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The truck driver who caused the crash that killed 4 and whose sentence of 110 years behind bars motivated more than 5 million people, including Kim Kardashian, to get behind his cause has been granted clemency by Colorado's Governor ... and his sentence has been reduced to 10 years.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was driving an 18-wheeler in 2019 when the truck's brakes failed, causing the horrific pileup crash. His 110 year sentence was mandatory, but caused public outcry from those who felt it was harsh and unfair given the whole thing was an accident.

In his clemency letter Thursday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said, "The crimes you were convicted of are serious. Four individuals lost their lives and others were seriously injured because of your bad decisions.”

He continued, "Though your actions have caused immense pain, I am encouraged by your personal reflection and the commercial vehicle safety changes that were made in the wake of this tragedy to ensure this type of event never happens again.”

As we reported, Kim Kardashian was made aware of the case after Rogel's sentencing, and urged the Gov. to get involved to reduce his sentence.

Rogel will be eligible for parole in 2026.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been found guilty on all but one count in her sex trafficking trial.

Maxwell faced 6 charges ...  accused of soliciting and grooming minors for abuse and sex crimes at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, which date from 1994 up until 2004. She was convicted on 5 counts, including sex trafficking of a minor. The jury deliberated for 6 days.

During the trial, 4 women testified that they had been sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein when they were all under the age of 18 ... and said Maxwell helped Epstein and sometimes even participated in the abuse.

Maxwell pled not guilty to all charges. Her lawyers insisted she had been a scapegoat for Epstein ... who committed suicide in custody back in 2019 while awaiting trial.

She could face decades behind bars.

Kim Kardashian's business manager has been murdered, and the manager's boyfriend has been charged with the crime.

Angie Kukawski repped a bunch of celebs, including Kim. According to the LAPD, Angie had been reported missing and on December 23, police went to an address in Simi Valley where they found her body inside a vehicle.

Her boyfriend, 49-year-old Jason Barker, was arrested and charged with her murder.

Police claim Barker killed Angie at her Sherman Oaks home, put her body in the car and drove it to Simi.

Angie worked for a number of other celebs, including Nicki Minaj and Kanye. She also did work for Tupac's estate.

A member of her firm, Todd Bozick, told Variety, “We are saddened and heartbroken by the loss of our colleague, Angie Kukawski. Angie was a kind, wonderful person, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Our deepest condolences go out to all of Angie’s family and friends.”

Angie was 55.  RIP

Former MMA fighter David Koenig's remains were found in a wooded area of Missouri last week, roughly two years after he went missing ... cops announced on Monday.

According to the Branson Police Department, a man searching for deer antlers on Dec. 22 discovered the skeletal remains ... and an ensuing investigation revealed they belonged to Koenig.

The ex-mixed martial artist had been reported missing back in early 2020 -- after his family and friends say he disappeared from a Peach Tree Inn in Branson and later sent disturbing messages asking for help.

Authorities say they searched for Koenig for "thousands of hours" following his disappearance.

Investigators said Monday Koenig's remains showed no signs of trauma ... adding that it appeared there was no "foul play" involved in his death.

"Nobody killed Dave. Nobody!" Koenig's mother, Tracy, wrote on social media on Monday. "He left the Peachtree on foot and never made it home."

She added, "Why he was in distress, and why he walked through the deep woods…..we most likely will never know. But he is GONE."

Koenig was 25 years old at the time of his disappearance.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a leader in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, has died.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Tutu's death, praising him as "a patriot without equal," adding he was "A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world."

Tutu was recognized worldwide for his efforts, winning a Nobel Peace Prize ... among many other honors.

Tutu's efforts cannot be overstated ... he was the major force behind the challenge to end racial segregation in South Africa. After Nelson Mandela was released from prison and became President of South Africa, he tapped Tutu for the position of chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said of Tutu ... "He was larger than life, and for so many in South Africa and around the world his life has been a blessing. His contributions to struggles against injustice, locally and globally, are matched only by the depth of his thinking about the making of liberatory futures for human societies."

Tutu received praise from the U.S. for his efforts to end apartheid. Back in 2009, then-President Obama bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tutu.

Tutu's efforts were not without great risk. As you know, the South African government retaliated against many leaders in the movement, including Nelson Mandela ... throwing a number of them in prison and shutting down opposition groups.

The Archbishop of Cape Town announced the church will organize Tutu's funeral and memorial, saying ... "Desmond Tutu's legacy is moral strength, moral courage and clarity. He felt with the people. In public and alone, he cried because he felt people's pain. And he laughed -- no, not just laughed, he cackled with delight when he shared their joy."

Two more BTS members have now tested positive for Covid-19 -- bringing the total to 3 out of 7.

Rapper RM and singer Jin also contracted the virus of late ... this according to their management company, Big Hit Music. The diagnoses came down after the group's return to South Korea after touring the United States.

As far as the contraction timeline ... Reuters reports RM and Jin both received negative tests in early December after touching down in their home country -- but still had to quarantine anyway per S. Korea's Covid rules.

It wasn't long after that RM tested positive ... just as he was about to exit the local 'rona protocols. Jin, meanwhile, tested negative twice upon leaving quarantine ... but soon, he too felt symptoms and was deemed to be positive. They're considered breakthrough cases.

Like we told you ... Suga, another BTS member, tested positive as well. Big Hit Music makes sure to note that none of them have been in contact with their other bandmates ... the remaining 4 who are negative for now.

Scary Xmas over at Windsor Castle ... an armed dude somehow penetrated the grounds before getting nabbed by cops.

The intruder is 19, carrying what British authorities call an "offensive weapon." That, folks, is British to the core.

Here's the thing ... it's scary because the Queen was at Windsor with Charles and Camilla.  Edward, Sophie and their 2 kids were also on hand to celebrate.

The armed trespasser did not make it inside any of the buildings, but still, getting on the grounds is crazy!

Queen Elizabeth skipped Xmas service ... staying indoors -- presumably because of COVID.

The suspect was busted on suspicion of trespass of a protected site, and possession of an offensive weapon. He's still in custody.  Police said, "We can confirm security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings. Members of the Royal Family have been informed about the incident. We do not believe there is a wider danger to the public."

There's gonna be less space in space, because the newest clutter is the most powerful telescope ever hurled into the heavens, and it promises a new, never-before-seen look that could alter the way earthlings live.

We're talkin' The James Webb Space Telescope, which lifted off early Xmas morning from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

NASA described the launch this way ...  "At 7:20am ET (12:20 UTC), the beginning of a new, exciting decade of science climbed to the sky. Webb’s mission to #UnfoldTheUniverse will change our understanding of space as we know it."

That may not be an overstatement ... the telescope is the most powerful and most complex ... a space observatory that will study exoplanets -- those are planets outside our solar system.

Thing is ... scientists think some of the exoplanets could be habitable, and that means 1) is there existing life on any of them? And 2) could we live there either by choice or necessity?

There have been years of delay in launching the scope for various reasons. As for specs -- its mirror can extend more than 21 feet, which gives it the ability to capture more light from the objects it's photographing ... and that will enhance the details scientists will study.

The mirror has 18 hexagonal, gold-coated segments ... fancy!

Bottom line ... scientists should be able to see things, including planets, they've never seen before.

BTS's Suga has joined the ever-growing crowd, testing positive for COVID ... and that makes him the second major K-pop star to catch the virus in the last month.

Suga tested positive Friday ... according to his management team. It seems he was flying back from the U.S. to Korea Thursday and tested negative before getting on the plane, but that's a test given 72 hours before flying.

He took the test in Korea Thursday and got the positive results the next day. So, it's possible/almost certain he flew with COVID.

Suga was quarantined after getting tested and even before he got his results -- this per Korean guidelines. According to his team, he was not in contact with other BTS band members, although the time frame here is unclear.

Suga's been fully vaccinated since August, so this was clearly a breakthrough infection. Also unclear if it's Delta or Omicron. His team says he's experiencing no symptoms.

Last month, the group performed a bunch of shows in California ... and Suga stayed on for "personal engagements" and has been working on side projects, according to Big Hit Music.

Robbie Roper -- a star high school quarterback from the 2022 class in Georgia -- tragically died on Wednesday after complications from surgery.

He was only 18.

Roper's family made the devastating announcement via Twitter ... saying, "We just wanted to update everyone on Robbie. Robbie just passed."

"He was the biggest joy to our family. We are proud of the young man he has become."

"He will be missed by his friends and family dearly."

Roswell High School football coach, Chris Prewett, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Roper was in the hospital on Sunday after suffering complications from a routine surgery.

"Robbie fought hard," Coach Prewett said, "and battled until the very end like he did everything else."

Roper was a dual-threat QB who had 3,010 yards and 37 touchdowns this season -- in one of those games, he had 447 yards and 6 TDs.

The 6'4", 215 pound QB led Roswell High to a 10-3 winning record and was named Georgia's Region 5 Class 7A Player Of The Year.

Roper received several college offers including Massachusetts, Morehead State and recently the Florida Gators who were informed of the terrible news.

"During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Roper family," the Florida team said.

Roper was also a great student and earned a 3.9 GPA.

The Astroworld Festival tragedy has now become an issue of national importance -- because Uncle Sam is stepping in and demanding to know what happened ... and STAT.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is requesting that Live Nation -- the main promoter for the event -- come to the table for a conversation about how 10 people ended up dying at the concert ... requesting any and all pertinent info on the colossal failure.

The effort to get to the bottom of this at the congressional level is being headed up by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and Rep. James Comer, the Ranking Member ... among other members of the committee.

In their open letter, the Representatives write ... "Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival."

They add, "For instance, reports indicate that security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries. Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape. Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs."

The House also says there is a disturbing window of time that public officials in Houston have pointed out -- saying they declared the event a mass casualty relatively early into Travis Scott's set, and allegedly told event staff people were going down ... only to have the show go on for several more minutes. The committee members want answers on that, too.

The Oversight Committee notes they're deeply saddened by the loss of life, and are drilling down in hopes of figuring out what went wrong ... and preventing this in the future. They're asking for info to be sent from LN no later than Jan. 7, and even a briefing by Jan. 12.

The Omicron variant is all over the Big Apple, and a new spike in cases has got everyone spooked -- including the folks over at 'SNL' ... who will go without a live audience tonight.

"Saturday Night Live" honchos made the announcement Saturday, just hours before showtime ... with Paul Rudd slated to step in as host, and Charli XCX as musical guest. There were rumors they may nix the show entirely, but they met somewhere in the middle.

The official 'SNL' IG page posted a new message, which reads ... "Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight's taping of 'Saturday Night Live' and the show will have limited cast and crew."

The statement goes on to say their show continues to follow all government safety protocols, with rigorous testing in place.

The limited cast and crew line is curious in the wake of a report claiming 4 'SNL' members actually caught the 'rona -- which a production source confirms to TMZ. There were also rumblings that 3 others called in sick out of fear, but we're told that's not accurate.

In any case, it's clear they're working without at least a handful of people tonight -- at this point, it's unclear who's out sick ... or if Paul or Charli are expected to show at this point.

PR was featured in a promo they just put up earlier today, so presumably ... he might still be available. Of course, it's a huge deal -- as this is the last show of the year before they go on a little hiatus ... so it'll be interesting to see how they handle the last-minute changes.

We've reached out to a rep for 'SNL' ... so far, no word back.

Tiger Woods is back to playing pro golf again -- this after his nasty car wreck -- and he's doing alongside none other than his own ... both of whom have some ground to gain.

Round one of the PNC Championship is underway Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes in Orlando, where TW and Charlie Woods joined forces anew to play in a little father-son competition among other golfers and their kids.

As you can imagine, the fanfare was at an all-time high for the Woods family ... as this marks the first time Tiger has played in an actual tourney of any kind since getting crumpled in his automobile accident in February ... which left his legs shattered.

For Tiger's tee-off, everybody's eyes were on him ... and he hit a pretty decent shot to kick things off, with one guy clearly excited behind him -- shouting, "Welcome back, Big Cat!"

From there, Charlie started getting into his groove as well ... looking like a chip off the old block as he teed off himself with a beautiful drive -- which his dad later sunk with a putt.

From the outset, they were looking pretty good as a team ... but at the moment, they're well behind. As it stands, Team Woods is tied for 13th place as they approach the 11th hole. There's 36 holes total that they'll get through between today and tomorrow, and they're just past the midway point for today's round.

Basically, they're playing from behind right now ... but they have a ways to go before the day's out -- and could easily pull ahead, especially if they play as well as they have been thus far. And, as most everyone knows by now, never count Tiger Woods out.

Bigger picture though -- Tiger is looking fantastic out there ... as is his boy.

It's pretty miraculous to see the guy out here after everything he's been through. He addressed that before hitting the links, writing ... "Although it's been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the @PNCchampionship with my son Charlie. I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

As you well know by now, Tiger's been on a long road of recovery since his February crash ... but steadily, he's been rehabbing and getting back onto golf courses. The only question now is ... will he eventually feel good enough to hop back into a solo PGA tournament???

Louisiana Judge Michelle Odinet has been suspended by the state's Supreme Court after a sickening video of her using the n-word went viral earlier this week.

Docs filed Friday read, "hereby is disqualified from exercising judicial functions, without salary, during the pendency of further proceedings in these matters." This means the LA Supreme Court has officially opened an investigation against the disgraced judge ... with the possibility of more action to be taken in the future.

People across the country have called for Odinet's resignation after a video, being played on a home TV screen, shows surveillance footage of a fleeing suspect apprehended by a homeowner after allegedly breaking into a car on the property.

While you can't see any faces, a male voice can be heard saying, "And Mom's yelling n****r, n****r," followed by a female voice, alleged to be Judge Odinet, laughing and saying, "We have a n****r. It's a n****r, like a roach."

The top football recruit in the nation will be suiting up for Deion Sanders' Jackson State Tigers next season ... with Travis Hunter flipping from Florida State to play for the NFL legend's team.

The 5-star cornerback made the move official during national signing day at Collins Hill High in GA on Wednesday ... tossing hats from Georgia, Auburn and FSU -- the school he committed to in March 2020 -- and putting on a JSU Tigers cap!!

Of course, Sanders is a Seminoles legend ... and was rumored to be a candidate for FSU's head coaching spot after Willie Taggart was fired in 2019.

So yeah, this one's gotta sting in Tallahassee.

Hunter spoke about his decision to switch to Jackson State ... saying, "Jerry Rice, Doug Williams, and of course the legend, JSU's own Walter Payton -- Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history in football."

"I want to be part of that history in football. I want to be part of that history, and more, I want to be part of that future."

Hunter says he hopes this move can show other high school recruits that playing for a HBCU isn't a bad thing and "may be everything you want and more."

"I look forward to working with the iconic Deion Sanders, and especially my fellow Tigers."

Of course, Coach Prime is hyped -- saying on Instagram, "When we stick together anything can happen."

O.J. Simpson's parole has ended early ... and, according to his attorney, he's now "a completely free man."

A spokesperson for the Nevada State Police confirmed to TMZ Sports that Simpson was, in fact, discharged from parole earlier this month.

According to the spokesperson, Simpson -- who had been on parole since Oct. 1, 2017 -- was awarded good behavior credits which made him eligible for ending it early.

His parole was initially set to expire on Feb. 9, 2022.

"Mr. Simpson is a completely free man now," the former NFL star's attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, told the Associated Press following the news.

Of course, 74-year-old Simpson had been on parole after he served nine years behind bars following his conviction in his armed robbery case in 2008.

You'll recall, Simpson had been convicted of leading a group of men -- including several who were armed -- into a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007 to steal memorabilia from people he said had previously stolen from him.

O.J. was originally sentenced to 33 years behind bars for the crime.

Simpson has been living in Las Vegas since his release from jail -- golfing often while commenting on NFL games on his Twitter page.