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Anna Kepner’s accused killer isn’t showing up in court -- but he is showing his legal strategy ... pleading not guilty while staying out of sight.

The 16-year-old stepbrother -- identified in court docs only as T.H. -- waived his personal appearance at the arraignment Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea. He was originally expected to be in a Miami courtroom Wednesday morning.

The teen, who is now being prosecuted as an adult, is facing first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges tied to the death of his 18-year-old stepsister aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship back in November 2025.

Mark Geragos is sticking to his guns ... telling us Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is full of it when he says the D.A.'s office and the LAPD worked in lockstep to arrest and charge D4vd with Celeste Rivas' murder.

The famed defense attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and called BS on some of Hochman's claims from Monday's news conference, where Hochman refuted what Geragos told us -- that LAPD went rogue in arresting D4vd -- on the "2 Angry Men" podcast.

Geragos says Hochman is just trying to put on a united front when, in reality, cops were fed up with a lack of action from prosecutors and moved to arrest D4vd to force their hand.

Vincent Zampella died from burns and smoke inhalation after being trapped inside his burning car ... TMZ has learned.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner says the "Call of Duty" creator suffered thermal injuries and smoke inhalation, with blunt trauma also listed as a significant condition. His death was ruled accidental.

As we reported ... Zampella was killed in December 2025 in a single car crash along the Angeles Crest Highway.

Patrick Muldoon's sudden death this week rocked fans and Hollywood ... but TMZ has learned one of his last completed projects might help some heal.

As we reported ... the film and TV star best known for his roles in "Days of Our Lives," "Melrose Place," and "Starship Troopers" died after suffering a heart attack on Sunday.

Kevin Interdonato, the writer-director of “Dirty Hands,” tells TMZ … the premiere for the crime thriller in which Patrick is the star, is tonight in New Jersey … and what was going to be a celebration of the film is now a celebration of Patrick.

Rep. James Comer is telling people not to worry about aliens snatching up American scientists, because he says hostile foreign nations are more likely to blame. Great!

The reality is nearly a dozen scientists with knowledge of America's nuclear and/or space programs have either died or gone missing since 2022 ... and House Oversight Committee Chairman joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk about government investigations into the mystery.

Comer makes it clear he doesn't think aliens are beaming up scientists to learn about humanity's weaknesses -- as some are theorizing online -- though he knows some of his colleagues think otherwise.

Instead, the Congressman from Kentucky says it's more likely the usual suspects are involved ... Russian, Iranian or Chinese agents who want info on the USA's nuclear capabilities.

ICYMI ... the mystery surrounding 11 scientists is now on the radar of the FBI, and even President Trump was briefed on it last week.

Donald Trump Jr. isn't rushing down the aisle just yet, because he and Bettina Anderson are still figuring out what their big day will actually look like ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... there's no wedding date on the books, and nothing has been officially decided. Instead, we're told they’re actively weighing two very different options.

One possibility is a quick elopement within the next month, with a larger celebration coming later. While a White House event has been floated, our sources say a formal ceremony there isn't feasible in the immediate future, though celebrating there down the line is still being considered.

Ivanna Lisette Ortiz -- the woman accused of shooting at Rihanna's L.A. home -- is now completely cut off from her kid … and the judge is leaving barely any wiggle room.

A Florida judge has ruled Ortiz will have zero contact with her child until further order of the court ... the only exception is if the child's father personally approves it. The court ordered the child's father to have 100% time-sharing … meaning full custody and control over the child's day-to-day life.

And this didn't start with Rihanna … Ortiz had already been previously placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold in Florida. She claimed it was based on false accusations, but the judge still flagged concerns.

"Unexpected" star Bella Vaughn's mom has been arrested in Arkansas ... and she got popped on a couple of charges.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Falen Vaughn was arrested on Monday for disorderly conduct and disrupting governmental operations. Both charges are misdemeanors.

We're still trying to get more about what led to her arrest ... but we do know Falen was booked in the Crawford County Jail yesterday and has since been released.

As fans know ... Falen is the mother of Bella on "Unexpected" and often appears on the reality show about teen pregnancy.

She is due in court June 8.

It might be light's out for "The Great Christmas Light Fight" ... TMZ has learned.

A source with direct knowledge tells us ABC has not picked up the holiday reality TV competition for this season.

Our insider explains the miniseries is shot a year in advance ... and it was not shot last December.

Drake’s icy album rollout didn’t just melt ... it got smashed open by a streamer who walked away with the grand prize.

Twitch streamer Kishka was one of the many fans trying to crack the code -- after The Boy hinted the release date was buried inside a massive ice block installation outside Toronto's Bond Place Hotel. Kishka even live-streamed himself climbing on top of the structure … eventually pulling out a blue bag stamped with the words, “Freeze the world" -- and things escalated quickly.

As we told you, people had pulled up with things like blowtorches and pickaxes, trying to speed things up ... and Kishka cracked the code.

The mother of Devin Haney's daughter tells TMZ Sports the former engaged couple is finally at peace and coparenting without any issues -- but don't expect them to get back together romantically anytime soon.

We caught up with Leena Sayed in L.A. this week ... and asked how her relationship with the boxer is these days -- considering they've taken each other to court countless times over the past year.

It sure seems like water under the bridge now ... and their focus is on raising one-year-old Khrome.

Mike Vrabel is finally addressing the humongous elephant in the room ... saying he's spent the past few weeks having "difficult conversations" with his loved ones and the New England Patriots amid his Dianna Russini scandal.

The head coach met with the media minutes ago ... and emphasized how he has to make good decisions -- and he never wants his actions to be a distraction or negatively impact the organization.

Vrabel said he's going to attack each day "with humility and focus" moving forward ... and he will be the best version of himself professionally and personally.

Kylie Jenner just wrapped up 2 weekends of partying at Coachella ... and has returned to a lawsuit from a former housekeeper who claims she was subject to discrimination over religion and national origin.

According to the legal docs, filed last week in Los Angeles by Angelica Vasquez and obtained by TMZ, Angelica claims she started working for Kylie as a housekeeper at her Beverly Hills residence on September 10, 2024, and then was moved to her Hidden Hills residence one week later, where she says she reported to a woman named Elsi and head housekeeper Patsy.

Angelica claims she was "treated with hostility and exclusion" as soon as she began her employment and was "subjected to severe and pervasive harassment" by Patsy, Elsi, and other staff members. Specifically, she alleges she was "belittled and humiliated in front of coworkers" due to her race, national origin, and religious beliefs.

Jack Quaid and Claudia Doumit are embarking on a new project together -- a marriage -- they reportedly just tied the knot!

According to the Australia-based outlet The Daily Telegraph, the two got married at Mona Farm in Braidwood, Australia just outside of the country's capital, Canberra, on Saturday.

Photos reportedly showing their first dance -- featuring Doumit in a gorgeous white gown and matching floral headband and Quaid in a bright red jacket -- are circulating online. The two apparently danced to Donovan's hit song "Atlantis."