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- [00:01]
Vanessa Richardson
On the Crime House original podcast, Serial Killers and Murderous Minds, we're diving into the psychology of the world's most complex murder cases.
- [00:09]
Dr. Tristan Ingalls
From serial killers to cult leaders, deadly exes and spree killers, we're examining not just how they killed, but why.
- [00:17]
Vanessa Richardson
Is it uncontrollable rage? Overwhelming fear? Or is it something deeper? Serial Killers and Murderous Minds is a Crime House Studios original new episodes drop every Monday and Thursday Friday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.
- [00:43]
Katie Ring
This is Crime House. On a quiet Long island morning, a knock at the door shattered an ordinary life and turned an affair into a national spectacle. What followed would leave one woman fighting to survive, one woman facing prison and a husband at the center of it all. This is the story of Mary Jo Buttafugo. With one gunshot, she turned a secret affair into a national media obsession. And at just 17 years old, the press dubbed her the Long Island Lolita. But the question that still lingers is was Amy Fisher a calculating femme fatale or a teenager groomed and pushed to the breaking point?
- [01:24]
Dr. Tristan Ingalls
Foreign.
- [01:29]
Katie Ring
Welcome to Night watch on Crime House 24 7. I'm your host Katie Ring and together we'll be following the cases making headlines now, where justice is still unfolding. Follow us wherever you are listening and if you want ad free episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts plus subscribe to our YouTube channelightwatchpod. This episode discusses an active criminal case. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- [02:11]
Carvana Advertiser
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- [02:34]
Katie Ring
Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. In the spring of 1992, 37 year old Mary Jo Buttafuoco was living what appeared to be a stable suburban life in Massapequa, New York. She was a wife, a mother and a part time clerical worker married to Joey Buttafuko, the owner of an auto body shop in Long Island. They lived with their two children, a 9 year old daughter named Jessie and a 12 year old son named Paul, in a quiet neighborhood where routines were predictable and neighbors were friendly from the outside. There was little to suggest that the Buttafuoco household was on the verge of becoming the center of one of the most notorious scandals of the decade. But this story began months earlier, far from Mary Jo's view. In late 1991, Joey Buttafuoco met Amy Fisher, a 16 year old high school student, after she brought her car to his auto body shop. According to later court records and reporting, the two began a sexual relationship that continued for months. However, considering Amy was a minor and Joey was a married man in his 30s, let's call it what it is. Statutory essay. The relationship was hidden from Mary Jo, but it became emotionally consuming for Amy, who believed Joey would leave his wife and start a new life with her. By early 1992, the imbalance of that relationship had begun to surface in volatile ways. Amy, now 17, claimed that Joey, who was 38 at the time, repeatedly promised he would leave his family, only for him to delay on his word. Their affair became increasingly strained, marked by jealousy, anger and desperation. Multiple sources claim that Amy was convinced there was one thing standing between her and the life Joey had promised her. And that was Mary Jo. On the morning of May 19, 1992, Mary Jo Buttafuoco was home alone. Her children were at school while her husband Joey was at work at his auto shop. Shortly after 11am the doorbell rang and outside stood a stranger, a 17 year old girl who introduced herself as Ann Marie. She said she needed to speak with Mary Jo about her husband and unaware of any threat, Mary Jo allowed the teenage girl inside. What happened next would unfold in seconds and would alter Mary Jo's life forever. As Mary Jo turned away to open her screen door, the teen pulled out a.25 caliber handgun and and shot Mary Jo in the head at close range. The bullet entered near Mary Jo's left ear by her jawbone. Anne Marie fled the house immediately, leaving Mary Jo critically injured on the floor. Despite the severity of the wound, Mary Jo did not lose consciousness. She later described being aware of the moment she was shot, but at first she thought she got hit with a baseball bat. It was an immediate overwhelming sensation, like an explosion. Bleeding heavily, she somehow managed to get help. Emergency responders were called and Mary Jo was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Doctors quickly determined that the bullet had lodged in Mary Jo's head and could not be safely removed because attempting surgery would risk death. The decision was made to leave the bullet in place, a reality Mary Jo would have to live with for the rest of her life. It's a miracle she survived the shooting, but the injury leaves her partially paralyzed on the left side of her face to this day, with lasting jaw issues and neurological problems. In the hours after the shooting, Police focused first on what witnesses could provide. Neighbors reported seeing a young woman leaving the Buttafuoco home Shortly after the gunshot, and that description became the starting point for investigators trying to identify who had been at the house that morning. As detectives worked the scene, Mary Jo was transported to the hospital, where she was in critical condition. Officers asked Joey who might have had a reason to come to the home, Explaining that witnesses had described a young woman leaving shortly after the gunshot. He told police there was a teenage customer from his auto body shop who had been persistent and overly interested in him. He denied any involvement in the shooting and denied having an affair, Describing the teen as someone he barely knew. But investigators did not rely solely on Joey's account. As they reviewed phone records and statements from people familiar with the auto body shop, the name Amy Fisher surfaced quickly. Detectives learned that Amy had been a frequent presence at the shop for months now and that there had been ongoing contact between her and Joey, information that contradicted Joey's initial statements. But Joey was adamant and denied any sexual involvement with Amy. Withdraw total certainty. Mary Jo later recalled that he screamed from the rooftops that there was nothing sexual between them, and that when she confronted him repeatedly, asking him again and again if he'd had sex with Amy, he kept denying it. Mary Jo said he even swore on their children's lives that he was telling the truth, and she believed him. But later, the same day of the shooting, Amy Fisher arrived at the police station with her attorney and surrendered. During early questioning, she first denied that she had intended to harm Mary Jo. But as the interview continued and evidence started to stack against her, she acknowledged that she had gone to the house and fired the gun, and also admitted to introducing herself by the false name of Ann Marie. She also confessed to police that she had been in a sexual relationship with Joey for months, Confirming it started when she was 16 years old. With that sequence established, investigators shifted from identifying a suspect to building a criminal case. Amy was taken into custody and later charged as an adult with first degree assault. Prosecutors would argue that the shooting was deliberate and planned, but Amy's statements evolved over time as the legal process moved forward. Prosecutors alleged that the shooting was premeditated, Driven by jealousy and a belief that killing Mary Jo would remove the final obstacle to Amy's relationship with Joey. Joey Buttafuko was not charged at the time in connection with the shooting and publicly denied encouraging Amy to harm his wife. But his alleged relationship with a minor caught the eye of the media. The idea of a family man having an affair with a high schooler is a story you don't hear every day. But for Mary Jo, those distinctions mattered less. She was focused on surviving. In the days after the shooting, Mary Jo remained hospitalized as doctors monitored swelling and neurological damage. Friends and family described a long and uncertain recovery ahead. She had to relearn basic functions, including speech and movement. The case moved forward quickly through the legal system, but outside of the courtroom, it took on a life of its own. Tabloids dissected every detail of the affair, the marriage, and Amy's background, and television crews descended on Massapequa. The story was framed less as an attempted murder and more as a scandal, often overshadowing the reality of Mary Jo's injuries and recovery. For Mary Jo, survival marked only the beginning. As the criminal case against Amy Fisher advanced, Mary Jo was busy preparing for a future shaped by trauma, disability, and public scrutiny she never asked for. And the consequences of that May morning were far from over. As Mary Jo Buttafuoco began the slow and uncertain process of recovery, the criminal case moved forward quickly, fueled by intense public interest and relentless media coverage. What had begun as an attempted murder investigation quickly expanded into a far more complex legal reckoning, one that would involve not just the teenage shooter, but also the married man at the center of the relationship that preceded the violence. Over time, the coverage increasingly centered on Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuko. While Mary Jo, the person left critically injured, was often treated like a secondary figure in the story. Amy Fisher was formally charged with first degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Because of the severity of Mary Jo's injuries and the circumstances of the shooting, prosecutors elected to try Fisher as an adult, despite her being 17 years old at the time of her arrest. From the outset, the prosecution's position was that the shooting was deliberate and planned, Arguing that Fisher went to the Buttafuoco home with the intent to kill Mary Jo Fisher's early statements to police were inconsistent. She initially denied responsibility, then later admitted that she had pulled the trigger. Her legal team began signaling that they would pursue a defense centered on emotional manipulation and coercion, claiming that Joey Buttafuoco had exerted control over her and encouraged hostility towards his wife. Prosecutors respected that characterization, maintaining that regardless of any relationship dynamics, Fisher alone carried out the shooting. In October of 1992, Amy entered into a plea agreement. She pleaded guilty to first degree assault and avoided a trial. The plea came with a recommended sentence of five to 15 years in prison. In December of 1992, she was formally sentenced and remanded into custody in New York state facilities, beginning what would become a highly publicized incarceration. After she was incarcerated, Amy continued to generate attention for reasons beyond the shooting itself. She alleged that she was essayed by correction officers and allegedly filed a 220 million dollar lawsuit. Investigators followed those claims and they did not lead to criminal convictions. With a judge doubling down that her claims were like a cheap dime store novel. As Amy's name began to fade from the headlines while she was behind bars, attention turned back to Joey. Investigators continued to build their case against him and examine the months leading up to the shooting. After reviewing phone records, statements and corroborating testimony, Joey was arrested in 1993. He was charged with multiple counts related to statutory rape and sa. The charges alleged that he had engaged in repeated sexual encounters with Amy, fully aware of her age. Joy originally denied the allegations publicly, maintaining that he had not knowingly engaged in an illegal relationship. However, evidence presented contradicted that claim and he pleaded guilty in October of 1993. The trial that followed was closely watched and prosecutors laid out the detailed timeline of the relationship, Supported by testimony and physical evidence. Amy testified against Joey, describing the nature of their relationship and the promises she said he made about leaving his wife. The jury ultimately rejected Joey's defense and in 1995 he was convicted of statutory rape. Joey was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation. He was released early after serving just over four months, but received fines and was ordered to register as a sex offender. Throughout these proceedings, Mary Jo remained largely out of the public eye, on top of an ongoing and difficult recovery. She was focused on providing stability for her children, especially once Joey went to jail. Mary Jo later described the physical recovery as only part of the struggle. There was a huge emotional toll and relentless press coverage. Everyone knew her name, her husband's name and the name of the woman who attempted to kill her. Headlines often focused on Amy Fisher's appearance, age and notoriety, While the real victim, Mary Jo, was reduced to a supporting figure in her own story. The nickname Long Island Lolita, assigned to Amy by the media, became shorthand for the case, almost belittling and overshadowing the reality that Mary Jo had survived and attempted murder and was living with permanent injuries. By the mid-1990s, the public fascination surrounding the scandal had not faded. Made for TV movies, books and talk show segments focused largely on Amy and Joey, reframing it as a scandal rather than a crime. Mary Jo did not participate in most of these portrayals. She focused instead on rebuilding her life and caring for her children. Mary Jo remained married to Joey for several years after his 1995 conviction, a decision she said was driven by recovery, family stability, and the belief at the time that she was still being told the truth. The family later moved to California for a fresh start. But years after recovery and reflection, it became clear that Joey's repeated dishonesty both before and after the shooting could not be reconciled, and Mary Jo filed for divorce in 2003. Amy Fisher, meanwhile, was released on parole in 1999 after serving approximately seven years of her sentence. And in a surprising act, Mary Jo submitted a statement on Amy's behalf not to excuse what had been done to her, but as an effort to move on. The decision was later cited as one factor among many considered by the parole board. Mary Jo has been cleared. That forgiveness did not erase accountability, nor did it undo the harm caused by the shooting. In the years that followed her release, Amy made several public attempts to explain her actions and reframe her story. During court proceedings and later interviews, she expressed remorse for shooting Mary Jo. Amy's personal life after prison also drew renewed attention. In 2003, she married Lou Balara, a former New York City police officer who later became a lawyer and just so happened to be 25 years her senior. The couple had two children together, and the relationship later became the subject of professional scrutiny. And Bolero was disbarred after it was determined that their relationship was unethical. Public interest in the Long Island Lolita case continued to resurface periodically. In 2006, more than a decade after the shooting, Mary Jo, Joey, and Amy appeared together in an Entertainment Tonight joint interview. The appearance was memorable for the discomfort it revealed. The three were brought together on camera for a brief reunion, and the segment was explosive, showing the trauma that still remained years later. After the interview, Mary Jo limited her participation in media appearances. But despite her efforts, her name continued to get caught up in the media storm. And unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it.
- [17:37]
Coca Cola Advertiser
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- [18:05]
Vanessa Richardson
Taste zero sugar what drives a person to kill? Is it uncontrollable rage? Overwhelming fear? Unbearable jealousy? Or is it something deeper? Something in the darkest corners of our psyche?
- [18:21]
Dr. Tristan Ingalls
Every Monday and Thursday, the Crime House Original Podcast Serial Killers and Murderous Minds dives deep into the minds of history's most chilling murderers. From infamous serial killers to ruthless cult leaders, deadly exes and terrifying spree killers. I'm Dr. Tristan Ingalls, a licensed forensic psychologist. Along with Vanessa Richardson's immersive storytelling full of high stakes twists and turns, in every episode of Serial Killers and Murderous Minds, I'll be providing expert analysis of the people involved, not just how they.
- [18:56]
Vanessa Richardson
Killed, but why Serial Killers and Murderous Minds is a Crime House Studios original new episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.
- [19:13]
Katie Ring
As Mary Jo Buttafuoco tried to move on Lelo and protect her peace, the exact opposite happened. Let's break down the timeline in the aftermath of the scandal, because a lot happened in 2005, two years after his divorce from Mary Jo, Joey Buttafuco was arrested in California on an unrelated prostitution solicitation case following an undercover police sting. He later pleaded no contest and received probation. The arrest had no connection to the Amy Fisher case, but it added to a pattern of conduct that Mary Jo has said ultimately confirmed she had made the right decision to leave the marriage. In 2006, after Mary Jo, Amy and Joey's messy Entertainment Tonight interview, Amy and Joey briefly reunited for a public appearance at an event, but for nothing more than publicity and attention. Then, in 2007, Amy and her husband Lou had separated but remained legally married. In August of that same year, a sex tape featuring Amy and Lou was released publicly by Lou himself. The release drew widespread media attention and directly led to Amy having a brief stint in the adult film industry for a few years. Amy later acknowledged that the decision was driven in part by financial pressures and lingering notoriety tied to her name. Around the same time period where Amy was making headlines for several reasons, she publicly claimed that she and Joey Buttafo was were romantically involved again. She described the relationship this time around as genuine and in joint interviews said that they were in love. In one interview, they even shared a kiss and are seen cuddling. But now Joey has denied those claims, stating that any interaction between them had been exaggerated or motivated by publicity. For Mary Jo, the years after the divorce were marked by rebuilding. In 2012, 20 years after the shooting, she remarried a print shop owner named Stu Tendler, and the couple ran a small business that designed party posters. They worked hard to create stability and new memories away from the notoriety that had defined much of Mary Jo's adult life. Unfortunately, in 2018, Stu passed away at the age of 60 from cancer. As Mary Jo continued to heal, the trauma of the scale scandal continued to ripple through her family. Her daughter Jessie has spoken publicly about struggling in adolescence, describing periods of acting out, doing drugs, and struggles with alcoholism that she later connected to the trauma surrounding her mother's injury and the relentless media attention that followed. Her family, her relationship with her dad, is strained to this day. Mary Jo has acknowledged those struggles, emphasizing how difficult it was to protect her children while navigating her own recovery. Physically, Mary Jo continued to live with permanent injuries. The bullet lodged in her head remained in place for being too dangerous to remove. She still experiences lasting neurological damage, partial paralysis and hearing loss. Rehabilitation helped her regain speech and mobility, and she underwent facial surgery, where she was able to gain her full smile back. Over time, Mary Jo began to speak more openly, not about the scandal, but about survival. In recent years, she agreed to participate in a lifetime production centered on her own experience called I Am Mary Jo Buttafuoco, which premiered in early 2026. Unlike earlier dramatizations, which largely focused on Amy Fisher or Joey Buttafuco, this project placed Mary Jo at the center of the narrative. She served as the narrator, telling the story in her own words and on her own terms. For Mary Jo, the decision marked a reclaiming of a story that had long been told without her voice. The case that had once reduced her to a footnote. The wife, the victim, the woman left behind, finally became her own. More than three decades after the gunshot that nearly killed her, Mary Jo Buttafuoco is no longer defined by the worst moment in her life. The bullet remains. The scars endure. But the narrative has shifted. What began as a crime that captivated the nation ends as a story of survival, told at last by the person who lived it themselves. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channelightwatchpod. Your support means everything.
- [23:57]
Vanessa Richardson
What drives a person to murder? Find out from a licensed forensic psychologist on serial killers and murderous Minds. A Crime House Original Podcast New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.