Crime & Arrests

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann is making his first appearance in a New York court … this after he was accused of killing 3 sex workers and is the prime suspect in a fourth slaying.

The hulking Heuermann was in handcuffs as he was led by uniformed officers Tuesday into the Suffolk County courtroom to face a judge on 6 murder charges, three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

Heuermann remained mostly stone-faced as he entered the courtroom.

As we reported, Heuermann was arrested in July and indicted on charges he murdered three prostitutes -- Melissa Barthelemy in 2009 and Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello in 2010. He was also linked to the 2007 killing of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barne, but he hasn't been charged yet in that case.

Prosecutors say Heuermann stuffed their bodies into burlap sacks and dumped them near Gilgo Beach on Long Island.

For over a decade, the murders went unsolved, but then investigators caught a break in 2022 when they followed up on a lead from years ago, tying Heuermann to a pickup truck allegedly involved in the Costello homicide.

Investigators put Heuermann and his family under surveillance at their Massapequa Park home, rounding up discarded trash for DNA testing. Detectives got a match for Heuermann off a DNA sample found on a pizza crust in a Manhattan trash can. Testing also revealed Heuermann's hair follicle was discovered inside a burlap sack containing one of the victims.

The wife and children of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann are reeling in the wake of his arrest ... with all the crippling anxiety and sleeping difficulties you'd expect for a family suddenly thrust into a nightmare.

The suspected killer's wife, Asa Ellerup, says the couple's son and daughter are crying themselves to sleep.

Heuermann's wife revealed the toll the grisly allegations are taking on her family in an interview with the NY Post, telling the publication she often wakes up shivering from anxiety in the middle of the night.

As we reported ... Heuermann's family recently returned to the Long Island home where cops believe he gruesomely murdered his victims.

The couple's 33-year-old son, Christopher, got super emotional as he sat down on the front porch last week.

Now, Asa says the home is a complete mess as a result of a 12-day search by police ... and the couple's daughter, Victoria, feels like the family is being treated like animals.

Living and sleeping in that home under the gruesome circumstances seems like an impossibly traumatic situation -- but Heuermann's wife says they have nowhere else to go.

Among the alleged damage left by police ... cat litter boxes strewn about, a couch in shambles, a broken guitar, and some damaged collectibles.

Heuermann has been charged with 3 murders ... and investigators are digging into a theory he might have killed the victims in the home while his wife and kids were out of town.

Clippers forward Amir Coffey was arrested in L.A. on Sunday morning ... after cops say they found a loaded gun in his ride during a routine traffic stop.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... officers pulled over a car that Coffey was a passenger in at around 2:30 AM in Hollywood -- after they say they saw it speeding.

When cops approached the vehicle, they said it smelled like marijuana -- so they searched it, and found a loaded gun.

Cops say Coffey admitted it was his -- and he was then arrested for misdemeanor possession of a firearm. We're told one other person at the scene was cited for weed.

Records show Coffey was booked into jail at around 5:05 AM -- though he was released four hours later on his own recognizance.

He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later next month.

"Teen Mom 2" star Nathan Griffith's sister was begging for a police response after he allegedly roughed her up ... telling dispatchers he tried killing her with his bare hands.

TMZ obtained audio of the 911 call Griffith's sister placed on July 12 in Las Vegas ... and in her chat with the dispatcher, the woman says Nathan tried to strangle her before fleeing in his car.

As we first reported ... the police report says the responding officers observed visible red marks on the sister's neck and eyelids -- indicative of someone who was strangled -- and she told them Nathan grabbed her by the throat, pushed her down onto the floor and got on top of her.

Despite telling the dispatcher her brother had left, police say Nathan was still outside the home when they arrived ... yelling and denying he ever touched his sister. Ultimately, he was arrested for battery by strangulation.

We also obtained another 911 call Griffith's sister made earlier -- prior to the alleged strangulation -- and she told the dispatcher, Nathan is following her around in the home and making threats. It sounds like you can hear him in the background.

The 911 calls are alarming ... and cops also said Nathan made suicidal statements on his way to the Clark County Jail.

Nathan's got a kid with "Teen Mom" star Jenelle Evans ... and he's had previous arrests for domestic violence and domestic battery by strangulation.

Things didn't work out as planned for a suspected bank burglar in Ohio ... he came crashing down from a ceiling as cops surrounded him with their guns drawn, and it was all caught on film.

Police body cam footage, obtained by NBC News, captured every dramatic moment outside Federal Credit Union in Huron, about 50 miles west of Cleveland, in the early morning hours Wednesday.

In the shocking video, Tristan Heidl is at first obscured from view as he tries to push open a door hatch from inside the roof in the bank's drive-thru area.

Little does Heidl know, officers already responded to an alarm that got tripped and were standing nearby waiting for him to make his appearance.

Pretty soon, the hatch flies open, and Heidl drops down into a garbage bin.

The cops rush up to him, aiming their guns at his head while screaming for him to get on the ground.

Dennis "D.J." Hernandez -- the older brother of Aaron Hernandez -- repeatedly asked cops to shoot him before he was arrested earlier this month ... new police video shows.

In the footage -- which was captured on Bristol Police Department body cameras on July 19 -- you can see D.J. left a residence with his arms in the air ... and urged cops who had surrounded him to fire on him.

More than four times, he told them "shoot me" ... and at one point, as he continued to walk toward the officers with what appeared to be a water bottle in one of his hands, he shouted, "I'm not armed, but shoot me."

Cops ultimately did not shoot D.J. ... though they did tase the 37-year-old former Division I football player.

As he was on the ground, D.J. told cops who were putting him in handcuffs, "No one listens. I don't do this s***" ... before he added, "I need your help."

Cops then assured them they were there to provide him that assistance ... before they took him away from the scene.

According to police documents, cops had initially come to D.J.'s residence after several people had told them he had been acting erratically and sending threatening messages. Cops also said they were told those close to D.J. had feared he had been planning school shootings at UConn and Brown Univ.

D.J. was ultimately booked on charges of threatening and breach of peace following his arrest ... and he's currently still in jail, being held on a $250,000 bond.

San Antonio Spurs point guard Devonte' Graham was sentenced to probation in his DWI case on Thursday, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents, the 28-year-old hooper -- who pled guilty last month to a misdemeanor charge of driving while impaired stemming from his July 2022 arrest -- received a 21-day jail sentence ... but it was suspended, and Graham was placed on unsupervised probation for 12 months instead.

Per the docs, Graham was also required to pay $393 in fines and fees as part of his sentencing as well.

Graham was initially hit with the DWI charge following his arrest on July 7, 2022. At the time, authorities said they placed the NBA player in custody after they alleged he had been doing 63 MPH in a 40 MPH zone while intoxicated at around 3 AM in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Graham had been a member of the New Orleans Pelicans at the time of the arrest ... though the former second-round pick was sent to the Spurs a few months later in a trade for Josh Richardson.

Todd Chrisley believes he's being treated differently from the rest of his fellow inmates in federal prison ... and he thinks his fame has everything to do with it.

Chrisley's attorney, Jay Surgent, tells TMZ ... Todd believes his celebrity status has resulted in some odd occurrences while locked up at FPC Pensacola in Florida -- even telling us Todd thinks someone took his photo while he was sleeping.

He also claims he hasn't been receiving any mail and thinks it's getting destroyed ... though, he has no clue what the motive would be for someone doing that.

Jay tells us Todd's living conditions are terrible, too, claiming the place is plagued by bad plumbing, possible mold, and no A.C. to help combat the brutal heat. He also claims his wife Julie's struggling with similarly bad conditions over at FMC Lexington, KY, where she's doing her time.

For what it's worth, a rep for the Bureau of Prisons tells us the safety of inmates is a top priority, and both prisons have "contingency plans to address a large range of concerns ... including ventilation temperatures."

Regardless, Jay says Todd submitted an application to try to get switched over to home confinement. Worth a shot, but that seems unlikely, considering the fact the Chrisleys are doing hard time.

TMZ broke the story, Todd and Julie reported to their prisons in January -- Todd got a 12-year sentence, while Julie got 7 ... after the couple was convicted in their bank fraud and tax evasion case.

We're told the plan moving forward is to explore all legal avenues to address the prison conditions.

The wife and children of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann are back at the family home on Long Island ... the very house cops believe might have been the scene of the grisly murders.

TMZ obtained these images of the suspected killer's wife, Asa Ellerup, and his 32-year-old son, Christopher ... looking somber as they returned to their Massapequa, NY home for the first time since Rex was taken into custody in connection with some of the Gilgo Beach killings.

Heuermann's wife and son milled around the front porch and then sat down on a bench together and, not shockingly, appeared to get emotional.

Police previously searched the home -- roughly 15 miles from Gilgo Beach -- and even dug up the backyard in their quest for any evidence linking Heuermann to the killings.

Investigators are digging into a theory Heuermann might have murdered victims in the home while his family was out of town.

Heuermann has so far been charged with 3 murders ... though 11 sets of human remains have been found at Gilgo, including those of multiple sex workers, a man, and a toddler.

There have been a lot of chilling details surfacing since Heuermann was arrested ... like the former escort who claims she went on a date with him while the murders were happening, with Heurmann allegedly bringing up the case in an oddly enthusiastic manner.

OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney had security guards right outside her front door while she allegedly stabbed her boyfriend to death, but security did nothing about it ... so say the lawyers for the BF's estate.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, security at the luxury apartment building in Miami was notified about a fight going down inside the couple's unit on April 3, 2022 -- the same day Christian was killed.

Attorneys repping Christian Obumseli's estate say guards knocked on their front door and even heard yelling coming from inside, but they just stood outside for 12 minutes and didn't do anything to break it up ... despite what they say was a long history of past disturbances and complaints from neighbors.

The estate claims by the time Courtney opened the door, security saw her and her dogs covered in blood with Christian lying unconscious on the floor.

The estate insists the building and its security were well aware of Courtney and Christian's explosive relationship, saying the building got its first complaint about a domestic dispute between them back on move-in day in January -- months before the fatal incident -- and claim the building got flooded with complaints over time.

According to the docs, Courtney even notified the building's general manager in late March that she had been recently diagnosed with "a severe borderline personality disorder."

The estate lawyers are saying the building should have known at that point that she was "extremely volatile and aggressive," adding that if they'd intervened sooner, Obumseli could have survived.

Quavo was on board a yacht in Miami when two men allegedly threatened the boat's captain ... and video shows the rapper being detained by police, although nobody ended up being arrested.

TMZ obtained footage from Sunday's incident on the Miami River, and you can see Quavo handcuffed with zip ties as he sits on the boat deck and appears to interact with at least three police officers.

Cops in Miami say they got a 911 call about an alleged strong armed robbery on a yacht, and police say folks on the boat told them two men got aggressive with the captain, who said the rental time was nearing its conclusion … allegedly prompting the men to demand a refund.

The incident report, obtained by TMZ, says one of the men threatened to kill the captain and throw him off the yacht if he turned the boat around.

One crew member told police he saw a man take the captain's wallet and cell phone, but cops say folks on the yacht gave conflicting statements on this allegation.

In the video, you also see a group of women sitting on the dock ... as police lights flash and Quavo sits near officers with his hands behind his back.

Police also say they found two firearms on the boat but add that the guns weren't used in any alleged threats.

Dennis "D.J." Hernandez -- the older brother of Aaron Hernandez -- has been arrested again ... this time after cops say there was concern he had been planning school shootings at UConn and Brown University.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in new Bristol Police Department documents, obtained by TMZ Sports ... where cops say D.J. showed signs this month of being "gravely disabled and a danger to society."

According to the BPD, several people came forward in early July claiming D.J. had been acting erratically ... and sending alarming text messages, including one that allegedly read, "we're taking lives if s*** isn't paid up. It's been years in planning just taking notes, names and locations. They talked their way into this and it's almost point game."

Cops wrote in the docs that they were told by a woman claiming to be D.J.'s ex that instead of using her car to go to his scheduled July 7 Court date ... he actually drove to Brown Univ and UConn and "went into a number of classrooms and buildings." Cops say another person told them they believed D.J. had traveled to the campuses in order to plan school shootings.

Police say additionally, D.J. had posted messages with threatening language on his social media page on July 19 ... including one that they said read, "Will I kill? Absolutely, I've warned my enemies so pay up front."

According to the docs, police showed up at a residence D.J. was at later that day ... and a scary police standoff ensued.

Cops say they tried to get D.J. out of the home ... but he had told them that he was "on foot, armed and that if we approached him, he would kill us all." A short time later, D.J. exited the residence ... but according to cops, he "began advancing towards the police with his hands outstretched to his side."

"He began yelling shoot me," police added, "and disregarded the numerous police commands."

D.J. was then tasered and fell to the ground ... and moments later, cops took him into custody -- before they transported him to a local hospital for evaluation.

While there, police say he continued to make threats at the hospital ... saying he would kill "anyone who profited off of his brother Aaron." Dennis, cops said, "mentioned specifically ESPN, but not any people."

D.J. was ultimately released from the hospital and taken into the Bristol Police Department, where he was booked on charges of threatening and breach of peace. He was held on a $250,000 bond.

He's now due in court for a hearing on the matter next week.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is back to dissing his opps -- and he's convinced Kodak Black to join him along for the ride ... and the team up has left Boosie Badazz utterly dejected!!!

The jaw-dropping alliance was unveiled Friday, and marked 6ix9ine's switch from Spanglish rhymes back to hardcore gangsta talk. Kodak makes it clear his loyalty is mostly to money in the opening lines of his verse, as associating with a "snitch" is typically bad for business.

Kodak did appear to show Tekashi some allegiance by dissing his rival Anuel AA with the opening question "How you lose your bitch to a snitch?" ... a reference to the song's other costar, Yailin la Mas Viral, who happens to be Anuel's ex and Tekashi's new flame.

Messy is as messy does but Kodak sees it as one big payday ... it's not like they're not moving weight like Scarface or anything!!!

Wack's been co-managing Tekashi's career as of late and emerged as the track's orchestra ... saluting Atlantic Records and 10K Projects for clearing the record for the streets, and a vape company for funding the entire shebang, very well he adds.

The song still has to prove itself on the charts, but a livid Boosie Badazz hopped on IG Live ahead of its release to diss the entire collab ... but was mainly hurt over Kodak Black's inclusion, as it goes against Boosie's beloved street code.

Boosie says Kodak's now susceptible to becoming gay for working with Tekashi and went on to claim incarcerated Hot Boys rapper B.G. knows secrets about Kodak he's going to spill whenever he gets freed. For crying out loud, Boosie!!!

Investigators in the Gilgo Beach murders case are digging into a grisly theory -- the suspected serial killer might have murdered his victims in his family's home.

Rex Heuermann lives in Massapequa Park, NY, roughly 15 miles away from Gilgo Beach, and since the spring, detectives have been looking into whether any of the victims were killed there ... according to a source who spoke to CNN.

According to the report, the source claimed the disappearances went down during times when Heuermann's family was out of town, leading investigators to theorize he potentially lured victims to the home.

Investigators think Heuermann would've had a big advantage using his own home, where he'd more easily be able to access materials like burlap bags ... and as you know, the 4 bodies found over a decade ago were wrapped in burlap.

As we reported, Heuermann was taken into custody last week in connection with some of the killings -- a total of 11 sets of human remains have been found at Gilgo, which included multiple sex workers, a man, and a toddler.

The man who stabbed Tyson Fury's cousin to death last year has been found guilty of murder by a jury following a three-week trial.

After three and a half hours of deliberation on Friday, the jury announced their verdict, finding 22-year-old Liam O'Pray guilty of the killing of 31-year-old Rico Burton, Tyson's cousin, and wounding with intent.

As we previously reported, Burton was stabbed in the left side of his neck with a 7-inch blade after a fight at a popular bar in Altrincham, Cheshire last August.

The fatal stab wound caused major blood loss, as it severed the major carotid artery in his neck.

O'Pray was also found guilty of injuring an 18-year-old, Harvey Reilly, in the same incident.

According to The Sun, witnesses said O'Pray was drinking and acting "very erratic" prior to the brawl with Burton and his friends around 3 AM.

Fury was devastated over his cousin's tragic death and called for the UK government to hand down harsher punishment for knife crimes.

"My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck," the heavyweight boxer said on IG last August.

"This is becoming ridiculous idiots carry knives. This needs to stop 🛑 Asap, uk 🇬🇧 government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, its a pandemic & you dont know how bad it is until its 1 of your own!"

"Life is very precious & it can be taken away very quick enjoy every moment🙏RIP RICO BURTON 🙏 may the lord god grant you a good place in heaven. see you soon 🔜🙏"

The brother of ex-NFL star Aqib Talib, Yaqub Talib, has pled guilty to murder ... stemming from his role in the shooting of a youth football coach last summer.

A rep for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ Sports ... Yaqub entered the plea this week -- agreeing to be sentenced to 37 years in prison.

Formal sentencing for the 40-year-old has been slated for August 7, the rep said.

Yaqub was initially accused of pulling out a firearm and shooting Michael Hickmon following an argument at an Aug. 13, 2022 youth football game involving a team that the Talib brothers were helping coach.

According to a lawsuit against the Talibs filed by Hickmon's family, the Talib brothers had gotten upset with Hickmon -- who was helping coach the opposing team -- over a call on the field ... and abruptly ended the game.

When Hickmon then went to retrieve the game ball -- he was allegedly "confronted" by Aqib, who, according to the lawsuit, threw a punch.

Hickmon's family said in their suit that after Hickmon "defensively backpedaled," Yaqub then pulled out a handgun and fired five shots -- striking Hickmon with several bullets. Hickmon later died at a local hospital.

The alleged altercation was captured on cell phone video by bystanders.

An attorney for Aqib said in a statement following the confrontation, "Aqib was present when this unfortunate incident occurred and is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life. He would like to convey his condolences to the family of the victim and to everyone who witnessed this unfortunate tragedy."

The five-time Pro Bowler -- who starred for the Buccaneers, Broncos, Patriots and Rams in his career -- has not been charged criminally over his alleged role in the incident.