In the spring of 2017, the life of a young Johnstown, Pennsylvania mother was tragically cut short in an act of domestic violence. Amanda Michelle Bennett, a 20-year-old Caucasian woman, was killed on April 25, 2017. A graduate of Richland High School, she was known to be a loving mother to her two young sons, Isaiah and Rowan. She was employed at Stem's Cloverleaf Quick Shop and Staples at the time of her death.
The circumstances of her death unfolded in the townhome she shared with her
boyfriend, Matthew Dunkleberger. On that fateful evening, Dunkleberger, a 22-year-old Cambria County sheriff's deputy, shot Amanda in the head. Shortly after, he turned the gun on himself in a devastating murder-suicide. Amanda was pronounced dead at the scene, while Dunkleberger was transported to a hospital where he later succumbed to his self-inflicted injuries.
Investigators determined that domestic issues were the likely catalyst for the tragic events. An investigation revealed that Dunkleberger had a blood alcohol content of 0.13 percent. Given that the perpetrator died by suicide, no arrests were made in connection with Amanda Bennett's death, and the case did not proceed to a trial. The incident left a community in mourning and a family to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of a young mother.
