Scorned lovers, enraged from betrayal and rejection, will go to any length to expel any obstacle standing in their way, even if they have to murder to get what they want.
In a ritzy region of Long Island, New York, an illicit affair brewing between an older man and a high school student became a twisted web of lies, betrayal, and ultimately attempted murder, that will shock the nation for years to come…
Enjoying A Sunny Day
One beautiful, sunny day in May of 1992, Mary Jo Buttafuoco was enjoying much needed time alone at her upscale home in Massapequa, New York. Mary Jo spent a lot of time soaking up the sun in her massive property that overlooks the Massapequa Grand Canal. On this particular day, her husband was at work at his auto body shop and her kids were at school. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until a ring at the door bell would change the course of Mary Jo’s life.
A Ring At The Door
Living in a upper class neighborhood alongside neighbors she had known for years, and with major crimes being relatively nonexistent, Mary Jo never once imagined that her and her family’s lives would ever be in danger. So, only briefly looking from the side window of her front door, Mary Jo found a young, teenage girl ringing the doorbell. A pretty, innocent face and petite frame, it did not cross Mary Jo’s mind for a second that the young girl before her eyes could be capable of an evil she had never witnessed before.
An Unexpected Visitor
Before Mary Jo could even open her mouth to ask the young woman what she wanted, the girl who initially seemed so pure and innocent, would run her mouth saying things that would embarrass even a foul mouthed truck driver. Her voice was incredibly loud, she spoke fast, and seemed furious. Mary Jo’s first impression was off by a long shot. The young girl was there to see Mary Jo and clearly wanted something from her. But, what did she really want?
Leave My House Now
Mary Jo had been taken by surprise. She was not expecting that. The young girl accused Mary Jo’s husband, the father of her children, 36 year old Joey of having an affair with her younger sister. Unimpressed by the story, Mary Jo told the girl to leave her property. But, the young girl refused to do so and would offer Mary Jo proof….
A Logo On The Shirt
The evidence in the affair would be in the t-shirt the young girl frantically showcased to Mary Jo. This wasn’t just any regular t-shirt, but one displaying the logo of her husband’s auto body shop. Igniting an uncontrollable anger in the young woman, Mary Jo again dismissed her claims and insisted that she leave her home.
A Look Of Evil
Refusing to listen to Mary Jo’s orders, the young woman continued to stand at her door entrance, but this time a look of darkness and evil would consume the young girl’s face. A look so terrifying that Mary Jo claims still haunts her in her nightmares…
Trigger Pulled
Mary Jo stepped back inside her home and attempted to close the door, but her entire life would collapse right before her eyes. It happened so quickly, without even noticing it, the girl pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Mary Jo’s terrified face. Then, boom, the trigger was pulled, shooting her point blank on the face at the base of her skull…
Blood Everywhere
Mary Jo’s bloodied body would collapse right on her front door step. With a massive wound on the front part of her face, Mary Jo laid helplessly on the floor, with blood streaming all around her. It is difficult, almost impossible, to describe in words the feelings Mary Jo had encompassed in that dreadful moment. But, her mind blowing screams, heard by neighbors from a few blocks away, would be an acceptable sign of her current state.
First Responders
Although only a few minutes had passed before police arrived to the scene, it had felt like all eternity for Mary Jo. Police and an ambulance arrived at the gruesome scene. While the ambulance rushed Mary Jo to the hospital, the police stayed at the scene to investigate and ask neighbors if they had seen or heard anything unusual. Bizarrely, besides noticing a car, neighbors didn’t see a single sign of the perpetrator.
Barely Made It
After eight hours of intensive surgery, Mary Jo miraculously survived the sickening ordeal. However, her life would never be the same. Her face had become permanently distorted and paralyzed on one side. She also lost her ability to hear on the same side. Considering her tragic circumstances, police wanted Mary Jo to recuperate and not cause anymore unwanted stress, but they needed immediate answers to help find the person who was out to kill her.
I Knew Who She Is
When Mary Jo Buttafuoco began to write a description of her assailant for the detectives clustered around her hospital bed, her husband Joey suddenly announced that he knew the identity of the attacker. He steered police toward the teenage daughter of one his customers.
Shocking Allegations
Police were able to quickly locate the perpetrator: a 17-year-old high school student named Amy Fisher. But, police knew there was more to the story. After arresting Amy and taking her in for questioning, she claimed that she had been having a sexual affair with Joey Buttafuoco since she was 16 years old. She said she was obsessed with the auto-body mechanic and had gone to the Buttaffuoco home to confront his wife. This would not be the end of her story, but just the beginning of a web of lies and betrayal..
The Affair
Amy Fisher was born in Merrick, New York, on August 21, 1974, to an Italian-American mother and Jewish father. In May of 1991, at the age of 16, Fisher met Joey Buttafuoco at his auto shop when her car needed service. What initially started as flirting would brew into a sexual affair that would take place in his shop and various motels throughout the town.
Working As A Prostitute
In August of 1991, with the secret affair at its peak, Fisher told Buttafuoco she needed money, and he suggested she begin work at an escort agency. Now, only 17 years old, Fisher seemed hesitant at first, but then agreed to work as a prostitute. After a few months of working as a prostitute and still carrying on the affair with Buttafuoco, Fisher was falling even harder for the older man and begged him repeatedly to leave his wife Mary Jo. Buttafuoco’s response would act as the catalyst in her decision to go after his wife.
Obsessed
Buttafuoco adamantly refused, infuriating Fisher, who had felt used, and also bizarrely obsessed with having Buttafuoco to herself. Consumed with anger, Fisher believed she could have the older man to herself by getting rid of the obstacle in her way: his wife.
Hidden Camera
Nevertheless, there were those who assumed that Fisher was merely a smitten teenager confused by the promises of an older lover. But, they got a rude shock a week after the shooting. In a secretly made videotape purchased by the tabloid television program, A Current Affair, Fisher was seen negotiating terms for sex with a salesman in a motel bedroom. The videotape aired on national television the night before her bail hearing. What had been a sordid local story became an instant national sensation.
National Frenzy
The details of the case had created a national frenzy, with every news outlet swarming the entire town. With constant media coverage, they had become household names. Fisher was dubbed the “Long Island Lolita.” With his tough-talking exterior, Joey was known as the villain. And Mary Jo was considered the innocent housewife caught up in her husband’s infidelities.
Guilty
Regardless of public sentiment, when Fisher faced a jury in her trial in December of 1992, she was convicted on multiple counts, but pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Fisher served seven years in prison at the Albion Correctional Facility in New York.
Where Is Fisher Now?
After spending seven years in jail for her crime against Mary Jo, Fisher was released in 1999. She briefly worked as a columnist for the Long Island Press. In 2007, after a sex tape emerged, Fisher began a brief career in adult entertainment. She starred in her own pay-per-view adult film entitled Amy Fisher: Totally Nude & Exposed, and made a handful of other adult movies. She walked away from the industry in 2011. Now 42, Fisher lives in Florida with three kids and is desperately trying to move on from her old ways.
What Happened To The Buttafuocos?
Now 61, Mary Jo has moved on with her life. She divorced her husband in 2003, and is living a quiet life away from the spotlight. She still has the bullet lodged into her skull. After Fisher’s assault conviction, Buttafuoco admitted that he had sex with Fisher when she was just 16. He spent four months in jail. After his 2003 split from Mary Jo, he remarried and continued making TV appearances. He has appeared on Celebrity Boxing, Judge Janine Pirro, and Judge Alex.
