The grown son of Amy Fisher, widely known from the “Long Island Lolita” case, and his girlfriend have been accused of felony animal cruelty in Florida following the troubling death of their pet cat, Reaper, court documents show.
Brett Anthony Bellera, 25, and Jennifer Armenti, 36, are each facing aggravated animal-cruelty charges in related cases after authorities said the brown-and-white tabby died from what was described as “involuntary heat exposure.”
A forensic veterinarian listed several possible sources of the fatal injuries, including microwave radiation, submersion in scalding water or exposure to hot-water vapor, according to probable-cause affidavits obtained by INC News.
Amy Fisher, who was charged in the shooting of Mary Jo Buttafuoco, appears in Nassau County Court in Mineola, New York, on Jan. 14, 1992. (Dick Yarwood/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The investigation started on Dec. 15, 2024, after a friend of the couple contacted Broward County Animal Care and reported that Reaper’s death may not have been natural.
Armenti allegedly told investigators she woke up that morning and discovered the cat dead on the bathroom floor. But when animal-care workers arrived at the apartment, Reaper’s body had been moved outside to the rear patio, authorities said.
According to investigators, the cat was found in a plastic laundry basket, rigid and arranged in an unnatural position, with a significant amount of blood collected beneath the body.
Bellera allegedly told an officer that he and Armenti had gone to sleep the night before and found Reaper dead the next morning. In his affidavit, authorities said he raised the possibility that the cat had accidentally ingested cleaning chemicals.
25-year-old Brett Anthony Bellera is charged with aggravated animal cruelty. (Broward County Sheriff’s Office)
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.
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.
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. INC News has reached out to Bellera and Armenti’s attorneys for comment.
