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Nikolas Cruz, the monster who murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The 24-year-old's sentencing was made final Wednesday ... following an emotional couple days of victims' parents and loved ones addressing Cruz directly.

Before the sentencing was handed down, the judge spoke directly to the victims and families -- reminding them that they're a part of a strong community -- adding those they've lost will never be forgotten.

As we reported, the jury recommended life in prison for Cruz in October -- they were unable to unanimously decide on the death penalty. At the time, Family members of Cruz's 17 victims were very obviously angry sitting inside the courtroom -- many shaking their heads and crying in disbelief. Cruz sat expressionless.

You'll recall, Cruz pled guilty last year to 34 counts -- 17 charges of murder and 17 charges of attempted murder.

Aaron Paul, his wife, and their kid are all goin' Paul ... because the actor and his wife just filed a petition to change all their names -- and Aaron's included in the makeover.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, show that Aaron, whose last name is actually Sturtevant, is looking to legally change his last name to Paul ... a name he's obviously gone by in the industry for years.

His wife Lauren also wants to change her last name to Paul... and they want to change their kid's name -- currently Casper Emerson Paul -- to Ryden Caspian Paul. Yes, the kid's last name was already Paul, even though his parents didn't officially share that name ... but they're changing the youngster's first and middle name. They've been using the new name on social.

The reason Aaron and Lauren give for their name changes ... they say they want to conform to AP's professional name and keep the family name consistent.

In the docs, Aaron and Lauren explain they were required to give a name at the hospital and went with Casper Emerson ... but later came up with a name they liked better. It's only now that they're legally making the switch.

Migos rapper Takeoff was shot multiple times, resulting in his death ... according to the report from the medical examiner's office.

The Harris County Medical Examiner lists Takeoff's primary cause of death as "penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm."

As we reported, Takeoff was gunned down after shots rang out following an argument outside a Houston bowling alley early Tuesday morning.

In video obtained by TMZ, you see Takeoff's Migos partner Quavo in an argument before the shooting starts. Takeoff was standing just inches from Quavo during the heated exchange, but at no point did he seem to be a part of the back and forth.

While it's currently unclear who fired the fatal shots, we've also obtained video of one man holding a gun in the seconds leading up to the gunfire. Cops tell us that man is currently a person of interest in the death investigation.

A statement from Migos representatives Tuesday read, "Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated." Quavo and Offset have not yet made public statements about Takeoff's murder, though Offset did change his Instagram avatar to a photo of the rapper.

Takeoff was only 28.

Offset has yet to speak out about the loss of his Migos brother Takeoff ... but the rapper is paying tribute to his friend and family member through his social media profile.

Offset's Instagram page changed avatars Wednesday morning -- it now shows a picture of Takeoff smiling for the camera with a heart emoji.

Clearly, Offset's still reeling from Tuesday's fatal shooting ... although the artist hasn't joined the flood of friends and fans in posting about the loss of Takeoff.

As we reported, Takeoff was with fellow Migos member, Quavo, around 2:30 AM Tuesday -- Quavo was in a heated discussion with an unknown group of guys before someone in the crowd opened fire.

TMZ obtained this video -- a new angle of what went down only seconds prior to the gunfire -- and you can see a man dressed in black, with a handgun in his right hip pocket.

While nothing in the video proves the man fired the first shot, there is a point where he's seen raising his weapon and seemingly firing it -- but it's unclear if his weapon was pointed in the direction of Takeoff or Quavo.

OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney was recorded by her boyfriend during an argument, one in which she repeatedly called him the n-word months before she killed him ... according to cops who pulled the audio from his phone.

Courtney's slain BF Christian Obumseli was recording her outbursts with his cell phone in the months prior to his stabbing death, and the recordings are now evidence in the murder case against Courtney.

In one extremely heated argument, Courtney was hurling racial slurs as she screams and curses out Christian because he didn't tell her about saying hello to a woman they knew while riding a bicycle. You can hear what sounds like Christian apologizing and Courtney repeatedly calling him the n-word.

Cops say they recovered the audio recordings, first obtained by the Miami Herald, from Christian's phone as part of the murder investigation.

The audio clips also include Courtney screaming at Christian to "man up, bitch" and threatening to slap him as she demands he find her phone and charge it.

As we reported ... police body cam footage from 2 days before Courtney killed Christian shows her telling officers Christian attempted to attack her, and she's very emotional as she asks for a restraining order against him.

Courtney and Christian got into a blowout fight 2 days later, where she stabbed him to death and now faces a charge of second-degree murder.

After Christian's slaying, Courtney fled to Hawaii and she was arrested there in August and extradited back to Miami to stand trial.

Courtney's claiming self-defense, pointing to Christian's alleged history of abusing her, but his family insists she's the aggressor.

An armed man, standing just feet away from Takeoff and Quavo moments before the fatal shots, is now a person of interest in the rapper's death ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained this video -- a new angle of what went down only seconds prior to the gunfire -- and you can see a man dressed in black, with a black satchel and a handgun in his right hip pocket.

You can very clearly see the weapon in the man's pocket -- he has his hand on it -- as Quavo was involved in the heated discussion that preceded the gunfire.

In fact, Quavo, in the bright orange shirt, walks behind the man 2 seconds before the first shot is fired.

Now, there's nothing in the video proving the man fired the first shot, but about 5 seconds later he is seen raising his weapon and seemingly firing it. It's unclear where Takeoff or Quavo were in relation to him at that moment.

Houston PD tells us they have seen this video, and have deemed the man a person of interest. They have not identified him yet.

As we reported, Takeoff was standing a few feet behind Quavo early Tuesday morning outside the Houston bowling alley when things got heated.

After the gunfire -- at least 10 shots were fired -- Takeoff had been hit in the head, and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Two other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Aaron Carter has certainly had his fair share of run-ins with cops ... but his latest one might be one of the more bizarre, and ended in the pop star clearing his name.

Law enforcement sources with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tell TMZ ... deputies pulled the singer over Tuesday around 10:45 AM while he was driving an RV, after they got a call about a driver weaving in traffic and possibly driving under the influence.

Officers say they didn't even know the guy was Aaron Carter until they pulled him over. Once they did, we're told they conducted field sobriety tests and determined Aaron wasn't under the influence.

We're told it was a very windy day in the Antelope Valley ... which, possibly made it easier for the RV to get blown around and cross over the traffic lines.

You can see in the pics, Carter locked his keys in the RV and had to access the vehicle through a roof hatch.

Our sources say, it's not clear who made the 911 call but did note Aaron's off-again GF Melanie Martin, was driving behind him at the time in a white Range Rover.

Aaron posted on Instagram about the incident, saying "When you do the right thing, you don't get in trouble. Do the right thing, that's what you do."

As we've told you ... cops recently showed up at his house for a welfare check after fans got worried he might have been doing drugs on IG live. He later said it was all a joke and police found no drugs or criminal activity when they arrived.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have moved on -- at least for the time being -- from being a couple ... and are not still in communication, despite some recent reports.

Sources close to the former pair tell us stories that Pete's been reaching out to Kim in light of Kanye's latest episodes are flat-out false. In fact, we're told the two have not seen each other or been in communication at all lately.

Our sources say Kim and Pete would remain friendly if they came face to face, there's no bad blood, but each has their own things going on right now ... Kim with her work and kids and Pete with various movie and TV projects.

As for whether or not the two will ever get back together as a couple -- we're told that scenario is "highly unlikely."

It was back in August when we reported Kim and Pete were calling it quits after dating for 9 months. During their relationship, we saw them date bi-coastal while Pete got closer to Kim's 4 kids, they attended big events together and shared cute pics through social media.

Kim has not been dating anyone, at least publicly, since the split ... and we're told her attention has fully been on her kids while Kanye West continues to fall from public favor after his antisemitic rants, dragging of George Floyd and his family as well as wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt.

The head of Takeoff's label wants his fans, the public and hip hop, in general, to take one thing from his death ... violence isn't the way to go when things get heated.

Pierre "Pee" Thomas, CEO of Quality Control, posted an emotional message late Tuesday night ... starting by saying anyone who knows them "knows how much I love you" -- noting the 28-year-old's death was incredibly unexpected.

Pee says the loss should remind everyone how valuable life is and adds, "I want our community to remember that we don’t have to continue to result to violence every time there is a disagreement. It’s ok to love your brother and sister."

Pee's message, largely written directly to Takeoff, ends with this heartfelt statement -- "You came from the stars so I know you will forever be up there watching down on all of us. I will forever love you. 💔."

As we reported, Quality Control co-founder Kevin Lee -- AKA Coach K -- suggested Takeoff was killed by a stray bullet. Police have yet to confirm that theory, but video TMZ obtained does prove Takeoff was not involved in the heated discussion that preceded the gunfire.

The face-off went down around 2:30 AM Tuesday, immediately after Quavo was having an argument with an unknown group of guys. While it's hard to make out what's being said exactly, Quavo's tone seemed to be let's just keep the peace and keep things moving.

Disney and 2-time EGOT winner Robert Lopez are being taken to court by a songwriter that claims his 2001 track was stolen and used in "Frozen 2" ... and he allegedly came to the conclusion while in the theater with his kid.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, musician Daniel Grigson first heard the song "Some Things Never Change" while watching "Frozen 2" in theaters at the end of November 2019 ... and as the song was being performed, he says he got up out of his seat in shock.

The docs say the track's beat, rhythm, feel, theme, and words caught him off guard -- because Grigson claims it's basically IDENTICAL to his song, "That Girl," from decades ago.

Grigson says his eyes were wide open while standing in the theater -- once he sat back down with his head in his hands, he claims his 11-year-old daughter leaned over to him and said, "Dad, Disney took your song."

Grigson says he hired an analyst to compare the 2 tracks -- coming to the conclusion that not only do the songs sound alike, but both are also similar on a technical level.

The U.S. Capitol Police were apparently asleep at the wheel in monitoring security cameras at Paul and Nancy Pelosi's family home in San Francisco during the savage home invasion that nearly killed her husband ... this according to a new report.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday D.C.-based Capitol Police officers in a command center failed to see live images of David DePape allegedly smashing his way inside the Pelosi townhouse 3,000 miles away. The command center has 1,800 cameras watching the Capitol Complex and areas beyond, including the Pelosi townhouse.

Shortly after the break-in, one of the Capitol officers noticed on the security cameras police lights flashing outside the Pelosi residence.

The officer went back and reviewed footage from minutes before, spotting DePape smashing the glass panel with the hammer before entering the Speaker’s home, according to WaPo.

The reported security lapse comes as DePape was arraigned Tuesday on charges of attempted murder and several other felonies. DePape has also been charged federally with attempted kidnapping of a government official (Nancy Pelosi).

As we reported, DePape told the FBI that he planned to shatter Nancy Pelosi's kneecaps because he saw her as a liar. He allegedly brought zip ties, tape and rope with him to apparently tie her up. The Speaker was safe in D.C. at the time of the attack.

But her husband, Paul, was asleep in bed when DePape broke in. Paul was able to make a surreptitious phone call to 911 and speak in code, alerting the operator that something was wrong.

The operator quickly dispatched police, who arrived at the Pelosi residence within minutes. In front of the officers, DePape allegedly clubbed Paul in the head with the hammer, fracturing his skull. Police tackled DePape and took him into custody. DePape is currently being held without bail.

Quavo was toe-to-toe with a group of guys outside that Houston bowling alley -- Takeoff and others had his back while he argued for more than 30 seconds before the shooting began.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained this video of the showdown around 2:30 AM -- you can see and hear Quavo arguing with someone, and Takeoff is a few feet behind him. There's a discussion about playing basketball, and someone -- possibly Quavo -- says "I don't get down like that!"

Seconds later, there's a single crack of gunfire ... and when everyone starts running, a flurry of shots are firing through the crowd. You can hear more than 10 shots in total, and it sounds like they came from at least 2 different weapons.

Chaos ensued, with folks running in all directions to escape the hail of bullets. As we first reported, Takeoff was shot near his head, and despite efforts to resuscitate him -- made by Quavo and a bystander -- he was pronounced dead on the scene.

Members of the Houston Police Department held a press conference Tuesday afternoon and revealed a 23-year-old male and a 24-year-old female were also hit, and went to a hospital for treatment. Cops say most of the witnesses to the shooting fled the scene, and they're asking them to come forward with information about what happened.

Takeoff was only 28.

Originally Published -- 2:08 PM PT

Christina Applegate is opening up about her struggles with multiple sclerosis, ahead of her first appearance on the big screen ... revealing she put on 40 pounds and can't walk without a cane.

The "Married... with Children" star got candid with the New York Times ... saying the upcoming season of "Dead to Me" would be "the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am."

Christina said she had been struggling to accept the weight gain and her impaired mobility ... saying she's aware of all the changes but says, "I'm never going to accept this."

She took it a step further, saying she felt she had to "process the loss of [her] life" ... and was forced to accept a new normal.

As we reported, the actress revealed she'd been diagnosed with MS back in August, 2021. At the time she said, "It's been a strange journey. But, I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition."

She continued, "It's been a tough road. But, as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some asshole blocks it."

Kanye West has folks trying to help him regain billionaire status via crowdfunding -- but his haters have responded with just as much passion.

Here's the deal ... at least one GoFundMe page (possibly more) popped up this week with the goal of making Kanye a billionaire again, soliciting donations ... apparently carried out by people who felt he'd been done dirty amid his antisemitism.

It doesn't sound like any of those campaigns were successful ... reportedly only making a few bucks before they were taken down entirely. More on why they were yanked later.

In response to that nonsense ... even more silliness. Ye haters have rallied in opposition with their own GFMs that are apparently trying to keep him from hitting 10-digits with an interesting strategy -- namely, asking that *they* be made billionaires instead. 😅

The pages are popping up en masse, it seems, with tons of people laying out their logic as ... hey, Kanye sucks and he doesn't deserve to be a billionaire again, but I sure do!!!

Like we said, it's all pretty goofy ... but the fact these GoFundMes are being created as quickly and widely as they are -- from different parts of the world -- just speaks to how angry Kanye has made folks in the wake of his controversial remarks/fall from grace.

FWIW, these new anti-Ye pages are falling flat. None have raised more than $25, and a majority are in the $5 - $6 range.

In other words, Kanye's fans and haters alike have a better chance of winning the lottery than striking it rich from donations. Sources familiar tell TMZ ... GFM's terms of service may explain why the pro-Kanye campaigns were yanked and the anti-Ye ones are still live.

The ACE family has a new estate to call home ... we've learned they've been renting out a $5 million dollar mansion in Hollywood and their monthly payment is five figures.

Our real estate sources tell us Austin and Catherine McBroom have been leasing the 5-bedroom home for $20,000 a month.

The newly constructed farmhouse is 4,900 square feet and it's got a home theater with leather recliners and a pool. The family room, living room and main suite all have fireplaces, and there's a firepit in a covered lounge next to the pool.

The main suite also has a walk-in closet, spa shower and a private deck and balcony ... and the home is outfitted with all the latest built-in technology.

Renting a multi-million dollar mansion is a change of pace for the ACE family ... remember, Austin and Catherine used to own a mega-property in Woodland Hills, but it was foreclosed on in 2021 and sold to another pair of YouTube stars ... Alan and Alex Stokes.

Boxing star Shakur Stevenson was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Takeoff right before the rapper was shot and killed early Tuesday morning in Houston, TMZ Sports has learned.

Thankfully, Shakur wasn't physically injured.

25-year-old Stevenson, a former champ who's regarded as one of the best fighters in the world, was seen on video directly next to the Migos rapper ... wearing a blue hat as an argument turned deadly.

Shakur is from New Jersey ... but now lives in Houston. He was seen partying with Jas Prince earlier in the week. He's also friends with the Migos.

Takeoff was tragically murdered around 2:30 AM Tuesday morning outside of a bowling alley called 810 Billiards & Bowling ... following a heated argument between Quavo and another man.

It's during the verbal altercation that Shakur was seen next to Takeoff.

Houston PD has asked witnesses to come forward to recount their side of the story. It's unclear if police have been in contact with Stevenson or his people.