Man who killed parents, brother and stole $200,000 from them to send lavish gifts to his Bulgarian webcam girlfriend found guilty
SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA: A Florida man was found guilty of shooting his parents and brother to death after they put an end to his relationship with his Bulgarian webcam girlfriend.
The jury handed Grant Amato the guilty verdict on Wednesday, July 31, after deliberating around eight hours over the murders of his parents, Margaret and Chad Amato, and brother Cody Amato at the family’s home in Seminole County in January.
The surviving family and friends of the Amato family -- Grant's brother, Jason Amato, best friends, Blake Turpin and Jericho Fine -- all of whom were in the courtroom when the verdict was being read out, thanked Assistant State Attorney Stewart Stone.
During the closing arguments, Assistant State Attorney Domenick Leo talked about the woman with whom Grant was in love.
“Grant fell in love with a woman named Silvie,” Leo was quoted as saying by Orlando Sentinel. “Not only did he fall in love with her, he became obsessed with her – to the point that she’s all that mattered.”
Grant had met the model in July 2018, after which he became obsessed with her. In order to impress her, he falsely projected himself as a rich man, stealing $200,000 from his father and brother to shower his newfound love with lavish gifts and clothes.
“I know some of you looked at him," Leo said. "I know what some of you saw because I saw the same thing. He was transfixed on that woman.”
When Grant's family discovered that he had been stealing from them late last year, they “blew up his spot" and placed him in a behavioral-rehabilitation facility in December.
Next, they got in contact with Silvie and alerted her about Grant’s lies and the theft while he was away at the facility.
“He had to devise a way to get Silvie back,” Leo said.
The prosecutor said that Grant killed his father and brother because they opposed his relationship with Silvie and also shot his mother because she would have been an eye-witness to the other two murders on Jan. 24.
Shortly after killing the three members of his family, he used the internet at a nearby Publix to log on and try to talk with the model.
“His parents’ and brother’s bodies aren’t even cold, and he’s already re-establishing or trying to re-establish contact with Silvie,” Leo said.
"He was just waiting for her to say, ‘I love you, too. Come to Bulgaria. Come see me.’”
Grant had his passport with him when he was found by the authorities.
His lawyer, Jeff Dowdy, on the other hand, tried to divert the jurors' attention to the lack of real evidence tying his client to the killings.
He argued that there wasn't a "scintilla” of blood found on Grant, even though the murder site was a “bloody mess.” The theory was refuted by Leo, who attributed it to the defender's medical knowledge from having worked as a nurse.
Grant will either be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty for his crimes. Sentencing in Grant’s trial begins August 12.