carry out the hit
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there was no proof then cherol presented the police with a recording she claimed could prove
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she was telling the truth it was a taped conversation between herself and April in which Cheryl said she'd been
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questioned by the police about Ben's Murder She told April that the police had mentioned April's name and
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asked you never said anything to get back at me for what I did to you for pressing
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charges April responded that given she'd already spent half of the stolen money she had to come up with
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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
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about my kids I'm sorry police remained strongly suspicious of Cheryl but the recording
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essentially debunked the only evidence they had against her with April admitting on tape that she'd
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made up the whole murder for higher story it was back to square one the months continued to pass with no
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breakthroughs in Ben amado's case investigators pursued every line of inquiry but nothing compelling
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emerged by the 18-month Mark they conducted a deep dive into Ben's Financial records and assets desperate
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to identify a motive for his murder those close to Ben described him as a man of limited financial means who
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survived off Social Security his financial records revealed otherwise according to court records
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published by the Pocono Record at the time of Ben's death he had almost $500,000 in cash and liquid assets
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spread across multiple savings accounts trusts stocks and bonds some of this was shared with his
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83-year-old mother who was partially incapacitated records also revealed that the mother and son rented a safe deposit
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box together investigators wondered whether this could hold a clue as to why someone would want the 52-year-old
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Dad they went to the bank and drilled the safe deposit box open nothing of Interest was
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inside regardless they were surprised to find that Ben was so well off and wondered if his murder could have been
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financially motivated after all Ben hadn't left behind an official will only an unsigned copy the shared
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funds automatically went to his ailing mother but once she passed away they would go to Ben's Soul Heir the son he
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shared with Cheryl conl and until their son turned 18 the person in control of the money would be
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Cheryl although police still could wouldn't Tire Cheryl to Ben's murder with no other Persons of Interest they
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felt it was time to make a move in July 2003 1 year and 8 months after Ben was killed Cheryl was arrested
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for her alleged attempt to hire April steinhauser and Nate Evans to kill him she maintained her innocence but was
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formally charged with the first-degree felony of solicitation to commit murder a month later she posted
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$250,000 as baale and was free to go while investigators continued to build their case against
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her they remained convinced she'd been involved in Ben's murder they just couldn't figure out exactly
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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
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at work Kathleen lived with her daughter 17-year-old Kristen as well as Kristen's
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7-month-old baby Kaylee the trio lived in a private housing development in a wooded area of
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Pike County in Northern Pennsylvania Kathleen opened her garage door and was met by a horrific
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sight her daughter Kristen lay lifeless on the ground an upturned stool by her side and a noose tied around her
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neck Kathleen frantically dialed 911 while still facing a terrifying question where was baby
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Kaye Kathleen raced through the house looking for her granddaughter she found her in the
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bathroom her tiny body floating face down in a bathtub full of water it was obvious that Kaye hadn't
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died due to a tragic accident Kristen typically bathed Kaye in the sink not the bathtub when she did so she kept a
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towel and clean clothing nearby items which were nowhere to be seen yet Kathleen knew that Kristen
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would never intentionally hurt her own baby Kristen adored Kaye despite her young age she was an
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exceptional and devoted mother taking Kaye everywhere she went and doting on her every step of the
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way police quickly arrived at the scene of the apparent murder suicide when they exam Kristen's body
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they immediately noticed something odd the rope that she' apparently used to hang herself had been tied to a rail
00:29:36
on the garage ceiling but it hadn't been tied securely enough to have ever held Kristen's
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weight there was also way too much slack on the Rob for the news to have been effective realization dawned on them
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this wasn't a murder suicide but a double homicide whoever killed Kristen had used
00:29:59
the Rope to strangle her then staged the scene to look like she'd killed her daughter before taking her own
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life Kathleen fiser suspected she knew exactly who was responsible from the moment Kristen
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discovered she was pregnant the baby's father had wanted nothing to do with either of them he' urged Kristen to get
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an abortion then abandoned her when she'd refused to do so since kayle's birth he' refused to pay child support a
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decision that had gone before the courts their next hearing was scheduled for the day after the
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murders 5 days before this Kristen told a friend that kayle's father had left a voice message on her phone
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warning I'm going to [ __ ] kill you if you don't stop trying to sue me for child
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support on the day of the murders Kristen told her mother that kayle's father was coming over
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he claimed to have a surprise for them Kathleen had called her daughter warning her not to let him in but by
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that time he was already at the house Kathleen told Kristen to kick him out and to lock the
00:31:14
doors investigators familiar with Ben amado's murder couldn't help but note the similarities between these two
00:31:22
cases the two crimes had happened only 35 M apart both involved either a custody or child support dispute and the
00:31:31
victims were killed in staged accidents or suicides but the real watershed moment
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came when they realized the significance of who kayle's father was 18-year-old Gregory row Cheryl
00:31:47
conkle's eldest son by the time of the double homicide 2 and 1/2 years had passed passed since
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Ben amado's murder and Cheryl kungle remained on bail awaiting trial for her solicitation
00:32:03
charge Gregor still lived with her but the relationship between the mother and son was severely
00:32:10
fractured according to other family members Cheryl had always been incredibly critical of Gregory she was
00:32:17
mean and domineering and never hesitated to dump him on a relative whenever she wanted a
00:32:23
break from a young age Cheryl had told Greg that his biological father wanted nothing to do with him in reality she'd
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been so jealous of Gregory's father's new girlfriend that she'd purposely kept the two
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apart as Gregory got older he sought comfort from his paternal Aunt whom he came to view as a mother
00:32:45
figure he also began to establish a relationship with his father which Cheryl resented on the day that Kristen and
00:32:54
Kaye fiser were murdered a security guard who worked in their Housing Development had noticed an unfamiliar
00:33:00
Honda Civic in the neighborhood and taken note of its license plate the police ran this number through
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their system the car was registered to Gregory row Gregory was summoned to the police
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station with officers telling him there had been a family emergency when told that Kristen and
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Kaye were dead he didn't ask a single question about how they had died he denied being anywhere near their home or
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having anything to do with their deaths with one detective describing him as very cold stone
00:33:38
cold meanwhile investigators approached Gregory's home there they gave Cheryl kungle strict instructions to stay away
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from the garage as a search warrant was about to be issued for her son's vehicle
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which was parked inside Cheryl ignored them she went into Gregory's car and removed several items
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a decision that landed her with a charge for tampering with evidence and hindering a police
00:34:05
investigation being charged with a crime was a direct violation of her bail conditions and she was subsequently
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remanded in jail a preliminary search of the house and car didn't turn up any evidence police confiscated Gregory's
00:34:22
computer in the hopes they might uncover an email linking him to the crime they found no such
00:34:28
thing what they did find was child exploitation material enough to Warrant three felony charges against
00:34:38
him Gregory row was jailed for these charges while police continued to hunt for evidence in the Fisher's double
00:34:45
homicide while news spread many of those close to Gregory were shocked to learn that he was Kay's father they never even
00:34:53
knew about his relationship with Kristen let alone that the two had a child together Cheryl had forbidden Gregory
00:35:01
from telling anyone about it even his current girlfriend Rachel had no idea Rachel told police that on the
00:35:09
morning of the double homicide she had accompanied Gregory to a True Value Hardware Store just a few miles from the
00:35:16
Fisher's home there he asked an employee to direct him towards the Rope Rachel asked what he needed it for
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Gregory explained he was going to put a clothes line up for his mother checks with the store confirmed
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the sale of the Rope the type of which was then compared to the Rope used to strangle Kristen
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fiser it was an exact match according to Rachel Gregory had also asked her to do a Google search on
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how to tie a hangman's noose and print the instructions out for him Gregory row was charged with the
00:35:55
murders of Kristen and Kaylee Fisher but continued to maintain that he was innocent from jail he wrote his
00:36:02
girlfriend Rachel a letter in it Gregory claimed that he never wanted Kristen and
00:36:08
Kaye killed according to him the person responsible was his mother Cheryl conle she had asked him to buy her the
00:36:18
rope and to print some instructions from the internet showing how to tie noose Gregory wrote that after the
00:36:26
murders Cheryl told him I took care of the business that you should have taken care of
00:36:34
yourself Gregory urged Rachel to support his story by saying that she'd witnessed
00:36:39
to these things herself he warned that if she didn't Cheryl would kill her too this is a must Gregory wrote or this
00:36:49
is the end for me Gregory instructed Rachel not to show the letter to anyone else and to burn it
00:36:57
after reading instead Rachel showed it to the police she said she had never heard
00:37:05
Cheryl kungl make any mention of Kristen Kaye rope or NES investigators didn't believe Gregory
00:37:13
Rose claims but they did recognize his desperation as an opportunity they approached him in jail
00:37:20
saying they wanted to speak about the murder of Benjamin Amato Gregory immediately began to
00:37:28
cry when asked if his mother was involved in any way Gregory replied I don't know what you're talking
00:37:37
about the following day Gregory row was hit with a hard reality given that Kaylee fiser was
00:37:45
under the age of 12 being charged for her premeditated murder meant that he would be eligible for the death
00:37:52
penalty when Gregory learned this he contacted the detective he was finally ready to
00:38:01
[Music] talk Gregory row had been just 12 years old when his mother Cheryl conle began
00:38:11
her relationship with Benjamin Amado over those seven months Gregory grew fond of Ben he enjoyed spending
00:38:19
time with him and came to consider him a father figure by the time Gregory was 15 he had
00:38:25
witnessed the Fallout between Ben and Cheryl and the bitter custody battle over his baby
00:38:31
brother regardless Gregory's feelings towards Ben never changed and the two continued to spend time together at one
00:38:39
point Gregory even considered going to live with him in early November of 2001 Gregory
00:38:47
thought nothing of it when Cheryl asked him to go to a local store to pick up a can of pepper
00:38:53
spray the store didn't sell such products to m but Cheryl had called ahead of time and
00:38:59
arranged everything so there were no issues when Gregory arrived to make the purchase according to Gregory a few days
00:39:06
later on November 12th Cheryl asked him to join her for a Drive Gregory thought they were going to
00:39:13
visit his grandparents but Cheryl veered off course and parked the car near a tree farm about a mile away from Ben's
00:39:21
house she told Gregory to get in the driver's seat although he was only 15 and didn't
00:39:27
have a license he did as he was told Cheryl then directed Gregory to drive to Ben's house on Sundance
00:39:36
Road when they got there Ben's truck wasn't in the driveway Cheryl allegedly told her son
00:39:43
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
00:39:53
assumed his mother was going to break into Ben's house and perhaps steal something but he knew better than to ask
00:39:59
any questions Cheryl had a volatile temper and didn't like to be questioned Gregory
00:40:06
knew that one wrong move could send her into a rage at the tree farm he sat in the car
00:40:13
listening to the radio for about an hour before driving back to Sundance Road this time Ben's truck was in the
00:40:21
driveway Gregory could see Cheryl crouching down in some trees outside she jumped into Gregory's back seat
00:40:29
panting as though she'd just ran a mile Gregory thought she seemed excited she told him to drive home via
00:40:37
the back road as they did so Cheryl began taking off her clothes and throwing them out the
00:40:43
window she had a change of clothes in the back seat which she put on she also tossed a child-sized baseball bat out
00:40:52
the window a bat Gregory said he'd seen her pick up from a friend's house house a few days
00:40:58
earlier Gregory was worried about what all this meant but he said nothing it was only after the police arrived at
00:41:06
their house with a search warrant in the days following that he dared to ask his
00:41:10
mother what was going on according to Gregory Cheryl admitted that she'd waited inside Ben's house
00:41:17
until he arrived home she then jumped out and sprayed him with pepper spray before using the baseball bat to beat
00:41:24
him to death this confession left Gregory shocked he asked Cheryl why she would do such a thing she apparently
00:41:33
told him because of you it was your fault she said she couldn't stand the fact that Gregory kept Ben hanging
00:41:44
around Cheryl warned her son to keep his mouth shut if anyone found out the truth
00:41:51
she would take him down with her after all he was the one who bought the pepper spray and acted as the getaway
00:41:59
driver Cheryl then drove Gregory to the back roads they' taken on the day of Ben's Murder She ordered him to find the
00:42:07
clothes she tossed outside before abandoning him there with his bicycle Gregory made no real attempt to
00:42:14
find the items before returning home empty-handed he refused to go out searching for a second time but a couple
00:42:22
of years later in 2003 Cheryl directed him into a field behind her parents' backyard and ordered him to
00:42:30
dig Gregory eventually uncovered a blanket and a garbage bag full of clothes at Cheryl's request he burned
00:42:39
the items Gregory Rose's confession was the Breakthrough investigators had spent
00:42:48
almost 2 and a half years waiting for but Gregory himself had just been charged with two counts of murder and
00:42:55
his version of events raised some serious questions for starters when police had
00:43:02
executed the search warrant at Cheryl con's home just days after Ben's murder a forensic examination of her car had
00:43:09
turned up nothing if Cheryl had indeed jumped into the car wearing bloody clothes and
00:43:15
carrying a bloody baseball bat surely some blood would have been found inside the vehicle and if the clothes had since
00:43:23
been burned there was no way to verify their EX distance the bloody shoe print that had
00:43:29
been left at benam mado's crime scene had since been determined to have come from a Timberland brand boot the initial
00:43:37
search of Cheryl's home had turned up several pairs of boots but none were Timberlands with no forensic evidence
00:43:46
tying Cheryl to Ben's murder all investigators had was the word of one accused killer against the
00:43:53
other not only did Gregory row openly Harbor resentment against his mother he also had something to gain by throwing
00:44:00
her under the BS for starters if Cheryl was found guilty of killing Ben it could add
00:44:07
weight to Gregory's allegations that it was she who killed his ex-girlfriend Christen Fisher and their daughter
00:44:14
Kaye if rage over one child related dispute had motivated her to kill one person what was to stop her from doing
00:44:22
it again if this didn't work testifying against Cheryl could also benefit Gregory in that it might lead to a less
00:44:30
severe sentence if he was found guilty in the Fisher case it was possible he was making the entire story up for
00:44:38
bargaining power another option also had to be considered given the similarities
00:44:46
between the murders of Ben Amado and Kristen and Kaylee fiser what if the mother and son had worked together on
00:44:53
both crimes investigators found themselves in a difficult position Gregory's alleged confession
00:45:02
was highly compelling but they knew that questionable testimony from one unsavory
00:45:07
witness wouldn't be enough to secure a conviction against Cheryl then Gregory wrote a letter that
00:45:15
changed everything for two and a half years Jerry teski had carried the weight of an
00:45:23
unwanted Secret Jerry worked with Cheryl's Father Robert kungl in November 2001 days after Ben amado's murder
00:45:34
Cheryl approached a Jerry in tears she said that the police had just executed a search warrant at her house
00:45:41
and she was afraid afraid because she was the one who killed Ben according to Jerry Cheryl said that
00:45:51
she'd waited inside Ben's house for him to arrive home when he reached the top of his
00:45:56
stairs she attacked him with a baseball bat where he quote went down like a [ __ ] Cheryl then fled out the side door
00:46:06
and onto the deck injuring her leg in the process Cheryl told a Jerry she needed
00:46:12
his help to find the clothes and baseball bat used in the attack which she'd since discarded around Campa keba
00:46:19
Road a wooded area connecting the Chestnut Hill and Jackson townships Jerry wasn't entirely sure whether to
00:46:29
believe Cheryl's story he accompanied her out to campaka Road regardless and began scouring the side of the road for
00:46:37
any sign of the disposed of items it wasn't long before he came across the baseball
00:46:43
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
00:46:53
and burn it realizing this this would implicate him in the crime Jerry refused Cheryl became enraged and
00:47:02
started quote raving like a lunatic she reluctantly retrieved the bat herself Jerry then drove with her to a
00:47:11
wooded area nearby where Cheryl burnt the bat under a pile of leaves Jerry was terrified he kept this
00:47:21
information to himself until a letter arrived from an incarcerated Gregory row saying he was cooperating with the
00:47:28
police in Ben amado's murder investigation and that Jerry should stop being afraid of Cheryl and do the
00:47:35
same overcome with regret for not coming forward earlier Jerry finally told investigators what he knew and according
00:47:44
to Jerry he wasn't the only one who Cheryl had confided in back in November 2001 officer Marty
00:47:56
Reynolds was working a night shift when his girlfriend Cheryl conl called him in
00:48:00
tears saying the police had just executed a search Warren at her house in relation to Ben amado's
00:48:06
murder Marty went to visit Cheryl only to find her in the dark crying I was there she told him Cheryl
00:48:16
began pacing nervously saying I don't want to die I can't believe this is happening to
00:48:24
me she pulled her pants down and showed Marty some bruises on her leg we fought all the way down the stairs she
00:48:32
said she then changed her tune entirely saying that the bruises were from a motorcycle
00:48:39
accident I might as well say I was there she said they're trying to make me believe I
00:48:46
was Marty found Cheryl to be incoherent and confusing nothing she said made any sense he later explained
00:48:56
for lack of a better word she was cuckoo she was out there Marty managed to calm Cheryl down
00:49:04
before leaving while he didn't believe she was involved in Ben's murder her behavior set him on
00:49:12
edge the truth was Marty Reynolds was a married man nervous that the 10-month affair
00:49:19
he'd been having with Cheryl would be exposed Marty ended the relationship and stopped returning Cheryl's calls
00:49:26
a few weeks later the two ran into one another in a convenience store parking lot Cheryl brought up Ben and said if
00:49:35
this didn't happen to him it would have happened to me in the Years following Marty refused
00:49:43
to believe that Cheryl had anything to do with Ben's death but when investigators approached him he could no
00:49:50
longer convince himself of this after revealing everything he knew Marty was given two options for withholding this
00:49:59
information either resign from the police force or be fired after almost two decades on the
00:50:07
job he reluctantly turned in his badge with two independent Witnesses corroborating Gregory Rose version of
00:50:17
evance the decision was made to charge Cheryl conle with Ben amado's first-degree
00:50:23
murder given the similarities between the crimes for which she and Gregory were charged some continued to suspect
00:50:30
that the two could have helped each other yet with no evidence to support this no further charges were laid
00:50:37
against either of them Gregory row faced trial for the murders of Kristen and Kaylee Fischer in
00:50:43
January 2006 he testified in his own defense tearfully telling the court I know it's your opinion I did
00:50:53
this but I honestly tell you I did please don't take me from my family by this point Gregory was no
00:51:02
longer in contact with Cheryl Gregory's father sobbed as he begged the jury to spare his son from a
00:51:09
death sentence saying I know my son didn't do this please don't take him from me again I
00:51:16
know two innocent lives were lost but taking his life won't make it right the prosecution urged the jury not
00:51:25
to be moved by Gregory Rose so story telling them to think of Kaylee fiser in the bathtub instead
00:51:33
quote you think about that last bubble of air passing through her lips and breaking the surface of the water
00:51:41
carrying her soul to heaven after 6 days of testimony the jury deliberated for 5 and a half hours
00:51:50
before declaring Gregory Rogue guilty on all counts Gregory doubled over in apparent
00:51:57
disbelief he was spared the death penalty but given life in prison outside Court Gregory told
00:52:05
reporters the truth is out there but they failed to see it when one of them asked if his mother
00:52:12
was the real culprit Gregory responded Yes Cheryl kl's trial for the murder of Ben Amado commenced the following year
00:52:25
on Tuesday February 6th 2007 she also faced charges for solicitation to commit murder aggravated
00:52:33
assault burglary and tampering with evidence the 38-year-old appeared confident as she entered the courtroom
00:52:42
despite the fact that Jerry teski Marty Reynolds and her own son Gregory had all
00:52:47
agreed to testify against her the defense team cast a doubt on Gregory's story they pointed out out
00:52:55
that the charges against him for possessing child exploitation material had been dropped without
00:53:01
explanation they urged the jury to consider whether this was due to a lack of evidence or because Gregory had
00:53:08
struck a deal with the prosecution by agreeing to testify against his mother according to the defense Gregory
00:53:16
had made the entire story up to evade these charges and avoid the death penalty for his own murder
00:53:22
trial their main argument was that their still hadn't been a single piece of physical evidence tying Cheryl to the
00:53:29
crime the only foreign DNA found at the scene didn't even belong to a woman also testifying against Cheryl
00:53:39
kungl was her former friend April steinhauser after all these years April maintained her story about Cheryl's
00:53:47
failed murder for H plot as for the recording that Cheryl had given the police in which April
00:53:54
claimed to have made made the whole story up to save herself from theft charges April claimed it had been
00:54:01
staged everything she'd set on tape had allegedly been scripted by Cheryl the recording was played to the
00:54:09
court the prosecution pointed out that it did indeed sound stilted and unnatural as though the two women were
00:54:17
reading the conversation from a script on the stand Cheryl's Father Robert spoke of his fondness for Ben
00:54:25
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
00:54:35
body on Valentine's Day of 2007 the jury deliberated for just a few hours before
00:54:42
delivering its verdict guilty on all counts Cheryl appeared genuinely shocked she gasped doubling over with her face
00:54:53
in her hands sobbing no and telling the judge it's not over your honor Ben's two stepdaughters from his
00:55:03
first marriage Aon and Peggy also burst into tears but theirs were tears of relief outside Court eron told reporters
00:55:13
that while she was extremely happy with the verdict quote things won't change for me I still
00:55:20
won't have a dad tomorrow he'll still be gone because of her in the leadup to her sentencing Cheryl
00:55:29
kungl claimed she'd been the victim of a police conspiracy according to Cheryl the truth
00:55:35
was that benam had accidentally fallen down the stairs and died the amount of blood spatter found at the scene had
00:55:43
been planted there to frame her the sentencing judge said of these claims quote anyone who believes that is
00:55:54
delusional Ben's stepdaughters argued that Cheryl should spend the rest of her life in prison haunted by what she did
00:56:01
and surrounded by inmates like herself Peggy said for the first time in your life you
00:56:09
will finally see evil face to face when you look into those many evil eyes may you finally see what my stepfather saw
00:56:18
just before he took his last breath on this Earth the judge agreed on Wednesday June 20 2007 he sentenced
00:56:28
Cheryl to life in prison without the possibility of parole remarking for a life to be snuffed out
00:56:36
with such brutality and lack of concern is hard to understand for Ben's stepdaughters the
00:56:48
depth of their loss was felt when they visited bent grave one Father's Day Aaron remarked that instead of taking
00:56:56
her dad to dinner or having him over for a barbecue she was kissing a cold pitcher on a
00:57:02
headstone while it was clear to Ben's loved ones that Cheryl didn't want to share her youngest son with Ben they
00:57:08
found it difficult to comprehend what Cheryl hoped to achieve by killing him ultimately the ACT had stripped her of
00:57:16
both her children at Cheryl's sentencing Ben's stepdaughter Peggy had asked her was it
00:57:24
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
00:57:33
Greg so much that he is currently spending the rest of his life in prison for double homicide and he says that you
00:57:40
aren't even worthy to be called mother some believe that Greg wouldn't have committed his own crimes had it not
00:57:48
been for his mother's influence if there is any truth to this it means that the trickle down effect of
00:57:54
of Cheryl's actions also stripped another mother of her child at Greg's trial Kathleen Fisher's
00:58:02
voice shook as she spoke about her deep love for Kristen her only daughter born on Christmas Day Kristen
00:58:10
was the greatest gift she ever received then when Kaye was born she stole everyone's
00:58:17
heart Kathleen said holding Kaye in my arms was the closest thing to heaven for me what
00:58:25
keeps me going is the memory of how it felt to hold her Kristen and Kaylee were beautiful children in both physical and
00:58:33
spiritual qualities I was blessed to have them to love and cherish even if it was for only a short
00:58:42
time custody of Ben and Cheryl's son was awarded to Cheryl's family Ben's stepdaughter eron remarked in
00:58:50
cord maybe Cheryl will realize what she did when she has to explain to her son why his father is not alive
00:58:58
anymore he didn't deserve to die so horribly no one deserves [Music] [Music] that