Crime & Arrests

Claus von Bulow, the man who was convicted but walked free -- after his conviction was overturned -- and ultimately acquitted of trying to murder his wife ... has died.

The trial was one of the most sensational of the 20th century. Von Bulow was charged with deliberately injecting insulin into wife Sunny in 1980, sending her into an irreversible coma.

Prosecutors claimed Claus wanted to do Sunny in so he could inherit her fortune and continue his relationship with his mistress, a soap opera actress.

Von Bulow was convicted the first time around and sentenced to 30 years in prison, and then was famously represented on appeal by Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz. He successfully argued items were illegally seized and the notes from key witness interviews had not been turned over to the defense.

The story riveted the nation, and became the subject of "Reversal of Fortune," which chronicles the murder and Dershowitz's appeal. Jeremy Irons, who played Claus, won an Oscar for Best Actor.

Claus was retried and found not guilty in 1985. He moved to Europe where he died.

2:00 PM PT -- Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells us ... the new charges concerning J.P. include more serious felonies than the original indictment -- the most serious class of felony in Illinois short of murder.

Greenberg says prosecutors upgraded and added the charges, but the original charges are still active.

1:50 PM PT -- According to the docs ... the alleged victim, J.P. is one of the same alleged victims in the February indictment of Kelly, but these additional charges pertain strictly to her.

R. Kelly's been hit with a slew of sexual assault and various abuse charges in Illinois ... 11 felonies total.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office filed these new charges Thursday -- 5 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, 4 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and 2 counts of criminal sexual assault.

According to the legal docs ... Kelly's accused of committing an act of sexual penetration on a victim listed as "J.P." by the use of force or threat of force sometime in January 2010. He's also accused of forcing contact between his penis and the alleged victim's mouth.

The docs say J.P. was under the age of 18 at the time of the offense, and 3 of Kelly's sex abuse charges are listed as related to alleged victims between the ages of 13 and 16. Kelly will reportedly be back in court next week to be arraigned on the new charges.

His crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, tells TMZ ... Kelly maintains his innocence and denies all accusations brought against him in the latest charges. He also says he believes J.P. is Kelly accuser Jerhonda Pace.

As you know ... Kelly is already facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County -- and all of that is just the tip of the iceberg for his legal troubles.

As we've reported, there are 3 federal probes underway -- 1 in the Northern District of Illinois and 2 in New York's Eastern and Southern Districts.

A federal grand jury has already been convened in Illinois, and has heard testimony from alleged victims who say the singer and his camp transported them across state lines for sex when they were underage.

Buffalo Bills rookie LB Tyrel Dodson was pulled out of a nightclub and arrested Sunday after his GF told cops he roughed her up during a violent altercation hours earlier ... TMZ Sports has learned.

For the record, Dodson (an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M) DENIES the allegations -- and insinuated to police that HE was the real victim by showing cops a red mark on his face.

Here's the deal according to police docs ... 20-year-old Dodson and his GF got into an argument on May 25 in Scottsdale, AZ after he allegedly vomited on the carpet inside her bedroom after drinking too much.

Tyrel's GF alleges the 6' 2", 240-lb football player got physical with her when she confronted him about the vomit ... allegedly grabbing her "forcefully" and "shoving her against the wall."

Tyrel's GF says she slapped him in the face ... and says Dodson responded by slapping her back.

She says she fled from the scene ... but when she returned, Tyrel was still there -- so she locked herself inside her bathroom and told him to leave the premises.

That's when she says Tyrel busted through the door ... causing the door to smack her in the head, leaving her with a small welt.

She says the argument then spilled out into the kitchen, where things escalated further ... with Dodson shoving her to the ground after a scuffle over her cell phone.

Dodson's GF eventually left the apartment ... but when she returned -- she says Tyrel had taken her keys, $500 from her purse and an additional $8,000 to $15,000 in cash from a safe under her bed.

When cops reached Tyrel by phone ... he denied ever getting physical with his GF -- stating the argument "was verbal only" -- and added he only took about $1,000 from her because it was "money they both shared."

Cops didn't appear to believe him -- 'cause they say they found probable cause to arrest him on several charges including domestic violence -- and when they found out later in the evening he was at Mint Nightclub, they went in to get him.

After Dodson was removed from the club, he again denied attacking his GF and showed cops a red mark on his face ... though he never outright accused her of assault.

Tyrel was booked on three charges -- 1 domestic violence count, 1 charge of disorderly conduct and one charge of damage to property -- all misdemeanors.

Tyrel -- who played in 33 games for the Aggies in his three years at College Station -- was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent just a few weeks ago.

We reached out to the Bills and a team spokesperson tells us, "We are aware of the incident involving Tyrel Dodson last weekend. We have been looking further into the matter and will continue to gather information as the legal process continues."

5:52 PM PT -- Our law enforcement sources tell us Lil Durk just turned himself in to police.

Lil Durk is a wanted man in Atlanta, because a warrant has been issued for his arrest ... and we're told it's in connection with a shooting.

The Atlanta Police Department tells TMZ ... cops have obtained arrest warrants for Lil Durk, but the rapper is not yet in police custody.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops want to bring Lil Durk in to book him on 5 FELONY charges ... including criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and another charge of associating with a criminal street gang to participate in a crime.

Lil Durk -- government name Durk Banks -- went on Instagram Wednesday night and said he's turning himself into police on Thursday ... but he hasn't done so yet.

As for the shooting, it's all detailed in a police report ... cops say officers responded to reports of a person shot around 5:45 AM Feb. 5 at a restaurant called The Varsity, where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Police say they recovered 13 shell casings from a rifle and pistol at the scene and found a firearm.

According to cops, the shooting victim was rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery ... and we're told he survived.

Cops say they spoke to 2 witnesses and were told the victim appeared to be in a verbal dispute with an unknown black male before the shooting. Police say they've reviewed surveillance footage, and are still investigating.

R. Kelly's accusers are giving testimony to a federal grand jury ... alleging the disgraced singer went to great lengths to traffic underage girls for his sexual desires.

Sources directly connected to the case tell TMZ ... numerous witnesses testified before the grand jury Wednesday, claiming Kelly's team secured travel at the singer's direction to move them across state lines for sexual purposes while they were underage.

And, we're told, the grand jury is also hearing testimony that could lead to obstruction of justice indictments. One of the alleged victims testified Kelly's team paid off witnesses to NOT testify in the 2008 trial ... where Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges.

One of the families supposedly paid off by Kelly was the family of the alleged victim in the 2008 trial ... his goddaughter. Prosecutors claimed the girl in a sex tape that was submitted into evidence was the goddaughter, but apparently, the jury wasn't convinced ... in no small part because she didn't testify.

The grand jury is keying into allegations Kelly and his team attempted to impact the outcome of the 2008 trial through witness intimidation and threats of bodily harm.

The grand jury testimony also revealed that witnesses in the 2008 case were allegedly sent on vacation when the trial was underway so they wouldn't be available to testify. The witnesses say Kelly's team secured the 2008 witnesses' travel.

As we've reported ... prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois are building a case against Kelly, which is separate from 2 other probes currently underway in New York.

We've reached out to a spokesperson for the Northern District of Illinois, who declined comment.

1:55 PM PT -- Runnels claims she was carrying the loaded gun because she had just been called to her mother's house to deal with an armadillo that was digging up the yard ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Runnels told cops she simply forgot she had the gun on her when she went to the airport ... chalking the whole thing up to a genuine mistake.

Cops say the loaded weapon was inside of a sock located in Runnels' backpack.

10:40 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of the gun Terri was allegedly carrying at the airport -- a Glock 9mm handgun ... and officials say it was LOADED.

We count at least 11 bullets -- which appear to be hollow-tipped, which tend to cause more soft tissue damage upon impact with a target. In other words, it's a more lethal round.

Ex-WWE superstar Terri Runnels -- who was famously married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes) back in the day -- was arrested in Florida on Wednesday after officials say she brought a gun to the airport.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 52-year-old Runnels was arrested by the Tampa International Airport Police at 7:32 AM for "carrying a concealed firearm," a class 3 felony.

We're told she was arrested at a security checkpoint with a loaded Glock 9mm.

The charge carries a punishment of up to 5 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.

She was taken to jail and bond was set at $2,000. Records show she's still locked up as of this post.

According to her booking sheet, Runnels is listed at 5'0", 119 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Runnels mainly worked as a manager during her wrestling career -- working with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Christian and most notably her ex-husband, Goldust.

She was married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes aka Dustin Runnels) from 1993 to 1999.

Runnels won the WWE Hardcore Championship back in 2002 -- she's one of only 4 women to hold that title.

Runnels last appeared at a WWE event in January 2018 as part of the WWE Raw 25 Year special.

Story developing ...

Jameel Cook -- a former Super Bowl champ with the Bucs -- was just convicted of stealing over $100k from an NFL player trust fund ... and prosecutors raked him over the coals afterward!!!

"He stole from the very fund his fellow former players depend on for help," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said ... "And he has now fallen from professional football glory to the ranks of felons."

As we previously reported ... the ex-Tampa Bay FB was busted back in September after officials say he stole money from the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan -- a fund set up to benefit ex-players.

Cook's scheme -- according to prosecutors -- involved him filing 30 bogus claims between March 2016 and September 2017 ... resulting in the 40-year-old illegally obtaining $105,000.

Prosecutors hit Jameel with a felony stealing charge -- and he faced up to 10 YEARS behind bars for the crime.

But, Cook cut a deal this week ... and in exchange for a guilty plea -- he will NOT have to go to prison.

Instead, Jameel got 10 years of probation ... and he was ordered to pay back the $105,000. He was also sentenced to 160 hours of community service and was hit with another $1,200 fine.

Oh, and in addition to getting ripped by Ogg ... Special Assistant District Attorney Jason Horn also threw some major shade on the ex-NFL player!!!

“He earned fame and great accolades in a career most could only dream of, and should have been role model,” Horn said ...

“Instead, he let down everyone around him by defrauding a plan set up for all players and taking money that wasn’t his.”

Ashton Kutcher took the stand Wednesday in a murder case, and his testimony could be crucial in the case of a man prosecutors call a "serial sexual-thrill killer."

Kutcher was in an L.A. courthouse testifying in the trial of Michael Gargiulo -- aka the "Hollywood Ripper" -- who's accused of attacking 4 women with a knife and killing 3 of them over the span of 15 years.

Among them is Ashley Ellerin, a friend of Kutcher's who was supposed to be his date to a Grammys after-party in February 2001 but never showed. Kutcher reportedly went to her house to check on her but she didn't answer, so he left.

Ashton testified that he had met Ashley through a friend and he had gone to her house a few weeks before the Grammys to a housewarming party for her. He characterized his relationship with her as "an acquaintance," although he did say he had some interest in her.

Kutcher said the night of the Grammys was the first time he had thought he might pursue her in a dating relationship. He told the jury at around 7:30 PM he called her to say he was going to a friend's house to watch the show and then come to her home.

He said at 8:24 PM they talked and she said she had just gotten out of the shower and was going to blow dry her hair and they would meet up later and maybe go out to dinner. He called her at around 10 PM and believed he left a message saying it was getting late so they would not have dinner but just drinks.

Ashton says he went home, walked his dog and went to her place at around 10:45 PM. He knocked on her door but no one answered. He looked through a side window and saw what he thought was red wine spilled on the floor. So, he left.

The next morning Ashley was found dead in her home outside her bathroom, with more than 47 stab wounds, and authorities say Gargiulo was the murderer.

Ashton appeared in court wearing a blue suit and appeared relaxed on the stand.

The alleged serial killer is also accused of killing his 18-year-old neighbor, Tricia Pacaccio, back in 1993 when he lived in Illinois. Gargiulo moved to L.A. in 1998, but authorities say the killing didn't stop.

He's accused in Ellerin's death in 2001 and the 2005 murder of his neighbor, Maria Bruno, who was stabbed 17 times.

Gargiulo allegedly attacked another neighbor, Michelle Murphy, in her Santa Monica home in 2008, but she managed to fight off the attack and call 911. Blood matching Gargiulo's DNA was found at the scene.

10:35 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the mug shot from Herrera's arrest.

We've also obtained court docs from the incident ... which say Herrera's girlfriend was found with "hand print markings to her neck area and small scratches to her arms."

Odubel is due in court to face the charge in June on the same day the Phils are scheduled to play the Nationals in D.C.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera was arrested Monday night after cops say he roughed up his 20-year-old girlfriend during an altercation in an Atlantic City casino.

According to the Atlantic City Police Department, Herrera and his GF got into a dispute at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino during the Phillies' off day Monday.

Cops were called to the scene ... and when they saw the woman, they said she had visible injuries on her arm and neck.

Cops say they found 27-year-old Herrera in his hotel room after the incident ... and arrested him on the charge of simple assault.

Herrera -- who's batting just .222 with 1 home run for the Phils this season -- was released from custody shortly after and will be required to return for a court date in the future.

For their part ... Major League Baseball says it's placed Herrera on administrative leave in wake of the arrest.

"This morning we were made aware of an alleged incident involving Odúbel Herrera," the Phillies said in a statement ... "Upon receiving this information, we immediately reported the incident to Major League Baseball, which has informed us that Herrera has been placed on Administrative Leave."

"The Phillies take any domestic violence accusation seriously, and strongly support the Joint Domestic Violence Policy agreed upon by MLB and the MLBPA."

Hip-hop artist Sosamann was allegedly involved in cajoling 2 young women to come to California with promises of living the Hollywood dream ... then forcing them to turn tricks instead.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the women were arrested in a prostitution sting in L.A. earlier this month, and during police questioning they claimed the rapper and others lured them to the West Coast, then forced them into selling themselves for sex.

The women also claim they were unable to escape.

We're told cops investigated and arrested a group of people for human trafficking ... including the rapper.

Sosamann was arrested and booked on a felony charge on May 11, but was released the next day after posting a $100k bail. He's due in court next month.

No further details are available, but we're told the investigation is ongoing.

Sosamann's been around for a few years, but recently released a track featuring NBA YoungBoy titled "Who I Am."

Adam "Pacman" Jones is retiring from the NFL after 14 years and 12 seasons that were a mix of success, turbulence and controversy ... but it was always interesting.

The former Bengals cornerback was drafted in 2005 by the Tennesee Titans and played there for 2 seasons, before missing the 2007 season due to suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

He returned in '08 for the Cowboys, was out of the league again in '09 ... then made a solid comeback in 2010 with the Bengals, where he was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2014 and a Pro Bowler in 2015. After 8 seasons in Cincy, he finished his career in 2018 with the Broncos.

Pacman's retirement news comes on the heels of his arrest and guilty plea in an Indiana casino cheating case, in which he agreed to a short jail stint and serving a probation period that will bar him from drinking booze for a year and a half.

It could have been a lot worse for him, though -- he was originally hit with a bevy of charges including felony intimidation, felony battery against an officer and several misdemeanors. Video of the intense incident was obtained by TMZ Sports earlier this month.

Jones has been a lightning rod for years before the casino altercation too -- whether he's getting into airport scuffles, weighing in on the NFL kneeling discussion, going on hotel tirades, crashing cars or getting kicked out of other casinos.

Like we said ... always interesting.

Wendy Williams has put a wall up between her son and his father ... so claims Kevin Hunter Sr., who fears the fight that led to Kevin Jr.'s arrest has solidified the wall with indestructible mortar.

Sources with direct knowledge of the divorce say Wendy's estranged husband has been vocal, accusing Wendy of poisoning his relationship with their son, getting in his ear and talking smack about him ... at least that's what he's been saying.

We're told Kevin Sr. has made several attempts in recent weeks to spend time with his son to repair the relationship, but he got the cold shoulder. He's also sent his boy lengthy texts ... only to get one-word replies.

Our sources say before Wendy filed for divorce, the Kevins were super tight ... so Sr. claims the trigger for the change has to be Wendy. Of course, the marriage fell apart because Kevin apparently had a child out of wedlock with another woman. He says he's admitted his wrongdoing but feels Wendy's feelings have been transferred to Jr.

We broke the story ... Wendy's son was arrested for assault after he got into an altercation with his dad in a New Jersey parking lot and allegedly punched him in the nose after Sr. put Jr. in a headlock.

We're told the fight erupted over an argument involving Kevin Sr.'s demand for spousal support. They also beefed over Sr.'s claim Wendy was sabotaging his relationship with Jr.

Luann de Lesseps felt the cold steel of handcuffs Thursday, but she's NOT going back to jail for violating her probation by downing a couple of mimosas.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' star went before a Florida judge and during the hearing they put her in cuffs ... but the State's Attorney for Palm Beach County State tells TMZ ... she was not taken to jail ... contrary to several reports.

As we've reported ... Luann recently told her probation officer she had "2 glasses of mimosas after a performance" in Chicago. That's a major no-no because she's supposed to stay away from booze for a whole year under the plea deal she struck in her drunken arrest case.

We're told the court didn't believe she was taking her probation seriously -- so the judge ordered additional probation conditions for Luann. They include keeping a breathalyzer in her car, weekly telephone counseling, monthly in-person meetings with a psychiatrist and taking the prescription drug Antabuse ... which treats alcoholism.

10:20 AM PT -- Hickerson appeared in court this morning and pled not guilty to the charge. His bail was set at $50k. The judge also issued a protective order that prohibits Hickerson from being 100 yards near Panettiere or contacting her. He'll be back in court next month.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend is in serious trouble following his arrest for domestic violence ... 'cause TMZ's learned he's now facing a charge that could land him in prison.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office has charged Hayden's BF, Brian Hickerson, with 1 count of felony domestic violence. If he's convicted, Brian faces up to 4 years in prison.

TMZ broke the story ... Brian was arrested earlier this month after an argument with Hayden allegedly turned physical. As we told you ... the couple had been out drinking before an argument ensued at their pad. Law enforcement sources initially said the injuries were marks and redness, but we're now told the injuries were far more serious.

Cops arrested Brian almost immediately after the altercation after determining he started the fight. Hayden and Brian have been dating since last summer.

A second woman just testified that ex-NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. threatened to murder her while raping her in 2018 ... echoing allegations from another woman who testified Tuesday.

The 58-year-old woman -- identified as Jane Doe #2 in court -- alleges Winslow picked her up on May 18, 2018 in the San Diego area in order to take her on a coffee date.

But, instead of getting drinks at a nearby cafe ... she says Winslow pulled over on the side of the road in a remote area and raped her.

She claims during the act, he put his hands around her neck and said, "'If you scream,' I don't know if it was, 'I'll choke you to death' or 'I'll murder you.'"

The woman says after Kellen was finished ... he drove her away from the area and again threatened to kill her "if you tell anyone."

The woman says she thought she was going to die multiple times during the encounter, telling the court Wednesday, "I was very afraid. The whole time I thought I was never going to get out alive."

Remember, on Tuesday, another woman using the alias Jane Doe #1 told a similar story -- claiming Winslow picked her up while hitchhiking in 2018 and violently raped her before threatening to kill her if she told anyone.

Winslow has been in court all week facing his accusers -- he's been charged with multiple felonies including kidnapping and forcible rape. If convicted on all counts, he faces life in prison.

Michael Avenatti has just been indicted on new charges ... alleging he stole money from a former client ... and sources tell TMZ it's Stormy Daniels.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has charged the disgraced attorney with 1 count of wire fraud and 1 count of aggravated identity theft charges. The feds say he fraudulently diverted money the client -- Stormy -- was owed on a book deal to an account he controlled.

According to prosecutors, he did this by sending a fraudulent letter purporting to contain his client's signature to Stormy's literary agent. According to the complaint ... Stormy didn't know the letter existed much less sign off on it.

He allegedly used the money from that account to pay for airfare, hotels, restaurants, meal deliveries and meet payroll for his businesses. In total, he allegedly diverted around $300k ... and although he sent her around half that, prosecutors say he hasn't paid her the balance.

Avenatti just denied the charges, tweeting, "At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled." He went on to explain how he was entitled to some of the money as part of his fee.

If convicted on the new charges, Avenatti faces up to 20 years for the wire fraud count and a mandatory term of 2 years on the aggravated identity theft charge.