Fort Lauderdale couple accused of killing cat through ‘involuntary heat exposure’

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Fort Lauderdale couple is accused of killing their pet cat through “involuntary heat exposure,” their arrest affidavits stated.

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Records show Jennifer Armenti, 36, was arrested Wednesday by Miramar police while her boyfriend, Brett Anthony Bellera, 25, was charged in the case earlier this month as he was already being held in the Joseph V. Conte facility on other charges.

Both are now charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

According to their arrest affidavits, a friend of the couple notified Broward County Animal Care on Dec. 15, 2024, that the couple’s cat named Reaper had been found dead.

Police said Armenti claimed that she woke up and found Reaper dead on the bathroom floor.

When Animal Care employees showed up, they said they found Reaper’s body on the back patio inside a plastic laundry basket and a large amount of blood pooling on the bottom of the basket.

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Bellera claimed the cat may have ingested cleaning products, his arrest affidavit stated.

According to the affidavits, the cat’s body was sent to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals where a forensic necropsy was performed and revealed that Reaper had died from “involuntary heat exposure” through either microwave radiation, being submerged in hot water or exposure to hot water vapor.

Police said the analysis by a veterinarian indicated that the cat did not die immediately, but suffered severe pain and suffering prior to his death.

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