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The families of the victims killed in Sunday's horrific private jet crash in Florida are breaking their silence ... remembering their loved ones in an emotional statement.

In a joint statement Monday, the families of Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children and three other passengers confirmed their deaths, saying they are heartbroken over the tragedy.

The families remembered Adam and Helen as devoted parents to their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, who were the light of their lives.

A former Ohio State University professor has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting he stabbed his wife to death in a shocking murder he claims was triggered by an online sextortion scheme.

77-year-old James Hill, a retired Ohio State music professor, confessed to killing his wife, attempting to stab his dog, and then plunging a knife into his own chest after a woman he met online allegedly threatened to release his nude photos unless he paid her $15,000 in Apple gift cards.

According to court documents, Hill told investigators he believed the only way out of the situation was to kill his entire family.

Terrance Banks -- the man accused of killing 15 dogs in Florida -- seemed ready to go to jail when cops arrived the day he was arrested ... spinning around and putting his hands behind his back with no direction from officers.

Body cam footage from the tragic day shows officers walking up to Banks ... asking him for help identifying and corralling several dogs who are loose in the neighborhood -- telling him he's the only one who can help them do so.

Terrance, however, seems distraught ... repeating several times that it's simply over ... and moving to put his hands behind his back.

The Florida plane crash victims were headed to the Bahamas to celebrate Adam Robinson's birthday when their trip took a tragic turn ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Adam, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children were traveling to the tropical destination for a birthday celebration when the private jet they were on crashed Sunday, killing everyone on board.

We're told the family was planning to spend about a week in The Bahamas.

The company Disney star Erik von Detten worked for when he allegedly played an "instrumental" role in finding customers to buy gold says it owes over $60 million to creditors ... TMZ learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Rosland Capital, where Erik worked for years, revealed the massive figure as part of its ongoing bankruptcy.

Rosland Capital listed debts of $63,695,061. The company's business involved selling precious metals to retail customers.

Brad Pitt has officially been dropped from another one of his kids' names ... his 18-year-old daughter Vivienne has legally ditched her famous father's surname ... TMZ has confirmed.

A Los Angeles judge approved Vivienne's petition Monday, changing her legal name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie.

The judge signed off on the request after no objections were filed.

11:42 AM PT -- The passengers on the private jet have been identified.

The captain who was flying the private jet that crashed in Palm Beach County is Jeff Gregory ... TMZ has learned.

A family member of Gregory's tells TMZ ... the 55-year-old Gregory was piloting the lear 60, along with the co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha.

The NTSB held a news conference Monday, confirming ice began to form on the plane in the middle of moderate turbulence. The crew asked to increase altitude from 35,000 feet to 37,000 feet shortly before an emergency was declared.

The crew, along with 7 passengers, perished in the crash.

RIP

Ellen DeGeneres and Allison Holker Boss are among the famous names appearing on a GoFundMe supporting the family of former "Ellen DeGeneres Show" executive producer Matthew Wright, who died suddenly.

The fundraiser's public donor list shows a $5K contribution under Ellen's name, while Allison, the widow of Ellen's former DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss, is listed as donating $500.

Ellen's longtime executive producer Andy Lassner is also listed as contributing $1K, along with "Dancing with the Stars" executive producer Conrad Green, who gave the same amount.

Ariana Grande is spreading a little extra love in the Big Apple ... teaming up with boyfriend Ricky Alvarez to give one New York City Marathon runner the surprise of a lifetime.

The couple was spotted cheering on runners from the sidelines Sunday when an influencer named Ella Schweiger approached them with an unusual request ... write a message of encouragement for a complete stranger who had just tackled the grueling 26.2-mile race.

Ariana was more than happy to oblige ... grabbing a pen and writing "You did it!" alongside some hearts. She signed the sweet note, "Ari + Ricky."

Kai Trump and University of Miami kicker Jake Weinberg have sparked dating rumors ... but TMZ has learned there's no romance between the two.

A rep for President Donald Trump's granddaughter tells TMZ ... Kai and Jake are just friends and they are NOT dating.

Jake previously played football at Florida State University before transferring to Miami, where Kai is a member of the women's golf team.

Some pretty major details for "The Batman: Part II" might've accidentally leaked ... and it's all thanks to Heidi Klum's Halloween costume.

Here's the deal ... prosthetics expert Mike Marino -- the same guy who transformed Colin Farrell into The Penguin for the HBO series and the first "The Batman" film -- helped create Heidi's elaborate severed hand costume ... and his company may have leaked the villains for the upcoming film.

When prosthetics supplier The Makeup Armoury posted some behind-the-scenes photos, they seemed to be inadvertently revealing who Robert Pattison's Batman is up against.

Lucian Piane's official cause of death has been revealed nearly three weeks after the "RuPaul's Drag Race" music producer was struck and killed by a car in California ... he died from blunt force trauma.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, his manner of death was ruled an accident.

While his cause of death has been determined, the medical examiner's office tells TMZ the full autopsy report remains pending and is not yet ready for release.

Christa Pike claims prison officials are making her clean a shower crawling with roaches, despite her weakened physical condition ... and she's afraid the filthy conditions could leave her with a serious infection.

The death row inmate recently returned to the emergency room after being sent back to prison following her botched execution attempt, and now she's raising concerns about the conditions she's facing behind bars.

According to a new court filing, obtained by TMZ, Pike says her physical health has deteriorated to the point where she's worried about being exposed to infections and suffering further injuries -- arguing the prison's expectations are unreasonable, given her current medical condition.

We're definitely not in Oz anymore, Toto!

Somewhere over the rainbow, it's gettin' steamy ... and Iris Kendall and Sky Bri followed the yellow brick road to short skirts and killer curves!

The question here is: Who'd You Rather?!

Dolly Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, is asking a judge to dismiss the case filed against him by the entity running his late aunt's estate ... essentially calling the case total BS.

Seaver laid out his response in new legal docs filed on Monday ... arguing that he never threatened Danny Nozell or anyone else involved with Dolly's estate or business.

Seaver says controversial text messages he sent were made in jest ... and argues Nozell's responses prove he knew Seaver was joking.

Will Smith backed up his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, after she allegedly threatened to kill his former friend who was planning to publish a book with details about the Smith family ... this according to newly legal docs filed by the former friend.

Bilaal Salaam, the former friend suing Jada, dropped the bombshell in newly filed court docs ... claiming the conversation went down on or around October 5, 2021.

Bilaal said he was on the call with Will, Jada, and Will's other friend, Charlie Mack. He claims Jada told him she would have him killed if he continued to move forward with a planned memoir talking about his time with the Smiths.