Crime & Arrests

Bryan Kohberger's DNA was found on a knife sheath at the scene of the Idaho murders ... and authorities made a match by rooting through trash at his family's house and finding his dad's DNA, which had enough of a match to the DNA taken from the sheath for cops to pin the murders on Bryan.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit just released, authorities had Kohberger in their crosshairs less than 2 weeks after the murders. As we reported, cops were on the hunt for a white Hyundai Elantra. On November 13 -- the date of the murders -- there were several videos showing the white Elantra making 3 passes by the murder house before finally stopping at 4:04 AM.

Multiple surveillance videos show the car leaving the area of the murder house at 4:20 AM at a high rate of speed.

Police initiated a video canvas around the murder scene and it appears the car traveled toward Washington State University, which Kohberger attends -- 10 miles from the murder house.

On November 25, cops released info to law enforcement that they were on the lookout for a white Hyundai Elantra. On November 29, a WSU cop pulled up a hit on Kohberger's vehicle and license plate number. Cops went to his apartment in the middle of the night and observed a white Elantra sitting in the driveway.

Now, what we didn't know -- one of the survivors in the murder house says she saw a man 5'10" or taller, not very muscular but athletically built with bushy eyebrows, wearing black clothing with a mask.

Her description is absolutely chilling ... she says the man walked right past her as she stood in a "frozen shock phase," and then he walked past her and left the house.

She had only looked out of her bedroom because she'd heard a female voice, possibly murder victim Kaylee Goncalves, say something like "there's someone here." She also heard a male voice say, "It's ok, I'm going to help you."

Cops got a driver's license picture of Kohberger who had a listed height of 6', 185 lbs and the pic shows he has bushy eyebrows.

Cops say they have WSU cams showing Kohberger's car leaving the campus area at 2:44 AM on Nov. 13. They also have a cell phone number and the records show on the night of the murders, at 2:47 AM the phone left his residence and traveled south through Pullman, Washington. It then stopped reporting, but picked up again at 5:30 AM and showed the phone traveling back to his residence. Cops think he deliberately disabled the phone to conceal his travels.

They also have WSU camera footage of him returning at 5:25 AM.

The cell records also indicate Kohberger returned to the scene of the crime just a few hours later -- between 9:12 AM and 9:21 AM. Worth noting is the fact police were not called to the home until 11:58 AM.

BTW ... the cell phone records also show since June 22, he had been near the murder house at least 12 times prior to the murders, and they were typically in the late evening or early morning hours.

And, there's this ... Kohberger applied for an internship with the Pullman PD in Fall 2022.

Akademiks is sticking up for himself against Young Thug's family support group, but says he wants the same thing they do -- a fair and impartial trial for the embattled YSL Records leader.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Thug's sister Dolly White and Lil Gotit this week, and they accused Ak of false reporting in the case -- an accusation he's denying, while making it clear he understands the delicate nature of the case.

According to Ak's sources, Thug isn't vibing with the onslaught of plea deals his YSL cohorts have taken in the RICO case -- but Gotit and Dolly insinuated that's not true, telling us only they know Thug's true feelings.

Ak says he understands Thug's words could be classified as witness intimidation in the courtroom, so he has to choose his words carefully.

YSL's top signee Gunna, label co-founder Walter "DK" Murphy and even Thug's own brother Unfoonk are among the individuals who have taken plea deals so far -- Ak says he doesn't want to hear about Thug slamming those decisions after the fact.

Chris Beard is no longer the head coach of the Texas Longhorns basketball team -- the university just announced he has been fired from his position after his felony domestic violence arrest last month.

The team made the move official just minutes ago ... with athletic director Chris Del Conte saying, "This has been a difficult situation that we've been diligently working through. Today I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately."

Del Conte acknowledged Rodney Terry for filling in as interim coach during Beard's suspension ... promoting him to acting head coach for the rest of the 2022-23 season.

"We are proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who throughout this difficult time have continued to make us proud to be Longhorns," Del Conte added.

As we previously reported, Beard was arrested on December 12 ... after he was accused of strangling, throwing and biting his fiancée in their home. He was immediately suspended without pay.

The woman, Randi Trew, later apologized for her accusations ... saying Beard did not strangle her. She also did not refute Beard's claims that his actions were in self-defense.

"I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted," Trew said last month.

Beard -- a UT alum, who joined the program in 2021 -- went 34-14 in 48 games at Texas ... and is 176-74 overall.

Beard is still facing the criminal charge ... and has a court date later this month.

Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger stalked his victims for months before he allegedly murdered 4 innocent college students, according to the investigators who took him down.

Court records, obtained by TMZ, reveal Kohberger's cell phone was pinged close to the murder house at least twelve times between June 2022 and the date of the murders, November 13, 2022.

Investigators note that in all but one of those instances, the cell phone data was picked up in the late evening and early morning hours.

In one of the most chilling details from the murders, documents reveal one of the roommates told detectives she heard victim Kaylee Goncalves -- who lived a floor above -- around 4 AM the morning of the murder say "there's someone here."

The roommate says she looked outside, and didn't see anyone, but opened her door and heard what she thought was crying coming from victim Xana Kernodle's room. She then says she heard a male voice say something to the effect of, "It's ok, I'm going to help you."

What's not clear is who the male voice was, whether it was Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was also killed -- or whether it was Kohberger.

Investigators say a security camera on a neighbor's home picked up distorted audio of voices or a whimper followed by a thud starting at 4:17 AM.

The surviving roommate says when she opened her door a third time after she heard crying, and saw a man dressed in black clothing and a mask covering the man's mouth and nose walking towards her. The roommate says he was 5'10" or taller, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows.

She says she was in a "frozen shock phase" as he walked toward the sliding back door. The roommate says she locked herself in her room, and investigators believe the man left the residence at that time.

Bryan Kohberger is accused of committing a murder that has markings of a horror movie ... a movie in which his own sister starred.

Amanda Kohberger has a single movie credit ... "Two Days Back," shot in 2011. The premise -- a group of students who are viciously stabbed to death with knives and other weapons.

The group of "environmentally-conscious students" take a hike in the woods. Their mission is to catch people who are illegally foresting.

The murderer befriends the group of students and then begins the massacre.

The director, Kevin Boon, was shocked when he learned of the connection between Amanda and her brother ... "You're f***ing kidding me, her brother is that guy?" Boon told the New York Post. He had kind words for Amanda, saying she was "a lovely woman who was very nice. I liked her a lot."

As you know, Bryan Kohberger is accused of butchering 4 University of Idaho students to death as they slept in their beds.

Eerie.

Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger is now in the company of 22 people who've allegedly committed crimes ... and some of the inmates are facing serious charges themselves.

Nearly 2 dozen inmates are locked up at the Latah County Jail in Moscow, where Kohberger's also landed  ... and while some are locked up for minor crimes like petty theft and driving without privileges, others are facing very serious charges.

One of his fellow inmates is Micah James DeMoss -- who's facing 8 counts of video voyeurism, 2 counts of child sexual exploitation material and a charge of rape, where the alleged victim is 16 or 17 and the alleged perpetrator is 3 years older.

Brandi Lea Holland is also spending time at Latah County ... charged with aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia.

Jesse Allan Irby is behind bars for domestic violence with traumatic injury, DUI and unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Jesse Eugene Burnett is also in for lewd conduct with a child under 16 and 4 counts of promoting, publishing or producing child sexually exploitative material.

As for Kohberger, Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles says he'll get a cell to himself and will be treated like the rest of his inmates -- adding that he can talk to his family on the phone.

As we reported, Kohberger is in ID just days after his arrest because he waived extradition from Pennsylvania ... pics obtained by TMZ showed him and a handful of armed officers stopping to refuel the plane Wednesday in Champaign, IL ... en route to Idaho.

The suspect charged with murdering Migos rapper Takeoff is no longer behind bars.

Patrick Xavier Clark posted $1 million bond and walked out of Harris County Jail in Texas Wednesday night.

His initial bond was set at $2 million, but the court dropped the amount after his lawyers, Carl Moore and Letitia Quinones, argued it was excessive and, therefore, unconstitutional. Texas law requires that bond not be used to hold defendants (i.e. financially speaking) ... but rather to ensure their return to court. Clark surrendered his passport to the judge.

Now that Clark is out ... he must abide by the conditions of his release. According to court documents, he will submit to house arrest and have no contact with certain people connected to the case -- including Takeoff's family and music exec J Prince and his relatives. Clark is also barred from possessing deadly weapons and must wear a GPS monitor so law enforcement can track his movements.

As we reported ... Clark was arrested in December and charged with the murder of Takeoff. Police tied Clark to the crime mainly by using surveillance and cell phone footage to identify him.

TMZ broke the story ... Takeoff and his Migos collaborator, Quavo, were partying with about 30 people at a bowling alley in Houston on Nov. 1. Video shows some of the attendees getting into an altercation, which quickly escalated into violence.

Clark allegedly pulled a gun and squeezed off several shots ... Takeoff was fatally struck in the head and torso. What's worse ... the hip hop star was an unarmed innocent bystander, who had NO involvement in the initial argument.

Bryan Kohberger is flying private to Idaho right now to face murder charges -- and it seems like the teeny-tiny plane he's on needed a break mid-flight... ditto for the suspect himself.

TMZ has obtained photos of Kohberger being led in and out of Flightstar Wednesday -- a fixed-base operator at Willard Airport in Champaign, IL ... where he and a handful of armed officers landed at around 11 AM PT while he was being transported across the country.

Check out the pics ... you can see the aircraft Kohberger and the PA law enforcement officials are traveling in -- a 2015 fixed-wing, single-engine Pilatus that seats 11 ... and which we've learned is actually owned and operated by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Eyewitnesses tell us the plane appeared to be getting refueled ... while Kohberger appeared to be taking a whiz inside. During this period, we're told the entire airport was placed on lockdown -- with everyone being evacuated, including employees -- while he was in there.

A few minutes later, our sources tell us Kohberger was led back to the plane ... and they took off without incident.

If you're wondering why this plane needed to refuel on a flight that typically takes around 4 hours ... well, it has to do with the capabilities of this particular aircraft and the length of this journey. The Pilatus can go about 1,700 nautical miles on a single tank.

Going from Pennsylvania to Moscow is about 1,800 nautical miles ... so they were playing it safe.

In any case, Kohberger's almost there -- as of this post, he's somewhere over South Dakota, so Idaho is just a couple states away. Remember, he agreed to be extradited without putting up a fight ... and now, he'll learn the full scope of the charges and evidence against him.

The mastermind and architect behind the college admissions scandal is going to end up like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman ... by spending time behind bars.

Rick Singer was sentenced to 42 months -- 3.5 years -- in federal prison for his role in the Varsity Blues scandal.

Remember ... the feds say Singer was the architect of a massive, decades-long fraudulent scheme to get high school students into elite colleges and universities across the country ... including the daughters of celebs like Lori and Felicity.

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors were pushing for Singer to get 6 years behind bars, arguing he profited from the scheme more than anyone and therefore deserved a much longer sentence than the parents, college coaches and others received.

Singer's lawyers, meanwhile, asked for a maximum of 6 months in the big house.

It's worth noting ... more than 50 parents, coaches and associates of Singer's received sentences ranging from 30 months in prison to just probation. Lori was sentenced to 2 months behind bars, while Felicity got 2 weeks.

Singer was initially staring down a maximum sentence of 65 years behind bars ... but he ended up cooperating with the feds and was the key to convicting the parents and coaches. Prosecutors say Singer wore a wire at the government's direction to nail the targets, and also made hundreds of recorded calls.

Young Thug's name has been floating all over social media in wake of the YSL plea deals but 2 of his biggest supporters -- his sister Dolly White and his protégé Lil Gotit -- say just about everything people see is cap!!!

We caught Gotit and Dolly out in LAX earlier this week and they doubled down on the notion that no one has spoken to Young Thug ... especially about how Thug feels about Gunna's Alford plea deal.

Gunna has been catching a lot of flak in the hip hop community and judging from Gotit and Dolly's reactions when we brought the "Drip Too Hard" rapper's name up ... there's definitely some lingering tension in the camp!!! 👀

On Tuesday, a man who claimed to talk to Thug through rapper YNW BSlime said Thug disapproved of the onslaught of pretrial pleas, but Gotit and Dolly say they're the only credible source.

They both recently spoke to their big brother Jeff and say he's in good spirits. Dolly also called out Akademiks for posting information she says is big 🧢!!!

To date, rappers Slimelife Shawty, Lil Duke, Thug's brother Unfoonk and YSL co-founder Walter "DK" Murphy have all taken plea deals leading up to the case.

Former UFC star Phil Baroni was reportedly arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Mexico over the weekend ... and the details are terrifying.

According to the Mexican outlet, Tribuna De La Bahia, police found Baroni's girlfriend naked and unresponsive in bed with a sheet covering her. The report says cops noticed bruises and markings all over her face and body ... and she showed no sign of life.

When authorities looked at Baroni's body, they reportedly noticed his hands were red. They took photographs.

As for what Phil said transpired, the retired fighter tracked down authorities and told them he got into a drunken argument with his girlfriend in their hotel room when things turned physical.

Baroni reportedly told police he was upset after finding his GF slept with another man, so he told her to take a shower -- but she refused.

Baroni claims he then grabbed the woman by her arms and forced her into the shower ... which led to her hitting her head.

The 46-year-old -- who was reportedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol -- reportedly claimed the woman couldn't get out of the tub by herself, so he assisted. She then complained of being cold, so Baroni said he took her to bed, removed her clothes and wrapped her in a blanket.

Baroni then says he went out for cigarettes and beer, per her request.

When he got back, Baroni reportedly told authorities he believed the woman was asleep. Tragically, she was deceased.

Authorities are planning to conduct an autopsy on the alleged victim to determine her cause of death.

Baroni was arrested for murder ... and is currently behind bars.

The former MMA star fought for a bunch of top promotions during his career ... including the UFC, Pride and Bellator. Baroni last fought in September 2019 ... where he lost via submission.

Bryan Kohberger had an emotional moment at his extradition hearing Tuesday in Pennsylvania ... telling his family he loved them right before he was hauled back to jail.

The suspected killer of four college students had just agreed to waive extradition in Monroe County, PA, and be sent back to Idaho to face murder and burglary charges stemming from the brutal November knife attack.

As police escorted him in handcuffs out of the courtroom, Kohberger reportedly turned to his family seated in the gallery and mouthed the words, "I love you." Throughout the proceeding, his parents and two sisters appeared upset, crying at times. There was also a moment where Kohberger locked eyes with his father, nodding at him in acknowledgment.

CNN said Kohberger looked back at his dad again and peered over at his family another time, cracking a faint smile. After the judge informed Kohberger of the homicide charges, his mom broke down and wept in her daughter's shoulder, prompting a court officer to bring over a Kleenex.

Following the hearing, Pennsylvania State Police Major Christopher Paris told reporters ... Kohberger will be shipped back to Latah County, ID, within 10 days after officials iron out the logistics for transporting the accused murderer. Paris could not pinpoint an exact date for the extradition ... but, in the meantime, Kohberger will be cooling his heels inside the Monroe County Correctional Facility.

As we reported, Kohberger was arrested last Friday at his parent's home in Effort, PA, and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. He's accused of breaking into an off-campus house in Moscow, ID, and fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. All four victims attended the University of Idaho. Police have not established a motive in the case.

The suspect in the Idaho murder case is in custody, but the university is not yet ready to pull back its increased security protocols that went into effect after the 4 students were killed.

Bryan Kohberger has been arrested and charged with November's quadruple murder, but it's still early in the case  ... so the school is keeping patrols up on campus as an extra security measure.

Campus security at the University of Idaho tells TMZ ... there are NO plans to scale back patrols to where they were before the murders, and personnel increases will remain in place.

We're told the feeling on the Moscow, ID campus is a sense of relief now that the suspect is in custody, with some students starting to feel safe again.

The beefed-up security around the university was part of a promise the school made to students after the murders, so kids would feel safe returning to campus.

Among the changes ... hiring a new campus police outfit and increasing the amount of guards on campus so more ground could be covered and covered more frequently.

We're also told campus security is still getting tons of tips about Kohberger, and they're sending them over to Moscow PD and the FBI.

Bryan Kohberger was stopped by Indiana cops back in mid-December in that white Hyundai Elantra, but they let him go -- and we have video of the encounter.

It happened December 15th ... a trooper with the Indiana State Police pulled the car over for following too closely. There were two men in the car -- Kohberger was driving, and the passenger presumably was his father, who accompanied him from Washington State to Pennsylvania.

Police officials say at the time of the stop they knew nothing related to the license plate or state in which the car was registered. However, more than a week before, cops asked the public's help in finding a white Hyundai Elantra -- the car in which Kohberger was driving.

Police let them go with a verbal warning. BTW, during the stop, the cop asks where they're going, and they reply, Pennsylvania ... to which the cop says, "That's a long haul. Are you guys scared of airplanes?" The cop then laughs.

During the encounter, Kohberger's dad mentions a shooting near Washington State University, adding that's where his son went to school. A man had barricaded himself in an apartment near the University and threatened to kill his 2 roommates ... he died in a police shootout.

The Indiana State Police say just minutes before that traffic stop, the 2 men were stopped by a Deputy from the Hancock County Sheriff's Dept. ... and again they were released with a verbal warning.

Kohberger was arrested 2 weeks later -- December 30th -- at his parent's home in Pennsylvania.

Bryan Kohberger was just seen for the first time since his arrest ... heading into court to face charges he savagely murdered 4 college students -- in a case that has riveted the nation.

The suspected killer is expected to waive extradition Tuesday and will be returned to Moscow, ID -- where he's charged with 4 counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. He faces a possible death sentence or life imprisonment, if convicted.

The victim's families said they'd be present for the hearings ... and Steve Goncalves -- whose daughter Kaylee Goncalves was one of the four slain victims -- told NBC News, "I want him to be sick of seeing us and sick of knowing that these people won't let it go."

Steve also told "GMA" the arrest came as a huge relief to his family -- saying it's like "seeing sunlight after being stuck in a house for a month."

As for Kohberger, his public defender Jason LaBar told "TODAY" he's acting "very calm" ahead of the hearing ... reiterating the claims Kohberger believes he'll be fully exonerated.

As we reported, Kohberger was arrested Friday by police at his parents' home in Effort, PA, in connection with the murders of Kaylee, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The victims, all students at the University of Idaho, were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Moscow, ID, on Nov. 13.

Kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at nearby Washington State University, drove cross country with his father back to Pennsylvania around Christmas.

Investigators were already hot on Kohberger's trail after tying him to the crimes, in part, using DNA evidence. Cops have not disclosed a motive for the attack, nor have they located the murder weapon, which is believed to be a combat knife.

Kohberger's attorney, Jason LaBar, told TMZ ... his client expects to be "exonerated," suggesting he's innocent of the crimes. LaBar also said Kohberger has not specifically addressed the serious charges against him, meaning he hasn't denied involvement in the slayings or admitted guilt.

His hearing is scheduled to start at 3:30 PM EST ... we'll stream it live.

The Idaho murder suspect has been placed on suicide watch while behind bars, but his time behind bars has been uneventful ... despite reports to the contrary.

Garry Haidle -- the warden of Monroe County Jail in Pennsylvania, where Bryan Kohberger has been held since his arrest on Dec. 30 -- says the 28-year-old criminology student was put on suicide watch from day 1 ... but it's not because they thought he'd take his own life.

Haidle says it's actually standard operating procedure for high-security inmates who face serious charges like the ones Kohberger is up against -- four counts of first-degree murder.

With that said, the warden notes that Kohberger's stay with them was "uneventful" ... and wouldn't elaborate further. Still, it sounds like Monroe County is shooting down any notion that Kohberger was acting out.

There've been reports suggesting Kohberger was taunting guards, threatening to cut/urinate on people, exposing himself, and even rapping violent lyrics.

Former Monroe County inmate Valerie Cipollina told the Daily Mail she was placed in a cell close to Kohberger when he was first brought in. She also claimed Kohberger was saying he didn't care what happened to him.

But, the warden seems to be saying that's not what was happening. If anything, he makes it seem like nothing was out of the ordinary while Kohberger was there -- which jibes with what his defense attorney told us. Jason LaBar says his client has remained even-keeled through all this ... but did say Kohberger thinks he'll ultimately be exonerated.