Episode 289 - Para-Social Activity - The Strange Case of Grant Amato
The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories
themindsofmadness
4.4 • 6.5K Ratings
🗓️ 26 October 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
You'll hear how Grant Amato's obsession with an online model escalated from stolen credit cards to something darker and how his fixation, even behind bars didn’t stop, finding a new target in a reality TV star who investigates the paranormal.
How to support:
For extra perks including exclusive content, early release, and ad-free episodes -
Go to - Patreon
How to connect:
Website
Please check out our sponsors and help support the podcast:
Nutrafol - Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code MADNESS
Live It Up - Live It Up is offering you 15% off your first order, including subscriptions, with code MADNESS. Plus shipping’s always free. Head to Letsliveitup.com/MADNESS and use code MADNESS
DailyLook - Head to DailyLook.com to take your style quiz and use code MADNESS for 50% off your first order
Smalls - For a limited time only, get 60% off your first order PLUS free shipping when you head to Smalls.com/MADNESS
Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/madness
Quince - Upgrade your wardrobe with pieces made to last with Quince. Go to Quince.com/madness for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Greenlight - Don’t wait to teach your kids real-world money skills; start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at Greenlight.com/MADNESS
CBDistillery - Right now you can save 25% off your entire purchase by going to CBDistillery.com and use promo code MADNESS
Featured Podcasts:
Small Town Dicks
Buried: Inside the John Wayne Gacy Investigation
Research & Writing:
Ryan Deininger
Editing:
Aiden Wolf
Sources:
'Ghost Adventures' star Aaron Goodwin cries as ex-wife sentenced in plot to kill him
Arrest report: Wife of 'Ghost Adventures' star plotted his murder from Las Vegas
'Ghost Adventures' star's wife arrested, murder plot alleged - Los Angeles Times
Wife of ‘Ghost Adventures’ star gets up to seven years for murder plot
The Cam Girl Killer
'Ghost Adventures' star confronts murder-plotting wife in court as she gives groveling apology:
‘Half the story:’ Las Vegas reality star opens up about murder plot,
Reality Star Confronts Wife in Court Over Plotting His Murder
He spent $200,000 on a Bulgarian ‘cam girl.’
Grant Amato Murdered His Family for a Webcam Model He Never Met
Grant Amato verdict: Guilty of first-degree murder in killings of family
Man sent $200K to Bulgarian woman he met online
Worried co-workers led to slain family's discovery, 911 calls show
Obsession, money, lies tore Grant Amato’s family apart
Grant Amato Affidavit
Grant Amato Trial Playlist
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Follow the Minds of Madness on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:07.2 | To listen to our episodes early in ad-free and get access to monthly exclusive episodes, go to patreon.com |
| 0:15.8 | slash madnesspod. |
| 0:18.2 | You can also hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts |
| 0:20.8 | for ad-free episodes. |
| 0:22.4 | We've got links |
| 0:23.1 | in our show notes. |
| 0:24.8 | The opinions expressed |
| 0:26.3 | in the following episode |
| 0:27.5 | do not necessarily reflect |
| 0:29.0 | those of the minds |
| 0:29.8 | of madness podcast. |
| 0:31.6 | Listener discretion is advised. |
| 0:33.3 | Music So, you know, I'm going to be able to be. Yeah. Did you have an imaginary friend growing up? |
| 1:08.2 | Studies suggest nearly half of all children do at some point, |
| 1:13.2 | and by the age of seven or eight, most kids grow out of it. But over the past century, mass media |
| 1:20.3 | has introduced a strange new twist on the imaginary friend, one that people don't grow out of, |
| 1:26.7 | but rather grow into. |
| 1:29.7 | It's called a parisocial relationship. |
| 1:32.9 | Instead of a real relationship with an imaginary friend, it's an imaginary relationship with a real |
| 1:39.1 | person. |
| 1:40.9 | Psychologists define it as a one-sided emotional bond, when someone develops a deep sense of intimacy with a person they've never actually met. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from themindsofmadness, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of themindsofmadness and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.