The Shocking Story of Grant Amato: A Tragic Tale of Obsession and Murder
Dating as a sex worker is extremely difficult. In March 2022, BuzzFeed spoke with several individuals whose jobs fall under the umbrella of sex work. From OnlyFans models to exotic dancers, most people agreed it wasn’t easy for either person involved. Obviously jealousy was often a huge issue, but there were other problems such as a lack of intimacy with one’s partner due to the fact that sexual activity was part of one person’s job. No one likes to bring work home.
Some people were lucky enough to find a person who understood what they did and, more importantly, supported them. No one spoke of a much darker side of sex work, which is obsession. What happens when a client convinces themselves this is more than just business? That’s what Grant Amato did when he fell in love with a cam girl. His infatuation would ultimately cause Amato to kill his entire family.
Where is Grant Amato now? He is spending the rest of his life in prison.
In August 2019, The Ledger reported that Amato was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the murders of his mother, father, and brother Cody in January of the same year. Because this happened in Florida, the death penalty was on the table, but the 12 jurors failed to “reach the unanimous verdict that would have been required for Amato, 30, to face capital punishment,” the outlet reported. This automatically changed his sentence to life in prison.
To keep his client from getting the death penalty, his defense team pointed out that Amato had no criminal history and was an “excellent” student and a nurse who “dedicated [his] professional life” to giving health care. The defense also called psychiatrist Dr. Richard Carpenter to testify. He said Amato would most likely be a “model inmate” while incarcerated. All of this was meant to keep Amato off death row. It worked.
What did Grant Amato do? His descent into self-destruction and murder.
In June 2018 while working as a registered nurse at AdventHealth Orlando, Amato was fired from his job after “staff discovered eight empty vials of propofol, a medication used as a sedative before surgery, in two rooms Amato was overseeing,” reported The Florida Times-Union. It was discovered that Amato had removed the medication from storage. He was subsequently fired from his job. That was the beginning of Amato’s descent into self-destruction and, ultimately, murder.
He quickly began trolling the internet for pornography and, in particular, cam girls. Amato ended up finding Silviya Ventsislavova, who was based out of Bulgaria. Soon he was sending her massive amounts of money. According to Seminole County deputies, Amato stole $60,000 worth of guns from his brother and “$150,000 from his father, including a loan taken out on his parents’ house,” per Fox 35 Orlando.
When his parents discovered what was going on, his father gave him an ultimatum. Amato would be permitted to return to their home after completing a “60-day sex and pornography rehabilitation center in Fort Lauderdale,” reported The Florida Times-Union. He agreed but left early, and his father said Amato could return if he cut off communication with Ventsislavova. This sent Amato over the edge, shooting and killing his mother and father as well as his brother Cody. Amato’s other brother Jason was not murdered.
When he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, authorities asked Amato if he felt any remorse. He told them his “family had been blaming him for months for ruining their lives, stealing and not following the rules of the home, so he might as well be blamed for this too,” per an affidavit obtained by The Florida Times Union. While testifying, Jason told the court (per The Ledger), “Though they are gone, I want everyone to know Chad, Margaret, and Cody were amazing people that will live forever.”