Crime & Arrests

Adnan Syed -- whose murder conviction was the subject of the "Serial" podcast and will be examined on an upcoming HBO documentary series -- will NOT get a new trial after all ... so says the Maryland Court of Appeals.

The court reinstated Syed's conviction Friday for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, ruling that his defense attorney -- while admitting she was deficient -- "did not prejudice" the case.

The 4 judges wrote in their conclusion, "We agree with the conclusion of the Court of Special Appeals that Mr. Syed's trial counsel's performance was deficient ... in failing to investigate the alibi witness," but added ... "We disagree, however with that court's conclusion that Mr. Syed was prejudiced by his trial counsel's deficiency."

Translation -- his lawyer sucked ... but she's not the reason why Syed was found guilty.

It should be noted the other 3 judges on the panel disagreed, and believe the deficiency was prejudicial against him and his defense.

As we reported ... Adnan was granted a new trial in June 2016 by a Maryland judge because his original lawyer failed to cross-examine an expert witness. An appeal by the state was expected, though ... and it didn't go Syed's way.

The murder was the subject of the first season of "Serial" and garnered massive attention to the case, and HBO will begin airing a 4-part docuseries Sunday night -- picking up where the true-crime podcast left off -- called "The Case Against Adnan Syed."

After the court's ruling, Syed's attorney Justin Brown tweeted, "We will not give up. #FreeAdnan."

R. Kelly says he's short on cash and running out of options, so he's going to try a new tactic -- beg the court to cut him a financial break.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the singer planned to file a motion Monday to reduce the amount of money he owes his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, in back child support. Once filed, the judge would review the case and issue a ruling, but that could take several days. There's also no guarantee the judge would grant a reduction.

That was Kelly's initial plan. Plan B, we're told, is trying to scrape together the $161k through the assistance of others -- not unlike the woman who paid the $100k to bail him out last month.

If he can make that happen, there's a chance he could get out of Cook County jail on Friday.

As we reported ... Kelly was arrested Wednesday for failing to come up with the child support money. He's stuck in a jail cell until he can pay the ordered amount -- $161,633.

Kelly publicly blamed his ex for his failure to pay child support during his CBS interview, claiming her "lies" about his abuse are the reason he can't make any dough.

He also claims he's trying to reconnect with his kids, but sources close to the situation say that's BS ... he hasn't even reached out to his family in well over a year.

21 Savage could be on the hook for $1 million after a promoter says he bailed on a gig back in 2016.

If the incident sounds familiar -- it should -- it's the same case that was recently rejected by the D.A.'s Office after the office claimed it was a civil matter ... so the promoter is doing just that.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Sadaetirs Kent Smith, a club promoter, is now suing the rapper alleging he bailed on a performance back in September 2016 and never returned the amount he had been paid ... $16,500.

We broke the story ... the promoter went to cops in October 2016 and filed paperwork to get a felony warrant against 21 Savage for theft by deception, claiming he walked off with $17k for a show that never went down.

As for the $1 million figure ... Smith says the breach of contract caused severe emotional distress.

12:02 PM PT -- We've now learned Gloria Allred will represent the woman who made claims Kelly sexually abused her at just 13 years old in Detroit ... police are looking into the accusations.

The victim tells us, "Listening to R. Kelly's denials about what he did to underage girls like me was very hurtful. He needs to tell the truth and he needs to stop playing the victim. He was the adult and I was the child. He has no right to take advantage of me when I was only a 13-year-old child."

R. Kelly's ex-wife claims his abusive ways didn't end when they got divorced ... she says he tried to control her by cutting her off from child support.

A rep for Drea Kelly tells TMZ ... the embattled singer knew EXACTLY where to hit Drea where it hurt her most after she spoke out in June 2018 -- on a show called "Sister Circle Live" -- and alleged he'd been physically and mentally abusive during their marriage.

We're told the singer -- who has 3 kids with Drea -- had sporadically been paying child support, but lo and behold ... the payments completely stopped after her interview aired on TV.

Drea's team says her career took a hard hit after she had her first kid -- Kelly wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom, set strict rules for her and insisted she only work for him. When the marriage hit rock bottom ... she was a single mother without a job.

That control didn't stop after they split -- Drea says Kelly's unwillingness to take care of his kids was a form of control because he knew damn well she needed his financial support.

She says sometimes he would pay in full, sometimes late and sometimes nothing at all. Bottom line ... she never knew how much, if any, money they'd have to live on.

As for Kelly dumping all his problems on Drea -- she says that's a load of crap.

Although he ranted to CBS that he can't make money because of her abuse allegations, Drea points out the #MuteRKelly movement started well over a year before she spoke out.

Paris Hilton's former party pad is hitting the rental market, which means you can live it up like the famous socialite and her celeb friends -- if you've got the cash. A lot of it.

Paris' old crib is well-known across Hollywood for its legendary parties, and it's the same place where Kim Kardashian styled Paris' hair back in the day. It doesn't come with Kim, though, so here's what ya do get.

The Spanish-style, Hollywood Hills pad has a baller backyard, breathtaking views and endless entertainment options ... perfect for hosting parties. Obvi. Check out the pics, and you'll know why P enjoyed tons of wild nights with Nicole Richie before she moved out in 2007.

Less fun fact: this is where Paris was living when cops came to haul her back to jail in 2007 -- one day after she'd been released -- for a probation violation.

The house recently sold for $3.9 million, but the new owner's looking to rent it out in the next few weeks.

Conor McGregor's bus attack drama is OVER -- and he can thank Jesus for the assist.

TMZ Sports has learned the UFC superstar has completed his sentence in his bus attack case -- where he was ordered to do 5 days of community service and complete an anger management course.

Our sources tell us ... both McGregor and officials wanted Conor to be able to serve his community service without creating a giant public spectacle, so they came up with a plan where he would work in 2 different churches in the Brooklyn area.

As for his specific tasks, one source put it this way -- "He performed manual labor."

We're also told the staff at both churches had glowing remarks about Conor -- with one source telling us, "They all loved him."

During the service, we're also told Conor had a "long and meaningful conversation with a reverend" -- though it's unclear exactly what they talked about.

The good news for Conor ... now that he's completed the terms of his plea deal, it's essentially case closed.

As we previously reported, Conor's attorneys negotiated the plea deal in the felony mischief case -- after the Irish superstar threw a dolly at a UFC bus on April 5, injuring several fighters.

Conor was initially charged with 1 count of felony criminal mischief and 3 counts of misdemeanor assault.

Back in July, prosecutors agreed to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor -- which is a big deal since a felony involving violence could have triggered permanent deportation from the U.S.

The 30-year-old UFC fighter faced up to 7 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Conor is still facing civil lawsuits stemming from the bus attack -- with UFC fighter Michael Chiesa suing McGregor for injuries he sustained in the incident.

Chiesa was on the bus when Conor threw the steel dolly and suffered cuts from the broken glass of the shattered window.

There's a new twist in one of the federal investigations into R. Kelly -- a new witness who's corroborating 2 women's allegations of sexual misconduct.

Gloria Allred tells TMZ ... a woman has come forward with details that support the claims Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington -- Allred's clients -- made about Kelly attacking them after a Baltimore concert in 1995.

As we reported, Latresa and Rochelle claim R. Kelly picked them out of the crowd, plied them with drugs and alcohol, invited them to his hotel room and had sex with Latresa without her consent. Both women were minors at the time.

We're told the witness -- who is going only by her first name, Sabrina -- says she saw Latresa and Rochelle in the hotel lobby the night of the alleged incident. She says she noticed Latresa bent over in pain getting out of the hotel elevator.

Sabrina says she offered help and when she asked what happened ... they said R. Kelly assaulted Latresa. We're told Sabrina came forward after seeing Latresa and Rochelle's recent news conference.

We're told all 3 women have spoken to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

They came together Thursday for an interview with a Maryland reporter, and we're told Latresa was crying tears of joy due to Sabrina's support.

Forget the Grammys, R. Kelly should be up for an Oscar after his over-the-top performance during Gayle King's interview ... so says one of the first women to speak out about Kelly's alleged sexual abuse.

Sparkle, the singer who had a hit song with R. Kelly in 1998, was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and said the real reason Kelly's losing it on camera is because it's all getting too real.

Translation: he's staring down the possibility of hard time in prison and he's terrified.

As you know ... Kelly wore his emotions on his sleeve in his first interview since being arrested on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, looking distraught and exploding in tears. All of that coming the day before he got locked up in Cook County jail, again, for failure to pay child support.

Cops working the Jussie Smollett case allegedly had seriously loose lips, and now the police force is launching an internal investigation.

Chicago PD tells us its Chief of Detectives opened the investigation out of concerns the force was leaking like a sieve. CPD adds there's been a ton of "inaccurate" info in the media, and they want to know who's putting it out there.

A police spokesman tells TMZ ... "When there are allegations of information being leaked, an internal investigation has been opened and we are also looking at our vulnerabilities."

Smollett's attorney, Mark Geragos, blasted the police during a CNN appearance saying the leaks were a thinly veiled attempt to skewer the actor.

Shawn Oakman is hoping NFL teams were paying attention when he was found NOT GUILTY in his rape case ... because the ex-college football star hopes to get a real shot to play pro football.

Oakman was a projected 1st-round draft pick while playing at Baylor -- where he set the school record for career sacks. But, no team wanted to touch him in the 2016 NFL Draft after he was arrested and charged with raping a woman at his apartment.

The 6'9", 265-pounder has been keeping himself in shape and playing semi-pro ball while his case was active ... but now that he was found not guilty last week, he's hoping he can make the jump to the NFL.

"I want to play football at the highest level and just really finally get my chance,” Oakman told KWTX.

"I think God will set the right path for me but I don't feel like I have to beg for anything, it's not a begging matter. I don't want anybody to hand me anything. I want to earn it and everything I get."

Oakman says he's grateful for the support he's received since the trial ... and plans to return to his old stomping grounds.

The husband and wife stars of "Tanked" got into a nasty fight at home that ended with him getting roughed up and her in handcuffs ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Heather King was arrested Wednesday in Las Vegas after she allegedly slapped her husband, Wayde, in the face and kicked him in the stomach twice during a heated argument.

We're told cops were called to their house and noticed visible redness on the right side of Wayde's stomach. He also told police when Heather drove away, he was hanging out the window of her car.

Our sources say Heather admitted to cops she slapped Wayde, but only because he wouldn't let her leave a room -- and she also denies dragging him with her car.

Heather was booked for misdemeanor domestic violence, and has been released from custody.

The couple's Animal Planet show follows Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, an aquarium company in Vegas owned by Wayde and his brother-in-law, Brett Raymer. Brett is Heather's bro, and she's the accountant.

The show has installed incredible fish tanks and aquariums into the homes of several celebs ... like Tracy Morgan, Alyssa Milano, Shaq, Neil Patrick Harris, Betty White, David Hasselhoff, Howie Mandel, and Ludacris.

7:45 AM PT-- Kelly directly addressed his failure to pay child support during his CBS interview ... and is blaming his ex-wife, Drea. He claims her "lies" about his abuse are the very reason he can't make money to pay her.

R. Kelly's lying through his teeth when he says he's trying to have a relationship with his children, because he's had a chance to for years and ignored it.

Sources close to the situation are calling BS on some of Kelly's antics with CBS News ... particularly the part of about "trying to have a relationship with my kids." We're told the singer hasn't even tried to reach out to his 3 children with his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, since 2017.

As we reported ... the singer went ballistic during his interview with Gayle King, and at one point screamed he was only trying to repair ties with his kids and didn't care about his career.

Our sources say that's all for show -- after all, we're told he changed his number and never gave it to Drea.

Speaking of Drea ... she maintains she's open to Kelly reconnecting with their children, who are adults now -- which is somewhat surprising, considering how she ripped into him in the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries.

Kelly's daughter, Buku Abi, also says she and her siblings have been estranged from their father for years. Although, she called him a "monster" ... Kelly, ironically, chalks that up to brainwashing from Drea.

Either way, Kelly has definitely come up short with his kids when it comes to child support ... which is why he was arrested again Wednesday. As we reported, he'll need to fork over more than $161k to Drea to be released.

3/8 6:30 AM PT -- A judge set Alvarado's bail at $30,000 cash or $75,000 bond.

A guy who's clearly Taylor Swift-obsessed is in custody after going full cat burglar, allegedly ... he was busted after climbing onto her roof and kicking in a door, and it's not his first time on the premises.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Roger Alvarado managed to get on the roof of Taylor's Tribeca pad early Thursday morning -- around 2 AM -- but once he busted down a door to gain entry her alarm system sounded. We're told Taylor's security team reacted immediately, calling cops to the scene.

Alvarado was arrested on the scene, which has gotta feel like deja vu for him. NYPD nabbed him last April at this same residence. You might recall, this is the guy who actually took a shower in Taylor's pad before he was busted last year.

In December, he pled guilty to attempted burglary and criminal contempt. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail -- and was credited with time served since he'd been behind bars since the original April arrest -- and 5 years probation.

Taylor was not home at the time, and Alvarado is still in custody.

'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Peter Thomas is THIS close to getting sprung from a Florida jail ... following his arrest for allegedly writing a bad check in Louisiana.

TMZ broke the story ... Peter was busted Friday after getting off a plane at Miami Intl. Airport. The arrest stemmed from an outstanding warrant in Louisiana, where he was wanted for allegedly writing a $4k check that bounced.

But now, the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... Peter's resolved the matter after his attorney paid the guy $4k. Because he squared away the debt, the D.A.'s Office will not move forward with the case.

We're told Peter is still in custody in Miami but the D.A.'s in the process of notifying the Sheriff's Office, and Peter will soon be set free. Peter's attorney, Keith A. Doley, tells TMZ, "This appears to have been a very big misunderstanding on several people's part and It was not a malicious intent on Mr. Thomas’ end."

Peter -- who infamously pulled a knife on Kenya Moore's ex, Matt Jordan, back in 2017 -- told us the allegations were false and he had no doubt he'll be acquitted from any wrongdoing.

Looks like he was right.

3/6 9:20 AM PT -- We got Gayle Wednesday leaving CBS Studios in NYC just hours after the network released her explosive one-on-one interview with R. Kelly. Our photog asks her point blank if she feels like R. Kelly was telling her the truth, and more importantly ... whether she thought she was in danger when he stood up and started shouting.

Check out her answer -- she says she thinks R. Kelly has "selective amnesia." And, it sounds like there's a reason why she was able to remain so poised when R. Kelly lost his s***.

3/6 8:35 AM PT -- We spoke with Joycelyn Savage's father, Tim Savage, in Atlanta who says after watching the interview, he fears for his daughter's life. He also says the behaviors exhibited by Kelly during his sit-down with Gayle are clear signs of an abuser.

The Savage family also spoke with Joycelyn after their presser and they all crowded around the phone to speak with her. Joycelyn, however, insisted she is exactly where she wants to be, and does not consider herself a victim.

3/6 6:08 AM PT -- CBS just aired the part of the interview where Kelly gets up and shouts ... he yells he's fighting not only for his own rights, but to have a relationship with his kids too. There were also claims Kelly was abused as a child, and that's why this has all happened ... Kelly denies it.

Attorney Michael Avenatti ain't buying Kelly's emotional interview. Remember, Avenatti uncovered the new sex tapes which led to prosecutors charging Kelly last month -- and Tuesday night he told us the singer's only crying crocodile tears now ... 'cause he's going to prison.

R. Kelly was distraught talking about the recent allegations against him and pleading for people to believe he's innocent ... shouting, "I'm fighting for my f***ing life!"

Kelly sat down with Gayle King Tuesday in his first interview since he was arrested on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. King presses Kelly on the recent allegations, and clearly hits a soft spot when asked if Kelly has ever held women against their will.

The singer explodes, looking directly into the camera and urging viewers to believe it's all lies. Kelly points to his past -- cases in which he's been accused of inappropriate sexual acts -- as proof he'd never commit a crime again, knowing all eyes were on him.

At one point, Kelly begins to sob, saying, "I'm fighting for my f***ing life!"

As we reported ... Kelly was taken into custody February 22 in Chicago and spent several days behind bars before coming up with his $100,000 bail. Upon his release, the singer hit up a local McDonald's. He's also still on the hook for nearly $200,000 in child support.

The full interview will air Wednesday morning on "CBS This Morning."

03/06 -- Maybin addressed the arrest Wednesday morning ... saying "Life's greatest lessons are usually learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes."

"I take full responsibility for my actions and am deeply sorry to all those that I let down - my family, my friends, my supporters, my teammates, and the entire SF Giants front office."

"Life is about growth and I'm choosing to learn and grow from this valuable life lesson."

More bad news for the San Francisco Giants ...

This time, outfielder Cameron Maybin was arrested for drunk driving in Arizona -- after going on a sad 0-16 slump in spring training.

31-year-old Maybin was pulled over around 2:25 AM on Friday morning after cops say he was speeding and swerving in Scottsdale.

During the stop, Maybin told officers he had 5 glasses of wine at a fancy restaurant earlier that evening -- but tried to take a nap to sleep it off ... and thought he was fine to get back on the road.

Spoiler alert: he wasn't.

Cops say Maybin took a breathalyzer test and blew a .127 -- well over the .08 legal limit.

The Giants -- which just signed Maybin to a $1.75 million contract last month -- said they're aware of the situation and gathering information.

Maybin made his MLB debut back in 2007 for the Detroit Tigers -- he's bounced around the league ever since ... playing for the Marlins, Braves, Padres, Angels. He also won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017.

It's been a bad month for the Giants ... just a few days ago, Giants CEO Larry Baer was caught on video in a physical altercation with his wife.

Baer has since stepped away from the team to take "personal time" to reflect on the incident.

The MLB has launched an investigation into the Baer incident and the Giants say they are cooperating with investigators.