Crime & Arrests

If YNW Melly is convicted of murder, he deserves to die ... according to the family of one of his alleged victims -- a stance they're taking despite previously having a close relationship with the rapper.

Melly remains jailed in South Florida as he awaits trial in his double murder case, and prosecutors have already said they will seek the death penalty.

That sits just fine with the family of Anthony Williams. His family tells TMZ, through their attorneys at Steinger, Greene & Feiner ... "If the state of Florida feels the death penalty is warranted in this case then we 100% fully support it."

It's a tragically complicated case for the Williams family. As we first told you, Anthony's family treated Melly like he was one of them, and even opened their home to him. You can see in Melly's mug shot ... the name "Jana" is tattooed on his neck in honor of Anthony's mother.

Still, the Williams family's attorneys add ... "YNW Melly should feel the exact fear and panic he so viciously and consciously brought upon his innocent victims."

TMZ broke the story ... the state of Florida says it has proof beyond a reasonable doubt Melly and Cortlen Henry shot and killed Anthony and another man, Christopher Thomas Jr.

Melly and Henry have both been charged with 2 counts of first-degree murder.

Unlike Jussie Smollett, at least one of his alleged "attackers" is seeing his career on the upswing ... Abel Osundairo is now training with one of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s trainers.

We're told Abel met Nate "The Snake" Jones through a well-connected boxing family in Chicago and they recently met up at Taylor Park Gym in Chi-Town to get in the ring and train. Nate's name carries weight in the boxing world ... the former pro heavyweight joined Mayweather Promotions as a trainer a little over a year after retiring and has trained Floyd in about a dozen fights ... including vs. Manny Pacquiao.

As we've reported ... Abel showed promise after mowing down opponents at the Golden Gloves tournament ... scoring first-round TKOs, unanimous decisions and, most recently, a first-round TKO in the senior novice 178-pound division to win the prestigious tourney.

Abel's still a raw talent -- he competed in a division for less experienced boxers between 21 and 35 who weigh 178 pounds or less -- but there's potential ... and further proof that if the Osundairo brothers really wanted to hurt Jussie in the "attack" ... it would've been vicious.

As you know ... Abel's lawyer says Jussie told them he wanted Abel to "attack" him, but not rough him up too badly. Since the "attack" ... Abel and his bro have struggled to land acting gigs but Abel's fortunes might have turned with Nate -- a former U.S. Olympic Boxing medalist -- now in his corner.

We're told Abel's training sesh wasn't a one-off, 'cause they plan to continue training. It's unclear if Nate thinks Abel's got what it takes to turn pro ... but training with a decorated trainer like Nate is a strong sign Abel's serious about boxing.

Lil Durk doesn't see any reason why he should be rotting in a jail cell while awaiting trial for his alleged role in a shooting ... and he's promising not to run from the long arm of the law if he's freed.

The rapper wants to post bond and enjoy life on the outside until his trial -- despite the fact Atlanta police have charged him with 5 FELONIES, including criminal attempt to commit murder.

In docs obtained by TMZ, the rapper points out he chose to surrender ... so there's no reason for the court to think he's a flight risk. Lil Durk says he owns a home in the area, where he lives with his fiancee and their child, and adds he's a successful artist signed to a major label who gives back to his community -- which he claims is proof he isn't going on the lam.

TMZ broke the story ... Lil Durk turned himself in on Thursday, after cops issued a warrant for his arrest. Police believe Durk was involved in a February shooting outside an Atlanta restaurant, that sent one man to the hospital for a gunshot wound.

Lil Durk thinks it's rich he's in jail while the shooting victim walks free ... he claims the other dude is a known criminal with a long rap sheet.

The actress whose arrest prompted T.I. to boycott Houston's restaurants will NOT face criminal charges ... but TMZ's learned she's gonna sue.

Prosecutors in Fulton County, GA say they will not pursue a criminal case against Brittany Marie Lucio because she's completed all requirements of a pretrial intervention program. We're told the program included taking a class about civics and citizen's rights.

Brittany had initially been charged with 1 count of misdemeanor criminal trespass and 1 count of misdemeanor willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer when she was busted in Atlanta a year ago.

Cops said she and her friends ignored multiple requests to leave a Houston's restroom. One of Brittany's friends, Asia'h Epperson, refuted that account ... saying Houston's staffer gladly let them use the restroom and never asked them to leave prior to things turning violent.

Asia'h recorded the incident, which shows a security guard -- an off-duty ATL police officer -- dragging Brittany and her friends outta the joint. When the video surfaced, T.I. got involved and called for a Houston's boycott. He also posted pics showing Brittany's alleged injuries.

Brittany said the off-duty cop used excessive force and said there's zero doubt her skin color played a role in the aggressive way she was taken down. Brittany's attorney, Gerald Griggs, tells TMZ she now plans to sue.

Griggs says, "Ms. Lucio’s name has been cleared and she looks forward to pursuing a civil action against law enforcement for the damage and injuries she sustained. She would like to thank all of her supporters in this matter including [T.I.] and others that stood up for her."

Indianapolis Colts QB Chad Kelly has been suspended by the NFL for 2 games without pay stemming from his October home invasion arrest in Denver ... NFL officials say.

As we previously reported, 25-year-old Kelly was arrested on Oct. 22 after leaving a Broncos Halloween party and wandering into a random person's house in the middle of the night ... while dressed like a cowboy.

Kelly sat down next to a woman who was holding her baby -- and he was ultimately chased out of the home by a man who was smacking the QB with a vacuum cleaner tube.

Kelly was initially arrested for felony criminal trespassing -- but later struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of 2nd-degree criminal trespass -- a class 3 misdemeanor -- and in exchange, the felony trespass charge was dropped.

As part of the deal, Kelly was also sentenced to 1 year of supervised probation, 50 hours of community service, and fines and fees.

Despite the legal issues, Kelly was recently signed to a contract with the Colts -- though if he eventually makes it to the regular season roster, he won't be able to play in the first 2 games of the season.

Frank Lucas, one of America's most infamous drug kingpins, died Thursday night ... TMZ has confirmed.

Frank, famously played by Denzel Washington in the 2007 movie "American Gangster," died in New Jersey, according to his brother. We're told Frank was being transported to a hospital for an unknown health issue and died on the way.

Lucas rose to power dealing heroin in Harlem in the 1960s and '70s, and he boasted of cutting out middlemen by buying his product directly from Southeast Asia ... then smuggling the drugs back to America using the coffins of dead U.S. servicemen.

Frank was born and raised in North Carolina before moving to New York City ... where he eventually got into the drug trade, cutting into the Italian mafia's business and carving a name for himself.

Lucas bragged his heroin was among the purest on the street, and he infamously dubbed his product, "Blue Magic." While he was at the top of the NYC drug trade, Frank rubbed elbows with elites from Hollywood, politics and the business world.

Frank was finally busted in the mid-1970s and all of his enormous assets and wealth were seized. Lucas owned property across the country in Chicago, Miami, Detroit, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina -- and even Puerto Rico.

When the DEA raided Frank's Jersey home in 1975, agents found more than $584,000 in cash.

Frank was convicted of federal and state drug violations ... and sentenced to 70 years in prison. Lucas ratted out others in the drug biz, and he and his family entered a witness protection program.

After 5 years in custody, Frank had his sentence reduced to time served plus lifetime parole ... but he was later busted for drug dealing again, and spent another 7 years behind bars before being released in 1991.

Cardi B's strip club beatdown case just got way more serious for her -- potentially, anyway -- because of a grand jury ... a sign prosecutors want her to face stiffer charges.

The rapper was decked out in pink as she arrived Friday at the courthouse in Queens. Inside the court, the judge revealed Cardi's case is now being heard by a grand jury. That's a big deal because she was only facing misdemeanors -- for assault and reckless endangerment -- but with a grand jury on the case, the charges could be upgraded.

Prosecutors tell TMZ ... they decided to present the case to a grand jury after "further investigation." They would not say what was uncovered during the investigation.

As we've reported, Cardi's accused of ordering an attack on sisters Jade and Baddie Gi last August. The women were bartenders at a strip club, and say they were attacked by Cardi's people because Cardi thought Jade had slept with Offset.

As we reported ... prosecutors offered Cardi a plea deal in April, but she swiftly shut it down. The offer was to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor. She would have dodged jail time, but agree to a conditional discharge and avoid trouble for some period of time. She wasn't having it.

Cardi was arrested and booked in October for her alleged role in the strip club incident.

Tommie Lee might want to send her judge a Christmas card this year, because despite facing up to 54 years ... she won't spend a day in prison, IF she stays out of trouble ... for the next decade.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' star was sentenced Friday in her child abuse case after pleading guilty to 5 charges -- including first-degree cruelty to children. The judge gave her 10 years, but none of them will be served in prison. Instead, Tommie's been ordered to complete a residential recovery program and 12 months of successful aftercare with licensed doctors.

If she does that, she'll remain on probation for the rest of the sentence -- that's the good news for her. The difficult part is ... that's a long time to keep her nose clean, and any slipup could mean immediate prison time.

Under her probation conditions, Tommie can't have violent contact with a child, can't travel outside the state of Georgia without written approval and can't attend work or promo events where drugs or alcohol are present. That part could make 'L&HH' shoots difficult.

She'll also have an 11 PM curfew, pay a $1,000 fine and submit to random drug and alcohol testing. We're told she's already out of custody and in the recovery program.

We broke the story ... Lee requested entry into the court's mental health program following her arrest and indictment on child abuse charges for assaulting her middle school-aged daughter. A judge denied her, but it seems Tommie's going to get help after all.

YNW Melly thinks it's unfair he's stuck in a jail cell awaiting trial for double murder, because he voluntarily turned himself in ... and he insists he's not going to run from the law.

According to new legal docs ... the rapper wants to be able to post bond and walk free until his trial -- despite the fact he's facing 2 counts of first-degree murder in South Florida. Melly says if he was going to go on the lam, he would have done so when he first got word he was facing capital murder charges.

Instead, the rapper says he chose to surrender ... so there's no reason for the court to think he's a flight risk. On top of that, YNW points out he was born and raised in the area and his entire family lives there -- which he says is even more proof he isn't going anywhere.

As for his actual case -- in which the rapper's accused of killing his friends and staging a fake drive-by shooting -- Melly seems to like his chances in court. In the docs, he says there's no murder weapon, no witnesses tying him to the shooting, no DNA evidence implicating him and no motive.

We broke the story ... the State of Florida disagrees with Melly, and is seeking the death penalty.

Mama June is on a dark path heading toward looming death ... so frets Honey Boo Boo, who's desperately urging her mom to seek help for what looks like a severe crack cocaine addiction.

Mama June's family and friends are scared to death ... her life's in danger, and they confronted her during an intervention ... with Honey Boo Boo begging Mama to go to rehab, asking her if she values her life enough to get clean so she can watch her grandchild grow up.

We've got a clip from the finale of Mama June's 'Not to Hot' Friday night at 9 on WE tv -- and you see her, busted teeth and all, getting super defensive as her loved ones plead with her to turn her life around.

As we first showed you ... Mama looks like a shell of herself since she got busted for crack cocaine possession back in March with boyfriend Geno Doak. Mama's teeth are falling apart, and she collapses on camera during the dramatic family intervention.

We're told Geno wasn't present for the intervention ... which is interesting, because Mama's daughter, Pumpkin, insinuates he's cheating on her when she's not around.

Ron Garretson -- a longtime NBA referee -- was arrested for DUI in Arizona on Wednesday after officials say he crashed into a tree near the Lake Havasu City Police Dept. Station.

Cops responded to calls about a man who slammed an orange Jeep Wrangler into a tree around 6:30 PM -- and when officers arrived at the scene, 60-year-old Garretson was covered in blood.

According to the police report, Garretson initially claimed someone had hit his car -- but cops say the story didn't make sense. Cops also say he reeked of booze and Garretson admitted to having a beer and a shot at a nearby cigar bar before getting behind the wheel.

Cops also say Garretson made it a point to say he's an NBA ref -- and insisted he's in great shape.

Despite that, Garretson bombed field sobriety tests -- and blew a .19 on the breathalyzer, more than TWICE the legal limit. He was arrested at the scene and hauled to a nearby station where he was booked for extreme DUI.

Garretson has been working in the NBA for 32 seasons -- working more than 1,900 regular season games.

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.