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Look, I don't know what kinda game you're playin'
but I'm not interested!
No, you really need to hear what I've gotta say.
I told you I'd tell Joey you stopped by.
That good enough for you? - No.
Everyone saw Amy Fisher as a victim.
A teenaged girl seduced by an older man.
And in some ways she was.
But that's not the whole truth.
Amy Fisher made choices,
devastating choices, that nearly cost me my life.
I am Mary Jo Buttafuoco
and this is the first time you're hearing
the story directly from me.
A story a lot of people think they know, but don't.
Not all of it. Not everything.
Thank you for coming in, Mary Jo.
Do you mind if I call you Mary Jo?
Sure.
You know, you do not look like someone
who was uh, shot in the face.
- Well, it was over 30 years ago.
It's been a long journey and the surgeries,
but here I am, still intact.
- Here you are.
You know, and that's why I think now is the time
that we make a documentary about what you
and Amy Fisher suffered through.
Excuse me.
- The other victim.
I think reuniting you two would be what I would call undeniable.
- Just to make sure that I'm following.
Mm-hmm.
- I get shot in the head,
which causes me to go through decades of living hell.
Me, and my kids.
And you think that Amy Fisher,
the person who shot me,
is the other victim?
- Right?
- That bullet's still lodged in my skull.
- A permanent reminder of that day.
Thanks to what happened, my beautiful, innocent children
and I learned what it was like to be watched publicly,
long before the Kardashians.
Amy and Joey both made choices
that changed all of our lives forever.
Joey! Joey! Joey!
Look, I never had nothin' to do with Amy Fisher.
Joey Buttafuoco took advantage of my innocence.
- I did not sleep with that girl!
- The gun went off by accident.
- You'd think, after all this time,
my story's been fully told, but it hasn't.
And I'll start by answering the question
on most people's minds:
why did I believe Joey didn't sleep
with Amy Fisher for so long, after I was shot?
Or should I have realized what kind of man Joey was
before any of this happened?
The answers are clearer now, but they weren't back then.
Not when this all started. Not on day one.
Think I'm sitting here.
What, are you shy?
My mother told me not to talk to strangers, is all.
- I'm Joey. Joey Buttafuoco. You are?
- Mary Jo. Mary Jo Connery.
- So, uh Mary Jo, you believe in density?
You mean destiny?
- No, no, no, I'm talkin' 'bout the teacher.
- Don't be mean.
- Who's being mean?
Look at all the framed degrees and diplomas behind her desk.
I'm talkin' about density, like in the context
of describing the volume of something.
But hey, seeing as you brought up destiny.
Hey, hey, hey!
Hey!
I'm the luckiest guy in the world.
Hmm, not gonna argue with you.
- Oh, you better not, Mrs. Buttafuoco.
'Cause with our autobody business,
I'm gonna make sure we get whatever we want
and whatever we need, for the rest of our lives.
- I can't believe we were able
to save up for and buy a house on top of planning this wedding!
- Stick with me, babe.
You're not gonna have a bad day from here on out.
- Have you been drinking?
- It's a celebration, isn't it?
- Well, yeah. Whatcha got?
- Shh! Come on. - Okay.
- Take a sip. That's the spirit.
- Oof!
Come on get back to dancing!
- You think it's always gonna be like this.
You and me, on cloud nine.
- What could ever stop that?
Only, life moved on a little faster
than either of us expected.
- I'm pregnant.
For real?
- Uh... I mean, wasn't this always the plan?
Get married, buy a house, have kids?
- Yeah... - Yeah.
But uh, are we even done being kids yet ourselves?
I mean...
Life was just starting to get good.
Look...
I-I can double check with my doctor.
I mean, but these tests are supposed to be pretty accurate.
Plus I'm late, which is why I did the test
in the first place, you know?
- You know what?
This is great.
This is really, really great.
You mean it?
You can always count on me. You know that.
No matter what.
And that goes for our kids, too.
I'd never do anything to hurt ya.
Joey was my first serious relationship,
my only sexual partner.
I was an Irish Catholic girl in the 70s.
This was the man I loved, I trusted.
I was committed to raising a family with.
Being Joey's other half became my identity.
And I was sure he loved me just as much,
even though there were times he definitely tested my limits.
Joey, they just pulled up behind us.
You weren't speeding, were you?
- How should I know?
- All right, just say you're goin' into labor,
so I had to drive a little faster.
- Joey, no, I'm not doin' that.
Just trust me on this, Mary Jo. Come on!
Don't I always know what I'm doin'?
What's the problem?
- You coulda gotten a ticket, Joey.
- Key word, could've.
But I didn't. All 'cause of my brilliant idea.
Yeah, yeah.
Joy to the world...
Ah, stick with me, babe.
- I can get away with anything.
I think Joey really believed that,
which explains why his behavior got even worse
after I gave birth to our son, Paul.
- But the time our daughter Jessie came along,
I was having more and more trouble keeping track
of Joey and what he was up to.
Ooh, what's that? It's okay. Yeah.
- It's almost time to take little Jessica back
to the nursery, Mrs. Buttafuoco.
Oh, I'm waitin' on my husband.
Uh, he went home to get our son Paul
so he could bring him here and meet his little sister.
Visiting hours ended over 30 minutes ago.
- Really?
Promised he was comin' right back. Didn't he?
Yeah, he did.
Yeah. It's okay, though. I got you.
I was really excited to be a good mom and wife.
I knew it was the right thing to give up the partying.
But Joey, he sorta stayed a perpetual teenager.
But that's what everyone loved about him.
My mother considered him a son.
My baby sister Eileen thought of him as an older brother.
Anytime I tried to share behavior I was troubled by,
everyone assured me that's just Joey.
All they saw was his sweetness.
Not that he was usually trying to make up
for some kind of bad behavior.
- Is there a beautiful woman in here?
For me? Thank you.
Oh, Joey, it's beautiful!
All right, careful. One big step.
All right. All right. I trust you. Now we turn?
Ya-dah.
You got me a sports car?!
- A sports car. - Oh!
Mwah! Yeah, I did.
I kept telling myself he'd eventually get it together
and be the man I thought I married.
Yeah, honey, I got this.
Babe?
Don't be mad. I didn't mean to stay out this late.
- It's after midnight, Joey.
- Remember you promised you would come home
and help me put the kids to bed?
Things got a little outta hand.
Did they?
- Is it so wrong?
I just wanted to let off a little steam.
All right, all right, I messed up.
- I...
I think this partyin's gettin' a little outta hand,
you know? I mean...
No, look, I-I need you...
to be a part of this family.
A part that the kids and I can rely on. You know?
Or, or else, you know... - Oh. Or else.
Yeah.
- Or else what? Hmm?
You can never stay mad at me, babe.
- Hey, I'm not playin' around, Joey.
I think it's time you get some help.
Hmm?
Yeah. Help.
Just...
You know, to...
Look just to, just to, just to control
whatever it is that...
makes you...
Hmm?
- You know you and the kids mean the world to me.
I'll do anything to prove that to ya.
- Anything?
- All right, I will get some "help".
- You will? - Your wish is my command.
- I love you, Joey Buttafuoco.
- And I love you, Mary Jo Buttafuoco.
Yeah.
- And I'll never stop provin' that to ya.
Never.
I should have seen the pattern.
Joey would mess up, promise to change,
then go right back to his old ways.
But I loved him. I loved our kids, our life.
I wanted to believe him so badly.
- Yeah, that'll work as a replacement part.
And I think uh... oh.
Can't be in the work area, ma'am. It's too dangerous.
- I like danger. Makes me hot.
- How old are you?
- Sixteen. Why, like what you see?
Talkin' 'bout my car.
Looks a little beat up, to be honest.
Only 'cause I like to go fast.
And sometimes I get distracted when I see a cute guy.
- You're Elliot Fisher's daughter.
- Oh, guilty.
But don't hold it against me.
My dad has an account here so he would want you
to take extra special care of my car.
- Would he now?
- Mm-hmm.
- While I was home taking care of our kids
and managing our life,
I honestly had no idea
what my husband was really doing behind my back.
We're not done yet, are we?
Don't you ever get tired?
- Isn't that what you like about me?
That I can go longer and more often than your wife?
- All right, all right.
No more of this pay-per-view stuff, okay?
These one-hour hotel stays are breakin' my bank.
- You'd have a lot more time and money if you left Mary Jo.
- How do you know my wife's name?
- I know your kids' names too, Paul and Jessica.
What's wrong with that?
You know, I'm 17 now,
which means I'm legal in the state of New York.
We could get married.
- Would you stop?
- Undressing you or talking about getting married?
- All of the above.
- I-I... I wanna be with you all the time.
- What part of "I'm married" do you not understand?
- This is where I want you to really pay attention.
I know now that Amy Fisher came from a troubled background.
That she was struggling with her own pain.
And I have compassion for that young girl.
But that doesn't erase the choices she made next...
calculated, deliberate choices.
She was determined to get what she wanted
and she knew exactly what she was doing.
- C'mere.
You're Steven, right?
- Yeah.
- I'm Amy. I know Lou. He told me I could find ya here.
- I heard you would do...
just about anything to spend a little time with a girl like me?
He did? I'm... I mean uh... yeah.
=- As it happens, you are just the kinda guy I'm lookin' for.
You got a gun, right?
- I've been on a few hunting trips with my uncle.
Got a rifle.
- Hmm. Perfect.
'Cause I need you to kill someone for me.
- Joey worked hard to provide for the family.
But I was the one running the household,
paying the bills, taking care of every detail of our lives.
- Sure, he was a hard worker,
but Joey and my's relationship was more like mother and son.
I grew up while Joey stayed a perpetual teenager.
I did a lot of research on adult men
who showed no signs of maturing.
Peter Pan Syndrome describes adults
who cling to teenage habits and attitudes.
Yep, that was Joey, only I had no idea what to do about it.
Still, never in a million years,
did I think he'd ever cheat on me and the kids.
Hey.
Thought you were mad at me for not leaving my wife?
- Oh, how could I stay mad at you, Joey?
We were meant to be together.
What're you doin'?
- Decided you've been right all along.
- Oh yeah?
- As long as you're married, I don't expect you to marry me.
'Course, if that ever changes...
I wanna be the first in line to be the next Mrs. Buttafuoco.
Indistinct chatter
You did good, Steven.
We can use this information for our next move.
Hello? Now we know when Mary Jo's all alone in the house.
- For?
- For when we go there to shoot her with your gun?
- Oh um... right.
You mean my-my r-r-r-rifle?
- Mm-hmm.
- Um... I mean...
- Say it, Steven.
- I'm not really sure if I can actually kill somebody.
- I mean, between you and me,
I had a hard time killing a deer upstate.
- Hmm.
You wanna sleep with me, don't you?
Then all you've gotta do is kill that bitch.
Trust me, I'm doing a public service here.
Mary Jo's an obstacle that I'm clearin' outta
the way for everyone's sake.
Thanks for treating.
How's it that you come by so much cash?
I mean, does your boyfriend...
- Joey? You can say his name.
- Yeah, but you here with me, isn't that cheating?
- Uh, first off, he's cheating on me with his wife.
Besides, he likes that I'm so sexual.
It's one of my many qualities.
- Cool. So... he just gives you money?
- Actually, I earn it.
Men pay to spend time with me. You know,
through an escort service?
- And Joey's good with that?
- Yeah, what'd I just say?
He likes that I'm so comfortable with my body.
- Cool.
- So uh, when are you free to shoot Mary Jo?
The sooner the better.
- Gotta make sure I could get a good aim at her.
You know, for the kill shot.
- Don't worry, Steven, I got a plan.
- Hi. Can I help you?
- I'm here to raise money for my high school.
I think you went there too?
- How would you know that?
- The uh, principal's office gave us a list of names
to solicit on account of uh,
he wanted us girls to be safe
when raising money for the school.
- And what are you sellin' exactly?
Uh, candy bars.
Only got three left, then I'll meet my goal.
- Just, just give me a moment.
- What you waitin' for?
Excuse me?
Um... um...
Which one do you want?
- You have a nice day.
Yeah, um...
You too.
- This isn't candy for a school charity.
Is she serious?
What were you waitin' for, a written invitation?
All you had to do is take the shot.
- You kept on stepping in front of my aim.
I did not want to shoot you by mistake.
- So instead you didn't end up shooting anybody.
After I planned everything perfect.
- I tried telling you, I don't think I could ever kill nobody.
- It's "can't kill anybody" you idiot!
You could forget about me ever sleepin' with you now.
- Sorry.
Don't be.
I'll find a way to kill the bitch myself,
if it's the last thing I do.
- Amy Fisher became fixated on Joey.
Looking back, I can see how he manipulated
that young girl the same way he manipulated me.
- He was that good at convincing anyone
that they were the center of his attention.
Everyone loved him.
He was mister fun.
He had everyone fooled. Especially me.
- Your carburetor's filthy.
I gotta take out the whole thing, clean it up.
I don't wanna let you drive outta here without,
without me doin' that, all right?
It's kind of expensive. It is, yeah.
Joey, I got good news.
A way we can be together all the time.
- Sir, I'll call you back, all right?
- Out.
Joey...
- Hey, hey. Get it through that thick skull of yours
once and for all, I'm married.
- Not for long, you're not.
Amy Fisher wasn't about to stop trying.
In her mind, I was the only thing standing between her
and the life she wanted with Joey.
And she decided the solution was to eliminate me.
She was gonna make it happen.
You're just crazy, man.
I see.
Couldn't help but notice you been starin'
at me all night.
I'm Peter.
- I know.
Amy.
- You messin' with me?
- No, but you definitely got somethin' I want.
- Do I now?
- Relax, Romeo. I'm here on business.
- Business?
- Heard you could sell me a gun.
- Get lost, little girl.
- Eight hundred. Cash.
- Wow... - Close your mouth, Peter.
You're practically drooling.
Gun first. Cash second.
- Oh yeah? What's third?
- You teachin' me how to use it
so I don't miss my intended target.
Mrs. Buttafuoco?
- Do I know you?
- No. Definitely not.
I'm Anne-Marie Fisher.
I'm here 'cause I'm concerned about my little sister, Amy.
- Why do you um, why do you look so familiar?
- Uh, probably seen me and my sister around the neighborhood.
She's why I'm here. She's only 17.
- And how old are you?
- Nineteen. Which is why I'm...
so concerned about my little sister, see? 'Cause,
your husband seduced her when she was even younger
than she is now.
- Is... is this some kind of prank?
- Your husband's Joey Buttafuoco, right?
- Listen, look, I'm a little busy right now
so if you're done messin' around I'm gonna--
- No, no I'm serious.
Your husband and my little sister
have been sleeping together.
- I have proof.
- Where'd you get this?
I mean, you can't even get this at the shop yet.
- Your husband gave it to my little sister.
after he slept with her. Over and over and over.
- Look, I don't know how you got this, but keep it.
I don't want it.
I'll tell Joey you stopped by.
- No, don't do that!
- Why not?
- Listen, I-I don't want any trouble. I'm here because...
What are you lookin' at?
- Is that who you came here with?
Look, I don't know what kinda game you're playin'
but I'm not interested.
I told you I'd tell Joey you stopped by, all right?
That good enough for you? No.
Dr. Flores, dial 182, please.
In an instant, everything about my life
was changed forever.
- I don't understand. Shouldn't we have heard something by now?
Mr. Buttafuoco.
- Oh, this is Eileen.
This is Mary Jo's sister. Is Mary Jo okay?
- Your wife's still with us.
- The bullet severed her carotid artery
and is lodged at the base of her brain.
Just above her spinal column.
- But she'll be okay? She'll live?
Honestly, it's too early to tell.
We want to operate
but even if she survives the surgery,
she's likely to have severe brain damage.
Could even be paralyzed, deaf, and or blind.
Now, with your permission, we'll operate right away.
- You do what you gotta do. You go save my wife.
- We'll do the best we can.
- I don't understand.
Who would do somethin' like this? Who'd wanna hurt Mary Jo?
- Nobody I can think of, that's for sure.
Mrs. Buttafuoco?
Mary Jo, can you hear me?
Can you blink if you hear me?
Mary Jo, you've been shot.
We're doing everything we can for you.
Stay strong now. Okay?
- Mary Jo. Hey, who shot you?
Who did this to you?
Don't try to speak, Mrs. Buttafuoco.
You've been outfitted with a tracheostomy tube.
We'd better sedate her.
Can we at least let her try writing?
I was fighting for my life
while everyone else was fighting about the truth.
No one took me seriously at first
because they were convinced that I had brain damage.
Not to mention, they couldn't remove the bullet
since it might've put me in even more danger.
- Anne-Marie, who's...
is that who shot you?
No. No, we... we don't know any Anne-Marie.
She's writing more.
Even with a bullet in my head
I was determined to be heard.
- None of this is makin' any sense.
Um...
Your wife has suffered a great deal of harm.
It's very likely she's delirious or... worse.
We're still assessing possible brain damage.
I lost track of all the surgeries
and physical therapy sessions I had to go through.
I wasn't the one who committed the crime
but I was the one paying the price.
Mr. Buttafuoco, I have some news.
The bullet penetrating your jaw bone
likely saved your life.
But it got stuck there and we weren't able
to remove it without jeopardizing you further.
Unfortunately, with the bullet being so close
to your brain and spinal cord,
it's likely that your facial paralysis
and hearing loss are permanent.
Honey, it's okay.
You don't, you don't have to.
- When can I go back to solid foods at least?
As you know, your jaw bone was shattered.
So only liquids for now.
- And uh, how 'bout her eye?
- Well, she has to wear an eye patch for a while,
due to severe corneal damage.
- We are gonna find out who did this.
- I already know who did it.
And I know why she did it.
- I spoke to the nurse.
She's gonna have your pain medication
at the top of the hour.
Hey...
Sweetheart, we're gonna get through this. Okay?
I don't care what that doctor says.
- What about what the... the police think, huh?
- I keep tellin' ya, I...
I got no connection to this Anne-Marie or her sister.
Honey, honey,
I did not have an affair with this awful person who shot you.
-Or anyone, for that matter.
On our kids' lives, I swear.
What? Come on, come on.
Okay, okay, okay.
It hurts.
Only a few more questions, Mrs. Buttafuoco.
- Anything to help find who did this to Mary Jo.
- According to your wife, the young lady with the gun
said that you and her little sister were having an affair.
- Uh...
No, I got no knowledge of that sorta thing.
- We gotta ask. - The shirt.
You know how many shirts we give away in a year?
- It was one of the new golf shirts. Yeah.
- Those are still in boxes.
- Sh-sh... she said you gave it to her little sister...
it's how she was trying to prove that
what she said was true.
- Wasn't.
It isn't.
I don't know. Maybe someone stole the shirt?
- Maybe another employee of the autobody shop had access to 'em?
- You know, on second thought,
there actually was a customer I-I gave one of those shirts
to as a preview. A male customer.
Elliot Fisher.
- And he's the only one you gave a golf shirt to?
- Maybe this Elliot Fisher has, has daughters,
or nieces, or somethin'.
- We got somethin'. - 'Bout time.
- That's her. Yeah, that's...
that's the girl that shot me. Th-that's Anne-Marie.
- Amy. Amy Fisher.
The daughter of your customer, Elliot Fisher.
- Wow. So, he got kids, huh?
One daughter.
- We just needed your confirmation.
Now we can lure her in.
- How you gonna do that?
- Stick to the script. Nothin' more, nothin' less.
- Yeah, yeah, got it.
- Hello?
- Hey, is this Amy Fisher?
This is Joey Buttafuoco from the autobody shop.
- Joey, how come you're--
You know what? It's better we talk in person.
- Yeah. Uh...
- Can you meet right now?
Just uh, tell me where you're at. Okay.
Be right there.
Stay calm. Could be just a, uh, traffic ticket.
Step out of the vehicle
and place both hands on your head.
Amy! Amy!
Did you do it? If you didn't, who did? Amy!
Amy! Miss Fisher!
Talk to us, Miss Fisher. It'll take two minutes.
- Amy! Amy!
Amy Fisher, dubbed "The Long Island Lolita"
since it's rumored she was having an illicit affair
with the victim's husband,
is now the prime suspect in the shooting
of Mary Jo Buttafuoco.
It should be noted that Miss Fisher is only 17 years old,
leaving many to wonder just how responsible
someone this young could be,
for the circumstances she finds herself in.
- The media portrayed Amy Fisher
as this sweet 17-year-old who'd been taken advantage of.
Who didn't know what she was doing.
I understand the complexity now,
that someone can be both victim and perpetrator.
But I was there on that front porch
the day she shot me,
and Amy Fisher knew what she was doing before,
during, and after.
All right, I got this.
Ms. Buttafuoco! Ms. Buttafuoco!
- Hey, what're you doin'? Back off! Clear a path. Come on!
Hey, I got ya. I got ya.
What, these people don't have anything
better to do, huh?
I keep tellin' ya, sweetheart, we're famous.
- I don't wanna be famous.
I want my kids.
- Mom!
- Hi! Oh, my God. - Mom!
Oh, hey, c'mere, c'mere.
- Careful, Paul and Jessie, your mother's still hurt.
Don't listen to your father.
I love you.
I love you too.
I never want you to let go.
I love you too, baby.
Who do you believe, Mary Jo,
your husband or Amy Fisher?
I was so beaten up,
so dependent on Joey financially.
I didn't want to break up our family.
The kids were young.
I was worried what people would say.
What my Irish Catholic mother would think
if I questioned Joey's and my wedding vows.
Joey was all I knew.
All I thought I had. And he seemed so sincere.
It wasn't so much that I was ignorant,
it's that Joey was that good at being dishonest.
The realization that my life would never be the same,
that I might never be able to smile again,
was something I didn't know if I could ever come to terms with.
Jess?
Sweetie, you awake, huh?
Hmm?
Hi.
Can I see this?
You are the sweetest girl.
Thank you.
- I keep telling you, it was an accident.
- That's all you gotta say for yourself?
- I was confused on account of Joey's so much older than me,
and I really didn't know what I was doing.
You gotta believe me. The gun went off by itself. I swear!
The physical evidence told a different story.
Detectives had the theory that the gun Amy used
had its slide pulled back before it was fired,
which showed she came to my home
with the intent to shoot me.
That was hard to accept.
All I wanted was for my life to return to normal,
and that meant putting faith in my family.
- I'm not sure this is the best idea, Joey,
you know? I mean...
Feels like...
It feels like it's too soon.
- What'd I tell ya? Everyone loves ya.
Same as us.
Especially me.
All right, let's go find a nice cabana for your mother.
Come on.
- Does it hurt?
- 'Scuse me?
- Where the bullet went in and out.
- You wanna know a secret?
- It's still in my head, yeah?
In my jaw.
- Can we see?
- Sure ya can.
If you had X-ray vision like Superman,
you'd be able to see right there.
- Wow!
- Mm-hmm.
- Mrs. Buttafuoco, you're the coolest lady, ever!
- He's right, you know.
You're definitely the coolest lady ever.
Joey was a fabulous liar and manipulator.
But he wasn't the only one still hiding the truth
of what really happened.
- I'm glad we came.
- So?
Anything change?
- You can ask me the same questions over and over
all you want. My story's never gonna change.
None of this is my fault.
I got caught up in other people's troubles, is all.
Their manipulations.
I was used!
- A Mr. Steven Sleeman
and a Mr. Peter Guagenti tell a very different story
from the one you've shared, Miss Fisher.
They tell one of helping you try to kil Mary Jo Buttafuoco
last November.
And when that plan didn't work out...
...the other says that he sold you a gun
and drove you to the Buttafuoco residence
so that you could do it yourself.
- We're not gonna comment on what sounds like hearsay,
at best.
- Holding back information
isn't gonna do you any favors.
- We're aware of our rights.
- According to sources, the only person
who doesn't suspect Joey Buttafuoco had an affair
with the accused assailant is his wife,
the gunshot victim, Mary Jo Buttafuoco.
Come bearing gifts.
Apple sauce and cottage cheese?
- At least you don't have to eat through a straw.
- Yeah.
- All right.
Yuck.
- I hear the news on here again?
Hmm?
How many times I gotta tell you that stuff's no good for ya.
- Can I help it if we're all that's on TV?
And if I wanted to be famous or infamous?
You know who really doesn't mind being famous?
It's that girl.
Who...
- Who?
- What?
You go ahead, say it.
- You don't believe I never slept with Amy Fisher, do ya?
Looking back, I can see the cracks forming
all around me.
If only I'd been ready to admit it to myself
at the time.
- It's not that I don't believe you, Joey.
I just wish that these...
These idiots on TV did.
- You know I'm...
The things that these reporters, these newscasters are saying
about us.
About our marriage?
- We've gotta make sure Paul and Jessie
never see this stuff.
- Amy Fisher is a very confused young girl.
Sure, I remember her being in the shop a lot.
Her dad let her charge repairs to his account.
She was a really bad driver,
always getting in all these accidents.
- Anything she says about me?
Bald-faced lie.
That's all there is to it.
Besides, something I want to talk to you about
that's better than TV?
Oh, yeah? What's that?
- Movies.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Buttafuoco,
"if you'll kindly grant us your valuable time
"for a meeting, we'd like to explain
"how telling your story cinematically,
"can bring something good outta something that's been
"truly awful for you."
Give me a kiss.
Hollywood came calling sooner than the police
could wrap up the case.
Everyone wanted in on the action.
They were making three movies at the same time.
I couldn't believe it.
But everyone around me thought it was so exciting.
"Oh, Mary Jo's on TV. Joey's consulting on a movie."
I thought to myself, if this was happening
to my best friend, it would be exciting.
So, I went along with it.
Even though we were on the set
for one of the movies, I was still in total denial
of the absurdity of it all.
Not to mention barely functional because of all
the drugs I was on for pain.
And action.
- You're gonna wanna hear what I have to say.
I need to get back to my painting.
He's lying to you.
- It's not how it happened.
- Nah, it's Hollywood, babe.
Just be glad that one of these movies is finally telling
my side of the sto...
Our side of the story.
- Hmm.
- You okay?
Someone call 911!
Mary Jo.
Mary Jo, you okay?
Come on.
- Dr. Forrest, dial 118, please.
Dr. Forrest, please dial 118.
- Joey?
You should be resting, Mary Jo.
- Hmm?
- You don't mind me calling you that, do you?
- No, of course not.
- So, um...
...you feeling well enough for me to ask a small favor?
- Can I get an autograph?
- I figure if I get yours and Joey's,
then all I need is Amy Fisher's.
- Although I am very much Team Mary Jo.
I never wanted to be recognized in public.
I was happy being a wife, a mom.
I loved my life.
All I wanted was to be there for my children.
Those three movies did nothing to help my anonymity.
- Pfft. At this point in my life,
I've seen myself shot in the head on TV
more than 300 times.
- Everything became about Joey and Amy.
Me and my kids got lost in the shuffle.
And things just kept getting worse.
- Was Joey Buttafuoco the one who told you
to shoot Mary Jo, Amy?
- Whose idea was it to kill Mrs. Buttafuoco?
- If you're innocent, we wanna hear from you, Amy.
You can talk to us.
- What's so funny?
- This show really cracks me up.
- Come on.
Watch some TV with us.
Take a load off.
- No, I'm okay.
A lot of the comedy shows back then
thought it was funny to do sketches,
making fun of what happened,
what I was going through,
me being paralyzed on one side of my face.
You know who didn't find any of that funny?
Me.
- I can't even watch those comedy shows right now.
And like not knowing when
they're gonna make fun of us again.
When did I...
Did we become the...
...punchline?
- Our lawyer's looking in and see when the shows
that are doing that.
- 'Cause because I got shot in the face?
'Cause I believe you?
The man I promised to love 'til death do us part, you know.
- What you and I got is rock solid.
No one needs to understand that except for you, me,
and the kids.
Looking back, I can see I had all the symptoms
of Stockholm Syndrome.
I still didn't think Joey had been having an affair
with the person who did this to me.
Life was too foggy because of the multiple
pain medications I was on.
- When I was in 6th grade, I had a concussion
after a bad fall and couldn't remember anything
for a short period.
Catholic school left me back a grade.
Everyone called me immature, the left-back baby.
Kids told me I was stupid.
Then later in life, this all happens,
and now I'm stupid again because I'm not leaving Joey.
Because I believed the man I swore to stay with,
for better or for worse.
- These interrogations are bordering on harassment.
My client remains a frightened young girl,
a victim of everyone who's trying to take
inappropriate advantage of her.
- We're just trying to do our best to piece together
the facts as they're revealed to us,
for everyone's best interest,
including Miss Fisher's.
- If you've got something you haven't disclosed,
that alone could be grounds for--
- All we're asking for is a little clarification
on all the stuff about Miss Fisher
being reported on TV night after night.
- Tabloid fodder, none of which has been substantiated.
Just some people trying to make a quick buck off
all the publicity surrounding my client.
- Coming, Cap.
- Hey, don't worry.
We're still gonna get 'em to agree to a plea deal.
Hello?
I just wanted to let you know
that Amy Fisher's grand jury testimony has been
temporarily postponed.
- What?
- Yeah, apparently she's been hit hard by a news story
airing last night with a video of her admitting to
her boyfriend that she's keeping her name in the press
to make a lot of money and get a super high-end car.
- Really.
- Mm-hmm.
So, they said that she'll be there for at least
a week for psychiatric examination and observation.
- Look, it's not like I want her to...
You know?
- I'll be in touch when we have more information.
- Okay. Thank you.
Take care of yourself, Mary Jo.
- Everything good?
- Nothing's been good since May, Joey.
Or have you not been paying attention?
- Babe, I...
- Amy's in the hospital for psychiatric examination.
Yeah, yeah, I mean,
I keep telling you how messed up she is.
- What about me, Joey?
- Do you understand how long I have been waiting to finally
see the person who shot me testify to a grand jury
so she will finally face charges?
- I do. - No.
- This is never gonna end, is it?
Will today be the final chapter
in the lengthy saga of the Long Island Lolita?
Inside this courthouse, Amy Fisher will at long last
come face to face with her victim.
It will be the first time the two have seen each other
since May 19th, 1992,
when Amy Fisher allegedly visited a tranquil
Massapequa home and put a bullet in Mary Jo Buttafuoco's head.
- Let's try to keep this matter
as efficient as we can
since the defendant has already agreed to plead guilty
to the shooting in arrangement for her plea deal.
- The defendant has a statement she wishes to enter?
- Uh, yes, Your Honor.
Seeing Amy Fisher in person for the first time
since the shooting was surreal.
The girl who tried to kill me
in the same room.
But I held my head high.
I knew who I was.
I had my integrity,
and I wasn't trading it for anything.
- Sometimes I think this was a nightmare,
and it didn't really happen, and then I realize that it did.
I went up to the doorstep with a loaded gun in my pocket.
I spoke with Mrs. Buttafuoco outside her Massapequa home
for 15 minutes until Mrs. Buttafuoco turned
to go back inside.
I hit her on the back of the head.
I hit her again.
The gun went off.
I tried to get her off of me,
and I hit her, I think, twice.
And then I left.
I ran away.
These, Your Honor, are all true.
They are all facts.
And I cannot and will not take them back
for the sake of harmony.
- And now I believe we'll hear from Amy Fisher's victim.
Make no mistake,
this courtroom will not devolve into the media frenzy
that has surrounded these goings-on
for the last year and a half.
- Mrs. Buttafuoco.
- My two beautiful children are having a difficult time
leaving me alone.
They are afraid I might not be there when they get home
from school.
They have been severely traumatized
by this event.
And this, to me, is the greatest tragedy of all.
All this damage by someone
who still shows absolutely no remorse for her actions.
The bullet is still lodged in the base of my brain
and causes me constant pain and suffering.
The future holds numerous operations,
and if there is any unnatural movement
of the bullet,
I am faced with paralysis,
and perhaps, even death.
I understand you have a letter written
by your daughter, Jessica, that you'd like to read?
- "Thank you for putting Amy Fisher in jail.
"She has done so many bad things to my family and I.
"Please make Amy Fisher stay in jail for a very long time
"so she can't hurt my mom again.
"My daddy,
"brother Paul, and I love her very much."
- So far, the seductive teenager has stuck to her story,
that she had a steamy romance with the Mary Jo Buttafuoco's
husband, Joey Buttafuoco,
who isn't in the courtroom today.
- At an earlier news conference,
he once again claimed he never had sex
with the accused.
- I have a brief statement.
Amy Fisher is a liar and has zero credibility.
She knows that.
I know she's a liar.
I know she has no credibility.
That's all I'm gonna say.
- You are a tragedy and disgrace to yourself,
to your family,
to your friends, and to society.
And you deserve no less than the maximum sentence
I can impose by law.
For many months, You had stalked Mary Jo Buttafuoco
like a wild animal stalks its prey.
Motivated by lust and passion,
you were a walking stick of dynamite with the fuse lit.
Amy Fisher...
...you are sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison.
- Do you have anything you wish to say to the court?
Or to Mrs. Buttafuoco?
- If I could change everything, I would.
If I could put my hand over her face
and make it go away, I would.
- I don't wanna be the Amy Fisher
that stands here today.
I wanna be the Amy Fisher I was before I met Joe Butafuoco
in November of 1990.
Do you still believe your husband didn't sleep
with Amy Fisher?
Do you feel sorry for her at all?
- You don't need to talk to them, okay?
- Amy Fisher is a liar,
not to mention an attempted murderer.
Right?
And the DA is taking her word over Joey's.
I am not gonna let this one person destroy our lives.
- There you have it.
- You're Mary Jo Buttafuoco, right?
You've been through so much.
I am a big fan.
- Thank you.
- I am so embarrassed.
Sorry.
- No, it's okay.
Have a nice day, all right?
Is it true what they're saying?
That Amy Fisher can describe, you know, Joey's privates?
I developed this weird ability to ignore
what anyone was saying.
I still believed Joey.
I was in pain,
mental and physical,
and on way too many drugs to know the difference.
Not to mention being raised Catholic in the 60s
absolutely shaped my view of what was right and wrong.
Catholics don't get divorced.
One time when Joey and I temporarily separated,
my mother said, "This is what happens when
"you don't have Jesus in your life."
That was her answer to everything
I was going through.
Everyone close to us still believed Joey,
even when one of his former employees
told a talk show Joey had admitted to sleeping
with Amy Fisher.
And the DA filed charges because of it.
I keep telling ya,
that former employee is just trying to stir up trouble.
None of what he says on TV is true.
- You want me to go to trial to get sentenced for something
I never did?
Six counts of statutory rape,
12 counts of sodomy,
one count of endangering the welfare of a child?
- If you never did any of it...
...why did the grand jury indict you?
And why would gonna trial be a problem, Joey?
- Our lawyer says taking the plea deal
is the safe bet.
Even though you and me,
we both know I never did what that girl said.
- Hey, no, no,
none of that's true. Don't get yourself worked up.
- When is this all gonna be...
...done?
- I could save my face, or I could save my butt
and be here with you and the kids where I belong.
- This is the last of it, all right?
The last of this awful nightmare.
I take the plea, and then we can finally move on
and get the happy ever after
that you, me, and the kids deserve.
This was yet another wake-up call,
but I wasn't ready to wake up.
Instead, I numbed myself with pills,
believed harder,
held on even tighter,
to a version of Joey that didn't really exist.
When this relationship began,
I was not just a 16-year-old teenager
taken to bed by a man over twice my age,
I was a 16-year-old teenager shown a world that
I was not ready for,
a world of elaborate spending
and fast boats.
This man took me to expensive restaurants
and cheap motels.
I hope whatever sentence you might impose today
will send a message to other teenagers
who might be tempted by men like Mr. Buttafuoco.
- I know with all my heart that if Mr. Buttafuoco
had permitted me to cross the bridge between adolescence
and adulthood unmolested,
I would not be where I am today.
- Thank you.
I cannot accept your plea unless, in fact,
you are guilty.
Please, tell me.
- On July 2nd, 1991,
I had sexual relations
with Amy Fisher at a motel.
- There is a family involved here.
Joseph, Mary Jo's father,
in-laws, children.
That's the kind of man Joey is.
He did all he could do in that courtroom
so that everybody else's life could go free.
Joey, why didn't Mary Jo
accompany you here today?
- Well, last night, Mary Jo had a rough night.
Her true pain is for her children.
That's all we're saying.
These are for the walls in your cell, Daddy.
- It's not a cell, baby.
It's a room.
- So you don't forget about us.
- These are great, Jess.
- How about you, Champ?
You doing all right?
I don't know.
- This isn't right, Joey.
Bringing the kids here to visit you of all places, huh?
- You know, the lawyer says I'll get off early.
Four months instead of six,
then it'll be like none of this ever happened.
- Yeah, maybe not for the both of us, huh?
You wait and see, Mary Jo.
I'm gonna prove it to you.
Everything gets better from this moment.
- Look what our daughter drew for me.
Huh?
- Pretty good.
Is that me in the orange?
Come on.
After the statutory rape conviction,
when Joey got out of jail,
the neighborhood threw a huge party.
Joey came home a triumphant hero.
Nothing he did or was accused of changed the opinions
of those closest to him.
Not our friends, not our family,
not me,
not yet.
- Hello?
Don't be upset.
- What am I not supposed to be upset about, Joey?
It's the middle of the night here.
- All right.
- I, uh...
- I was arrested for solicitation here in L.A.
- What?
- You swore you were gonna stay out of trouble
while you were on the West Coast.
- It was a total setup. I-I'm innocent.
- You forget that you're on parole?
Hmm? - No, I talked to the lawyer.
He's... He's gonna clear it all up.
- Yeah, and what about the next time, Joey?
Huh?
Everything's just gonna get cleared up for you again?
'Cause everything's about you, right?
You know, all the news just makes everything about Amy.
And at the end of the day,
nobody cares about the woman walking around with a bullet
permanently stuck in her jaw.
- Sweetheart, we're gonna clear this up, okay?
With Joey, it always wasn't him.
It didn't happen this way.
He didn't give her the money, whatever.
It was the same crap I heard over and over again.
I needed the pills to function.
I wasn't getting high.
I was avoiding incredible pain.
Physical, and I now realize, mental.
The pills dulled my mind and my instincts.
I relied on drugs for seven long years.
But eventually, even they couldn't numb the depths
of what I was feeling.
- After Joey's arrest in L.A.,
I went into a spiral of depression.
At this point, I just wanted to be dead.
I didn't know where else to turn,
what else to do.
Mom?
It's been like three days you've been in here.
Mommy?
- Jess?
- You scared me.
- I'm sorry, honey. I just...
I haven't felt like doing much the past few days with sleep,
you know?
- All me and Paul want is to see you happy.
- Hey, I know that, sweetheart,
but...
...the paralysis from the bullet is permanent.
One half of my face is never gonna work right.
- Hey, but that doesn't mean I don't love you and Paul
with all my heart, okay?
- Oh, thank you.
You're too good to me.
Come here.
I love you.
It was the lowest point in my life,
and I gave up fighting.
- Nothing was getting better.
I was so torn up on the inside,
so depleted,
I actually researched carbon monoxide poisoning.
That's how low I sunk.
I didn't think there was any way out for me
or my kids.
Thank God I finally realized
I wasn't thinking with a clear mind.
- I finally decided if the bullet still lodged
in my head hadn't done me in,
then I was gonna have to somehow find a way to go on.
Let's make sure.
We're sure about this?
Mm-hmm.
This is the best idea?
Yeah, well, I wouldn't be footing the bill if I didn't.
- You remind me that there's still good in the world.
You know that?
- I could say the same to you, Mary Jo.
- Look, we both know that pills aren't the answer,
not ultimately.
But it's time you treated yourself
after all this mental pain you've been suffering through.
- Thank you.
Hey! Hey!
Oh, you gotta help me, all right?
You gotta at least give me my, my prescription, okay?
Please!
- Mary Jo, it can get better from this moment
if you decide to make this your rock bottom.
You can do this.
Yeah.
I'll get you some water.
- Thank you for sharing.
And what about shame?
- Oh, definitely me.
- Sorry, did you, did you say fame or shame?
- I don't really know what's worse.
The fact that I...
I never wanted to be famous or the fact that I...
I really loved being a mom and a wife.
And I know that that's not...
...popular to say nowadays,
but it's true.
I loved it.
I never wanted to be recognized in public,
least of all for having a life-altering injury.
You know, for people thinking that I'm, I'm an idiot
for desperately trying to honor my wedding vows, you know?
- I never wanted any of this.
- Not for me and, and...
Especially not for my, for my kids, you know?
- From what you shared,
I'm not sure that was a choice you made for them.
music
- Woo!
Jessie, Paul, c'mere, c'mere, c'mere!
- We missed you so much.
Oh, my God, I missed you so much.
Thank you for your letters
and your drawings.
- Where's your father?
- He-he couldn't make it.
- Don't worry about it.
Forget I said anything. I'm just so happy you're here.
- You look great!
- Kinda happy!
- Just kinda?
From now on,
we're gonna be really happy.
You know, my time in here did me a lot of good.
I can finally let go, move on, got my power back.
That means I got to forgive.
- Forgive? - Forgive who?
- Go ahead, Miss Fisher.
- I'd like to say something to Mary Jo.
What happened to you wasn't your husband's fault,
wasn't your fault, wasn't my father's fault,
and wasn't anybody else's fault.
It was my fault.
And I have spent the last seven years
trying to figure it out.
It was my fault, and I'm sorry.
Mrs. Buttafuoco?
- Amy Fisher has shown great remorse and sorrow
for what she did to me.
You're being given a second chance in life,
and I pray that you take it and make something good out
of something tragic.
- I'm sorry.
I'm truly very sorry.
- People always ask, why did I forgive the person
who tried to kill me?
It wasn't for Amy Fisher's sake,
I promise you.
It was for me.
Back then, I still had a lot to figure out.
About Joey, about myself.
But I knew this much,
I wasn't gonna let hate define me.
Not anymore.
- Your Honor,
given that my client now accepts full responsibility
for the terrible act of seven years ago,
and in light of her testimony,
we are urging you to grant Ms. Fisher parole.
When I finally came to my senses and told my mother
I was leaving Joey, she didn't speak to me
for four months.
I was wrong, he was right.
I was the bad Catholic.
That's the stronghold Joey still had on everyone
who knew him.
One day I just looked at that picture of our family,
covered Joey's face with my thumb,
and realized me and the kids
were better off without him.
I know you might be wondering if there was some big moment
that caused me to finally leave Joey?
Some dramatic confrontation or giant revelation.
But it wasn't like that.
It was more like death by a thousand cuts.
It took years and years before I realized
Joey was never gonna change.
And it was time for me to reclaim my power, my life.
I was finally done with him, once and for all.
Today, our son Paul has a limited relationship with him.
Jessie and I don't speak to him at all.
And yes, people still ask me about Amy Fisher.
Needless to say, we aren't in touch.
- The gun went off by accident.
Her version of events has changed over the years
since she shot me.
- It was Joey who told me to go up to the door,
point the gun, and keep firing.
Her truths aren't necessarily mine.
- I took the plea deal on account I'd get parole
three years after I went to jail.
- Amy Fisher's story is hers to tell.
Mine is about survival.
About refusing to let what she did
define the rest of my life.
Me and my kids are still here.
We're still standing.
We're still smiling.
That's our victory.
And would you believe I even got married again?
Stu Tendler and his children were a wonderful gift,
each of them showing Paul, Jessie, and me what it meant
to be part of a family that loved and was committed
to one another.
Even though the marriage didn't last,
Stu reminded me of my worth.
And that led to yet another surgery that
was completely unexpected.
- You really think I'm gonna be able to smile again,
Dr. Azizzadeh?
I've been dealing with this frozen look
for so long, it feels like I've,
you know, kinda given up hope.
There's certain muscles...
...keeping your paralysis from improving.
What I'm talking about is rewiring your nerves.
- My mom doesn't think of herself as pretty
or beautiful,
when the complete opposite's true.
- I mean, she's the most beautiful person I know.
- The surgery will be intense.
I'd be using a nerve stimulator
to identify which microscopic nerves are working
and which are misfiring.
Well, Mary Jo, what do you say?
My smile was there all along, mind you.
Just hidden.
But it was always under the surface.
Thanks to Jessie and Paul, who,
through everything, always gave me a reason
to be happy.
Now Dr. Azizzadeh was offering me a chance
to show my smile to the world again.
Mom, how are you?
- So can you smile now or what?
- Hmm...
I don't know.
Try-try tellin' me a joke.
- Dad.
Mom?
- Doctor said it's gonna get even better.
You're amazing.
To this day, Joey doesn't accept
any responsibility for the lives he wrecked.
He never apologized to Paul or Jessie.
He couldn't even admit to me in person that
he really did sleep with Amy Fisher.
- Speaking of causes for celebration,
May 15th is around the corner.
- Must we celebrate when you're getting older?
- Duh! That's kinda what people do on their birthdays, Mom.
- Yeah, I think I'd rather celebrate shooting day
on May 19th.
- Oh, my gosh. That's genius.
The three of us celebrating everything we survived
on the actual date everything about our lives changed.
- Yeah, I wasn't certain I was being serious about that.
Shooting day. I'm in.
- We're gonna take back that date that's always brought us
shame and fear.
And we're gonna make it our own.
- Who are you callin'?
- I'm making restaurant reservations at our favorite
Italian place for May 19th.
Mom, you're a genius.
- So, that's what we do now.
Every May 19th, Paul, Jessie,
and I get together and celebrate "Survival Day"
because it's our day and no one else's.
- We're finally through being a spectacle
and done with letting that date pull us back into
the misery of what was in the past.
I am Mary Jo Buttafuoco.
I'm alive, I'm grateful,
I'm at peace...
and I'm smiling.
Subtitles: difuze