Cops Say Florida Man Killed Family, Stole $210K for His Porn Site 'Girlfriend'

Grant Amato allegedly shot his parents and brother, took money over a woman he met on an adult website.

January 30, 2019

Grant Amato [Seminole County Sheriff’s Office]

By: Mike McPadden

SANFORD, FL — A Florida man has been arrested for killing his parents and brother and is also accused of stealing $210,000 from the family to send to a woman in Bulgaria that he met on a pornographic website.

Grant Amato, 29, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his mother, Margaret Ann Amato, 61; his father, Chad Amato, 59; and his brother Cody Amato, 31.

After Grant Amato failed to show up for his job as a nurse at AdventHealth Orlando this past Friday, coworkers called police to request a welfare check. Upon arriving at the Amato residence, deputies discovered the three bodies and noted that Grant’s Honda vehicle was missing.

The next day, officers located Amato’s car at an Orange County hotel, and took him into custody without incident. Amato is presently being held without bail.

The girlfriend of slain brother Cody Amato said that the family had been in turmoil over the suspect in recent years, particularly regarding a relationship he undertook with a Bulgarian woman he met on an adult website.

In addition, the girlfriend also alleged that Grant Amato had recently been kicked out of a training program to become a nurse anesthetist, and that he had stolen $60,000 and firearms from Cody. The arrest affidavit also notes: “Cody told [his girlfriend] he was afraid Grant Amato would kill everyone.”

A surviving brother, Jason Amato, reported to police that the accused stole an additional $150,000 from his father, all to finance his relationship with a Bulgarian-based woman he met on what police describe as “Cam Girls, an adult camera website.”

Grant Amato himself reportedly told invesitgators that his parents had ordered him to undergo a 60-day treatment for internet- and sex-addiction last December, but he left it early. Their final dispute apparently arose when Amato’s parents ordered him to cut off contact with the Bulgarian woman or he’d have to move out of their home.

According to the affidavit: "Grant Amato initially agreed to the rules his father had set, but he didn't think they were fair because he felt that the Bulgarian female was his girlfriend and they had a relationship."

The affidavit also describes Amato’s reaction to crime-scene photos of his dead parents and brother, alleging that he said, “his family had been blaming him for months for ruining their lives ... so he might as well be blamed for this, too."

Authorities reported that they’d been called twice to the Amato residence over the past year due to issues with Grant, most recently in December, when Margaret and Cody reported that he was missing, possibly suicidal, and that he had access to guns.

After holding Amato over the weekend in “investigative detention,” police formally arrested him on Monday. It is unknown if he has an attorney at this time.