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The adult son of notorious “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher and his girlfriend are facing felony animal-cruelty charges in the disturbing death of their pet cat, Reaper, according to Florida court records.
Brett Anthony Bellera, 25, and Jennifer Armenti, 36, were charged in separate companion cases with aggravated cruelty to animals after investigators concluded the Brown-and-White tabby died from “involuntary heat exposure.”
Microwave radiation was among the potential causes identified by a forensic veterinarian. The other possibilities were immersion in extremely hot water or exposure to hot-water vapor, according to probable-cause affidavits obtained by Fox News Digital.
Amy Fisher, charged in the shooting of Mary Jo Buttafucco, sits in Nassau County Court in Mineola, New York on Jan. 14, 1992. (Dick Yarwood/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
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The mystery began on Dec. 15, 2024, when a friend of the couple alerted Broward County Animal Care that Reaper had died under potentially unnatural circumstances.
Armenti allegedly told investigators she had awakened that morning and found the cat dead on the bathroom floor. By the time animal-care employees arrived, however, Reaper’s body was outside on the apartment’s back patio.
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Investigators found the cat inside a plastic laundry basket, saying that the cat was “stiff” and positioned unnaturally, with a large amount of blood pooled beneath the body.
Bellera allegedly told an officer that he and Armenti had gone to bed the previous night and discovered the cat dead the following morning. He suggested Reaper may have accidentally consumed cleaning products, according to his affidavit.
25-year-old Brett Anthony Bellera is charged with aggravated animal cruelty. (Broward County Sheriff’s Office)
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But a forensic necropsy conducted through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pointed investigators in a far darker direction.
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A licensed veterinarian concluded that Reaper suffered fatal injuries caused by extreme heat. Microscopic tissue analysis allegedly indicated the exposure did not kill the cat immediately, meaning Reaper endured severe pain before dying, the affidavits say.
Bellera’s case was filed on June 3, 2026, and records show he was arrested the following day. Armenti was arrested later that month. Each posted a $25,000 bond, and both dockets reference electronic-monitoring or house-arrest agreements. Both have pleaded not guilty, and their cases remain active.
A mugshot of Amy Fisher, during her incarceration by the New York State Department of Correctional Services for the shooting of Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco, five years earlier, Sept. 8, 1997. Known as the Long Island Lolita, she was paroled from the Albion Correctional Facility in 1999. (Kypros/Getty Images)
Bellera is Fisher’s eldest son with her former husband, retired NYPD officer Louis Bellera.
Fisher became one of the country’s most infamous tabloid figures after she shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her adult lover, outside the family’s Long Island, New York, home in 1992. Fisher, who was just 16 years old, was sent to prison for seven years for shooting Buttafuoco.
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Dubbed the “Long Island Lolita,” Fisher first met Joey Buttafuoco when her father brought his car into the 35-year-old’s auto shop.
By 1992, Fisher had grown jealous of Buttafuoco’s wife, Mary Jo, and took it upon herself to eliminate her. Fisher went to Buttafuoco’s home, pretending to be her sister, and shot Mary Jo in the head in broad daylight.
Mary Jo survived, but she still has the bullet in her head.
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There were numerous made-for-TV movies produced about the scandalous affair. One film even starred actress Drew Barrymore.
After serving seven years, Fisher was released and used her infamy to enter the world of adult entertainment. Fox News Digital has reached out to Bellera and Armenti’s attorneys for comment.
