GUILTY FL – Chad, 59, Margaret, 61, & son, Cody Amato, 31, fatally shot by other son, Chuluota, 25 Jan 2019

[SeesSeas]

Another hearing tomorrow 03/27/2019 - HEARING ON MOTION FOR PRETRIAL RELEASE
https://courtrecords.seminoleclerk.org/criminal/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Case Number: 2019CF000337A
View Status: PUBLIC
Case Style: STATE OF FLORIDA VS AMATO, GRANT TIERNAN

DATE DOC# / PG# DOCKET CODE DESCRIPTION PAGES VIEW
03/26/2019 68 / 41 MNF View Minutes MINUTES FOR ARRAIGNMENT BEFORE JUDGE JESSICA J RECKSIEDLER 1
03/19/2019 67 / 40 NOHR NOTICE OF HEARING - DATE: 03/27/2019 - TIME: 0900AM - CTRM: 5D 2

 

[enelram]

WFTV- CH9 Orlando reports Amato was denied bond at today's
hearing. Prosecutors admit the case is circumstantial as they
have no direct evidence of Amato commiting the crime. Amato's
older brother spoke with the defendant shortly after the murders
and stated he did not believe his brother's story of having nothing
to do with the 3 murders of his family.

Man accused of killing family after dispute over relationship with Bulgarian call girl back in court

 

[Niner]

a little late, but what the heck....

Wednesday, March 27th:
*Arthur Hearing (@ 9am ET) – FL – Chad Amato (59) father, Margaret Ann (61) mother & Cody Winston (31) bro (Jan. 25, 2019, Choluota) - *Grant Tiernan Amato (29) arrested & charged (1/26/19) with 3 counts of 1st degree premeditated murder. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
1/28/19 1st appearance, arraignment set for 3/12. Trial date 7/22/19.
3/12/19 Update: Arraignment hearing moved to 3/26.
3/26/19 Update: Not sure “how” he plead at arraignment (no mention). Motion for an Arthur hearing is on 3/27. (An Arthur Hearing is a bond hearing for very serious felony offenses. Usually, a person is charged with an offense punishable by life in prison. ... The purpose of the hearing is for the judge to determine whether the person should be released pending trial. An Arthur Hearing is kinda like a mini-trial.)
3/27/19 Update: Bond denied.

 

[SeesSeas]

3/26/19 Update: Not sure “how” he plead at arraignment (no mention)

Arraignment was held at bond hearing on 03/27/2019 - see document image below.
Next hearing is 05/15/2019.
Criminal
Case Number: 2019CF000337A
View Status: PUBLIC
Case Style: STATE OF FLORIDA VS AMATO, GRANT TIERNAN

Hearings
TYPE DATE / TIME LOCATION JUDGE
DOCKET SOUNDING 05/15/2019 / 0830 AM COURTROOM - 5D
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER
101 ESLINGER WAY
SANFORD, FL 32773
Phone: (407) 665-4450 RECKSIEDLER, JESSICA J

 

[Niner]

Florida Man Who Allegedly Killed His Family Over Bulgarian Call Girl Has Been Granted Bond

Florida man Grant Tiernan Amato has the chance to go free, at least ahead of his trial for allegedly killing his parents and brother over a Bulgarian call girl. A Seminole County judge granted him bond on Thursday, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Amato’s public defender Jared A. Shapiro argued that the court did not follow proper procedure under case law when deciding the bail situation on March 27. The state had to make a motion explaining why the defendant must be held without bond, he wrote in a filing dated April 5. In other words, he can’t be held indefinitely, at least not without prosecutors establishing a reason why.
[.....]
If he puts up the money, he must wear a GPS monitor, live in Seminole County, can’t access electronics with data usage or Internet access, and must surrender his passport. He can’t contact witnesses in the case, though he’s allowed to interact with a still-living brother for the purposes of “estate/probate” matters.

Bond was set at $750,000–$250,000 for each victim. Grant Amato remains at the Seminole County Jail as of Friday afternoon.

 

[SeesSeas]

Criminal
Case Number: 2019CF000337A
View Status: PUBLIC
Case Style: STATE OF FLORIDA VS AMATO, GRANT TIERNAN

Future Event(s) DOCKET SOUNDING
05/15/2019 / 0830 AM
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER, SANFORD
Judge: RECKSIEDLER, JESSICA J

DATE DOC# / PG# DOCKET CODE DESCRIPTION PAGES VIEW
04/25/2019 107 / 56 MNF1 View Minutes 1ST AMENDED MINUTES FOR MOTION BEFORE JUDGE JESSICA J RECKSIEDLER 2
04/25/2019 106 / 55 MNF View Minutes MINUTES FOR MOTION BEFORE JUDGE JESSICA J RECKSIEDLER 2
04/23/2019 105 / 54 SUDI SUPPLEMENTAL DISCOVERY 1
04/22/2019 104 / 53 SUBP SUBPOENA FOR DEPOSITION RETURNED (4) 4
04/12/2019 103 / 52 NOTC NOTICE OF TAKING DEPOSITIONS 6/18/19 1
04/12/2019 102 / 51 NOTC NOTICE OF TAKING DEPOSITION 6/11/19 1
04/11/2019 101 / 50 SUDI SUPPLEMENTAL DISCOVERY 2
04/10/2019 100 / 49 SUDI SUPPLEMENTAL DISCOVERY 2
04/10/2019 99 / 48 FREE INVENTORY OF DISCOVERY MATERIALS DISCLOSED TO THE DEFENSE 3
04/09/2019 98 / 47 RNDN RESP NOTC DISC/DMD NOTC CLAIM ALIBI/DMD INT ISS SUBP DUC TEC 8
04/08/2019 97 / 46 NOHR NOTICE OF HEARING - DATE: 04/25/2019 - TIME: 0130PM - CTRM: 5D 2
04/05/2019 96 / 45 MOTN MOTION TO RECONSIDER UNLAWFUL DENIAL OF PRETRIAL RELEASE 3
04/04/2019 95 / 44 MOTN MOTION TO SET BOND 3
03/27/2019 94 / 43 EXID EXHIBIT & IDENTIFICATION LIST 1
03/27/2019 76 / 42 MNF View Minutes MINUTES FOR MOTION BEFORE JUDGE JESSICA J RECKSIEDLER 2

 

[SeesSeas]

Yikes! Brother (or ?) could bond him out of jail. . . by paying bondsman 10% of $750,000 = $75,000.

https://www.myfloridalaw.com/criminal-defense/how-do-bail-bonds-work/
In the state of Florida, the fee for a bond is preset at 10 percent of the listed bond.

Criminal
Case Number: 2019CF000337A
View Status: PUBLIC
Case Style: STATE OF FLORIDA VS AMATO, GRANT TIERNAN

04/25/2019 107 / 56 MNF1

1ST AMENDED MINUTES FOR MOTION BEFORE JUDGE JESSICA J RECKSIEDLER
https://courtrecords.seminoleclerk.org/criminal/(X(1)S(p3kwlvnov305xxif30nbatui))/doc_view.aspx?d=E1v1s4pd7Nmuild4vFU3P7wtRXPbpWPSpdWSbtVl9ic=

 

[enelram]

I shudder to think this monster could be out walking amongst us.
This guy have shown previously that he doesn't live within the
rules of law. And also that he has no regard for rights of others.
What are these judges thinking????

 

[SeesSeas]

I shudder to think this monster could be out walking amongst us.
This guy have shown previously that he doesn't live within the
rules of law. And also that he has no regard for rights of others.
What are these judges thinking????

Judges are just following the law regarding a defendant being entitled to a bond.
Of note. . . Amato has an ACTIVE Registered Nurse license - - until tomorrow, as it expires 04/30/2019:
FL DOH MQA Search Portal | License Verification
GRANT TIERNAN AMATO
License Number: RN9337415
Data As Of 4/29/2019

• License Information
• Secondary Locations
• Discipline/Admin Action

Profession
Registered Nurse
License
RN9337415
License Status
CLEAR/ACTIVE
Qualifications
Single-state License
License Expiration Date
4/30/2019
License Original Issue Date
02/10/2012
Address of Record
2112 SULTAN CIRCLE
CHULUOTA, FL 32766
UNITED STATES
Discipline on File
No
Public Complaint
No

 

[SeesSeas]

Oh my. . . Amato thinks he can go on a cruise after he bonds out of jail.
'I have become somewhat of a celebrity,' accused killer Grant Amato says in letter
APRIL 26, 2019
In a letter addressed to his cellmate’s girlfriend, Grant Amato introduces himself as someone who has “become somewhat of a celebrity” after he was arrested and charged with shooting his parents and brother to death in their Chuluota home.

In the three-page handwritten letter obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, Amato, 29, tells the woman he’s been wrongfully accused in the Jan. 25 shooting deaths of his parents, Chad and Margaret Amato, and brother, Cody Amato.

“My time in jail has been nothing but depressing because of these and many other factors,” he wrote.
[...]
In the letter, Amato tells the woman he “knows the pain of being separated from the woman you love.” Amato says he and his cellmate have bonded over their shared histories of working in the medical field. When the cellmate shared that his girlfriend was pregnant, Amato said every inmate in their pod guessed at the baby’s gender.
[...]
He talks about his hopes of getting out of jail in the letter.

“We have even decided to take a cruise once all this jail stuff is behind us (you and him with my girlfriend and I),” Amato wrote.
[...]

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, May 15th:
*Pretrial Hearing (@ 8:30am ET) – FL – Chad Amato (59) father, Margaret Ann (61) mother & Cody Winston (31) bro (Jan. 25, 2019, Choluota) - *Grant Tiernan Amato (29) arrested & charged (1/26/19) & arraigned (3/27/19) with 3 counts of 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. $750K bond granted (4/25/19). DA will seek DP.
1/28/19 1st appearance, arraignment set for 3/12. Trial date 7/22/19.
3/12/19 Update: Arraignment hearing moved to 3/26.
3/26/19 Update: Not sure “how” he plead (no mention) at arraignment. Motion for an Arthur hearing is on 3/27. (An Arthur Hearing is a bond hearing for very serious felony offenses. Usually, a person is charged with an offense punishable by life in prison. ... The purpose of the hearing is for the judge to determine whether the person should be released pending trial. An Arthur Hearing is kind of like a mini-trial.). Arraignment hearing moved to 3/27.
3/27/19 Update: Bond denied. 4/25/19: Judge grants $750K bond ($250K for each victim). Next hearing on 5/15.

 

[enelram]

This guy needs to stay right where he is. He's a danger to the
community, imo.
WFTV is reporting he's trying to peddle his story to NY papers and seeking
someone to pay his bond.

 

[SeesSeas]

Accused killer Grant Amato seeks millionaire to bond him out of jail: I would be ‘eternally grateful’
MAY 14, 2019 | 5:30 AM
[...]
In a message to WESH reporter Dave McDaniel, Amato said he would not mind telling his story if he is able to bond out of jail.

“I just want to feel the sun again, feel the breeze on my skin ... feel the simple pleasures every innocent man feels,” Amato wrote.

Amato had previously asked McDaniel and WKMG reporter Vanessa Araiza if their stations could offer anything in return for an exclusive interview. He asked Archdeacon if he knew any millionaires who’d be willing to help him out.

“If you happen to know any... who would like to post my bond, I’d be eternally grateful and I’d give exclusive rights for you to my story,” he wrote in the May 11 message.

None of the reporters accepted Amato’s offer. Most news organizations have ethics guidelines forbidding financial incentives for exclusive interviews.
[...]
Amato said the memories about life before his arrest “brought tears to my eyes.”

“They all remind me of the family that was taken from me and the brother I loved more than anything in this world,” he wrote.

 

[enelram]

I've been trying to figure out...How does a son steal $200,000.
from his parents before they figure out what he's doing?
His parents were upstanding professional people, earned good
incomes, had a nice home. Were they not watching their accounts? Was there a family trust with Grant's name on it?
Did he steal and cash their checks?
Has anyone seen info on how he accomplished this?

 

[Niner]

@SeesSeas - any "new" court dates yet?
TIA!

 

[SeesSeas]

@SeesSeas - any "new" court dates yet?
TIA!

Criminal
Case Number: 2019CF000337A
View Status: PUBLIC
Case Style: STATE OF FLORIDA VS AMATO, GRANT TIERNAN

Speedy Trial Date: 07/22/2019 Waived? No

Future Event(s): DOCKET SOUNDING
06/12/2019 / 0830 AM
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER, SANFORD
Judge: RECKSIEDLER, JESSICA J

DATE DOC# / PG# DOCKET CODE DESCRIPTION PAGES
05/16/2019 193 / 85 NOHR NOTICE OF HEARING - DATE: 06/14/2019 - TIME: 0900AM - CTRM: 5D 3
05/16/2019 192 / 84 CORR *** CORRECTED MINUTES *** OF 5/15/19 ARE CORRECTED TO REFLECT THE CORRECT TRIAL CERTIAN DATE AS JULY 13TH 2019. NUNC PRO TUNC 5/15/2019 1

 

[Niner]

Thanks a bunch!

and changed the trial date on my notes too!

 

[Niner]

I just looked - July 13th is a Saturday....

 

[SeesSeas]

I just looked - July 13th is a Saturday....

Yeah. . . the "trial date" posts for the case are strange.
I'm looking to find FL rules for speedy trial, which I think is 180 days from arrest date. I'll post what I find.

EDIT - It's 175 days - which by my calculation is July 22, 2019 and this matches the online case details for Speedy Trial Date:
Criminal
Case Number: 2019CF000337A
Case Style: STATE OF FLORIDA VS AMATO, GRANT TIERNAN
Speedy Trial Date: 07/22/2019 Waived? No

I don't understand this docket entry and perhaps it is an error (not just the misspelling of CERTAIN), but the date of JULY 13TH 2019 may be an error because, as you have pointed out, the date is a Saturday:
05/16/2019 192 / 84 CORR *** CORRECTED MINUTES *** OF 5/15/19 ARE CORRECTED TO REFLECT THE CORRECT TRIAL CERTIAN DATE AS JULY 13TH 2019. NUNC PRO TUNC 5/15/2019 1

https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2018/05/Criminal-Procedure-Rules-05-10-18.pdf
RULE 3.191. SPEEDY TRIAL (a) Speedy Trial without Demand. Except as otherwise provided by this rule, and subject to the limitations imposed under subdivisions (e) and (f), every person charged with a crime shall be brought to trial within 90 days of arrest if the crime charged is a misdemeanor, or within 175 days of arrest if the crime charged is a felony.

Florida Criminal Law: The Right to a Speedy Trial
Florida’s Speedy Trial Rule
The Speedy Trial Rule provides that once a person has been arrested, they must be brought to trial within:

• 
  
  • 175 days of their arrest if charged with a felony; or
  • 90 days of their arrest if charged with a misdemeanor.

 

[Niner]

Okay - I'll keep it on July 22nd as I had it before until further notice!