Amy Fisher, the 'Long Island Lolita'

By Charles Montaldo,

Traumatic Childhood and Promiscuity:

Amy Elizabeth Fisher was born on August 21, 1974. In her book, "Amy Fisher: My Story," co-written with Sheila Weller, Amy wrote that she suffered early childhood trauma after a family member, repeatedly, sexually abused her. Then, at age 13, a man hired to work at her home raped her. In her very early teens she was sexually active, eventually resulting in an unwanted pregnancy and abortion. The abuse she suffered as a child seemed to spur her promiscuous behavior, later in life.

The Beginnings of the Sexual Affair:

Amy met Joey Buttafuoco in May 1991, when she took her car to his auto shop for repairs. She began visiting the shop and hanging around Joey on a regular basis. Her attraction toward him grew. On July 2, with her car in repair, Joey offered to drive her home. While at her home, the two had their first sexual encounter in her bedroom. Joey was 35, married, with two children. Amy Fisher was 16, and in high school. For the next several months, the two solidified their love affair at local motels.

Amy's Total Focus Was On Joey:

According to Amy, Joey often talked about his unhappiness in his marriage. Amy, in return, shared intimate details of her life to him. The relationship was going strong, but other areas of Amy’s life were beginning to unravel. She was doing badly in school and she lost interest in her friends and family. Her focus was on Joey. By August 1991, Amy was out of work and in need of money. Allegedly, Joey suggested she become an escort at a local escort service. Amy took his suggestion.

The Ultimatum:

Within a month, Amy was making good money as a prostitute. By November, her thoughts about Joey and his wife had become obsessive. She was jealous of Mary Jo, and wanted her out of the picture. In frustration, she decided to give Joey an ultimatum - her or his wife. Joey picked his wife. Amy, stunned and hurt, ended the relationship. Unable to cope with the break up, she cut her wrists, but the cuts were superficial. After the suicide attempt, Amy decided to try to get back to her normal life.

Amy Dwells on Getting Rid of Mary Jo:

Amy began dating Paul Makely, a co-owner of a local gym. But in January, Joey and Amy resumed their affair. Allegedly, Joey wasn't bothered by her being a prostitute, but he did get upset when he found out she was having a relationship with Makely. Not wanting to risk the refound relationship, Amy led Joey to believe that Makely was unimportant to her. She also began dwelling on how to get rid of Mary Jo, who she viewed as the biggest risk to her relationship with Joey.

The Decision to Kill Mary Jo:

On May 13, 1992, almost a year from the first time she met Joey, Amy decided, once and for all, to get rid of Mary Jo. She heard that Peter Guagenti could help her get a gun. Amy said that on that same evening, she shared her plan with Joey, and that he supplied her with tips on how to shoot his wife. On May 15, Amy has stated that Joey contacted her to find out if she had a gun, which at that point she did not. Joey has always denied knowing anything about Amy’s plans to kill Mary Jo.

Amy Shoots Mary Jo Buttafuoco:

Amy contacted Guagenti, and the plan to kill Mary Jo was arranged. On May 17, she and Guagenti replaced his license plates with two that Amy had stolen. At 11:30 a.m., with Guagenti driving, the two went to the Buttafuoco home. Armed with a Titan .25 semi-automatic gun, Amy confronted Mary Jo on her front porch. After a short conversation, Amy hit Mary Jo with the gun, causing her to fall to the ground. While still on the ground, Amy shot her in the head.

Mary Jo Struggles to Stay Alive:

Neighbors quickly came to Mary Jo’s aid. Her chances for survival were bad. After several hours in surgery, Mary Jo's condition stabilized, but the bullet remained lodged in her head. Joey told the police that Paul Makely and Paul's girlfriend, Amy, may have been involved in the shooting. He said he had given advice to Amy about not paying her boyfriend's drug debt, and Makely, when finding out, sought vengeance. The police doubted his story and suspected he was hiding something.

Mary Jo Identifies Amy as Her Attacker:

On May 20, Mary Jo was conscious and giving police the details of the shooting. Joey, knowing the police were getting close to the truth about his love affair, told the police the shooter might have been Amy Fisher. Mary Jo identified Amy as the shooter from a picture she was shown. The police, unable to locate Amy, asked Joey to contact her and find out where she was. He reluctantly obliged. On May 21, the police arrested Amy Fisher, at her home, for the shooting of Mary Jo Buttafuoco.

The "Long Island Lolita":

Amy told the police that the shooting was a mistake - that the gun discharged when she hit Mary Jo on the head. Knowing Joey had turned against her, she also told them that Joey had given her the gun and that the two were lovers - a charge Joey denied.

On May 29, Amy pled "not guilty" to the charges of attempted murder in the second degree, armed felony, assault, and criminal use of a firearm.

The national press dubbed Amy the "Long Island Lolita." Friends and former clients obliterated what was left of her credibility by selling the press videos that had been secretly filmed of her, and agreeing to interviews in which they would bash her character.

Amy's bail was set at $2 million, the highest in the history of Nassau County, Long Island. After two months in jail, Amy's bail was secured, but only after she agreed to give up the right's of her story to KLM Productions.

Her lawyer then arranged a plea agreement in which Amy would spend up to fifteen years in prison in exchange for testimony against Joey.

Amy Fisher accepted the plea agreement and was sentenced accordingly. Guagenti spent six months in prison for giving Amy the gun.

In 1993, the DA charged Joey with statutory rape. Amy testified about their sexual affair. Joey was indicted on felony charges of rape, sodomy, and endangering the welfare of a minor. With evidence against him mounting, Joey pled guilty to one count of statutory rape. He served six months in prison.

Amy was released from prison after seven years. In 2003, she married a man she met online, who is 24-years older than her, and the father of her son.

Now a columnist for the Long Island Press, she won a Media Award for Column-News from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2004. Her new book, "If I Knew Then..." is out, and she hopes it will help others.

Source: Long Island Press and "Amy Fisher: My Story"

http://crime.about.com/od/female_offenders/p/amyfisher.htm