Amy Fisher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amy Elizabeth Fisher (born August 21, 1974, in Merrick, New York), dubbed the "Long Island Lolita" by the press, was convicted in 1992 of shooting the wife of her lover, with whom she began an affair as a 16 year-old student at Kennedy High School in Bellmore. The case drew a great deal of media attention. Fisher served seven years in prison for aggravated assault, and was released in 1999. She has since gone on to become a writer.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Fisher (then aged 16) met Joey Buttafuoco in May 1991, when she took her car to his auto shop for repairs. Shortly after that, they began a sexual affair. In August 1991, when Fisher needed money, Joey set her up to work with an escort agency. The affair continued while Fisher was working as a prostitute. Fisher apparently asked Joey to leave his wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco, who knew nothing of their relationship, but he refused.
On May 13 1992, Fisher, then aged 17, had an accomplice drive her to the Buttafuoco's home in Massapequa, New York. She got out of the car and rang the doorbell. When Mary Jo Buttafuoco answered the door, Fisher shot her in the head on the front porch. Mary Jo was severely injured and was left paralyzed on the right side of her face, but survived. Mrs. Buttafuoco was able to describe a t-shirt from her husband's auto-body shop that her assailant had been wearing to her husband. He realized then that the shooter was Fisher, to whom he had given the shirt, and identified her to the police.
The crime and the story behind it drew a great deal of interest from the press.
Fisher was charged with multiple counts, including attempted murder, but pled guilty to one count of aggravated assault, and in December 1992 she was sentenced to 5 - 15 years in prison.
Based on a signed receipt from a Long Island hotel dated a matter of days before Fisher's 17th birthday, Joey Buttafuoco was charged with statutory rape of Fisher, and was convicted in October 1993. He served four months in jail for the crime.
Fisher served her prison sentence at the Albion Correctional Facility in New York. During her time in jail, Fisher claimed she was raped by one of the Correctional Officers at the prison. She began a legal case against the guard and requested to be moved to a different prison. After pursuing the case for some time, she eventually dropped it after several legal setbacks, claiming that she no longer had faith that the judiciary would do anything to help her. (Charges of rape against guards at the same prison by other inmates in subsequent years led to a series of successful convictions.) It has been suggested that Fisher's charges were motivated by her desire to be transferred to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility so that she could be closer to her mother.
In 1999, after seven years in prison, the Nassau County District Attorney consented to Fisher's original plea bargain being vacated, and a new plea entered where she was sentenced to 3-10 years, ensuring her immediate release. This was done pursuant to the wishes of Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Fisher was granted parole and released.
After her release from jail, Fisher became a columnist for the Long Island Press, and won a Media Award for Column/News from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2004. She wrote a book about her experiences, entitled If I Knew Then, which was published in 2004. The Long Island Press announced Fisher's departure from the newspaper in late December, 2005. She continues to be actively involved in campaigning for prisoners' rights.
Fisher was married in 2003 to Louis Bellera, with whom she has two children – Brett, born in 2001, and Ava Rose, born in 2005.
Amy and Joey Buttafuoco reunited at the 2006 Lingerie Bowl for the coin toss.
[edit] Books by Amy Fisher
- Fisher, Amy & Robbie Woliver (2004). If I Knew Then. iUniverse. ISBN 0-595-32445-2.
- Fisher, Amy with Sheila Weller (1994). Amy Fisher: My Story (reprint edition). ISBN 0-671-86559-5. (Originally published by Pocket Books in 1993; ISBN 0-671-86558-7.)
[edit] Books about Amy Fisher
- Dominguez, Pier (2001). Amy Fisher: Anatomy of a Scandal: The Myth, the Media and the Truth Behind the Long Island Lolita Story. Writers Club Press. ISBN 0-595-18417-0.
- Eftimiades, Maria (1992). Lethal Lolita: A True Story of Sex, Scandal and Deadly Obsession. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-95062-4.
[edit] TV movies
- Amy Fisher: My Story (1992) [1] Amy Fisher played by Noelle Parker
- Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story (1993)[2] Amy Fisher played by Alyssa Milano
- The Amy Fisher Story (1993)[3] Amy Fisher played by Drew Barrymore
Fisher has also agreed to appear on a televised reunion special with the Buttafuocos. The reunion was shown on May 7, 2006 on The Insider[4]
[edit] Trivia
- On one episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will says to Uncle Phil, Knock Knock: Who's There: Amy Fisher: Amy F- to which Will cuts him off by yelling BOOM!
[edit] References
- ^ Amy Fisher: My Story at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Amy Fisher Story at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Insider
[edit] External links
- Amy Fisher The Official Amy Fisher Website
- Amy Fisher Amy Fisher Fansite