Brett Anthony Bellera, 25, the adult son of former "Long Island Lolita" Amy Fisher, and his girlfriend, Jennifer Armenti, 36, have been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals in Broward County, Florida. The charges stem from the death of their pet cat, Reaper, a Brown-and-White tabby, which investigators concluded died from "involuntary heat exposure."

According to probable-cause affidavits, a forensic veterinarian identified microwave radiation as a potential cause of death, alongside immersion in extremely hot water or exposure to hot-water vapor. Microscopic tissue analysis indicated the cat endured severe pain before dying.

The incident began on December 15, 2024, when a friend of the couple alerted Broward County Animal Care after Reaper's death. Armenti initially told investigators she found the cat dead on the bathroom floor, but by the time animal care employees arrived, the cat's body was on the apartment's back patio, inside a plastic laundry basket. Investigators noted the cat was stiff and positioned unnaturally, with a significant amount of blood beneath it.

Bellera reportedly suggested to an officer that Reaper may have accidentally consumed cleaning products. However, a necropsy conducted through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pointed to heat exposure as the cause of death.

Bellera was charged on June 3, 2026, and arrested the following day. Armenti was arrested later that month. Both posted $25,000 bond and are subject to electronic monitoring or house arrest. Both have pleaded not guilty, and their cases remain active.

Bellera is Fisher's eldest son from her marriage to retired NYPD officer Louis Bellera. Fisher gained notoriety in 1992 when, at 16 years old, she shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her adult lover, Joey Buttafuoco. Fisher was convicted of shooting Buttafuoco and served seven years of a prison sentence. She was paroled in 1999. The case, which involved an affair between Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco, was widely covered by tabloids and inspired several made-for-television movies.