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"Long Island Lolita" Amy Fisher is back in the headlines ... this time over a disturbing animal cruelty case involving her eldest son, who is being accused of microwaving his pet cat.
25-year-old Brett Anthony Bellera is charged with aggravated animal cruelty ... after authorities say his pet cat, Reaper, died in December 2024 in what investigators describe as a horrific incident inside a South Florida apartment.
Investigators say a forensic examination determined Reaper suffered extreme pain before dying from "involuntary heat exposure" ... and the injuries are consistent with microwave radiation, immersion in hot water, or exposure to hot water vapor. Investigators have not publicly concluded which method caused the fatal injuries.
According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Bellera' girlfriend -- Jennifer Armenti -- is also charged.
Authorities were first alerted after a friend of the couple contacted law enforcement to report the cat's death. Animal control personnel reportedly found the cat's body on the apartment's back patio inside a laundry basket, surrounded by a large amount of blood, prompting a lengthy investigation that ultimately led to criminal charges.
Armenti allegedly told investigators she discovered Reaper on the bathroom floor and initially believed the animal had been poisoned after getting into household cleaning products.
Bellera was formally charged while already in custody on unrelated cases. Armenti was arrested separately this week in Miramar, Florida.
Amy, Bellera's mother, became a household name when as a 17-year-old in 1992 after she shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco ... the wife of Amy's then-lover, Joey Buttafuoco, who is 21 years her elder.
Mary Jo survived the shooting but was left with permanent facial paralysis. Amy ultimately served several years in prison before being released on parole.
Now, more than three decades after the case that made her one of America's most recognizable tabloid figures, the spotlight has returned to the family for an entirely different and deeply disturbing criminal investigation.
Bellera's father is retired NYPD officer Louis Bellera. His parents are divorced.
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