Crime & Arrests

More than 4 years after the bodies of at least 8 sex workers were found on Long Island's Gilgo Beach, a former escort and current stylist says she had dinner with accused killer Rex Heuermann, and she says she knew he was the serial killer.

TMZ interviewed Nikki Brass for Sunday's Fox documentary, "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs," and she describes in great detail how she spent an evening with Heuermann at a Long Island restaurant, 45 miles from where the bodies were buried.

She says during their dinner in 2015, he asked if she was a fan of true crime, which she was. He then asked if she was familiar with the Gilgo Beach murders, and she said of course she was.

Then things turned ... according to Nikki, Heuermann was not so much talking about the murders as he was bragging about them. She was so creeped out, she called a friend to pick her up.

When dinner was over, Heuermann asked her to come home with him, and she declined. Nikki says he got angry and she left.

Nikki, who is now a stylist, says the way he spoke about the murders, she was convinced Heuermann was the Gilgo Beach serial killer and told many of her friends for years.

She didn't go to cops because she was on probation for a drug offense.

Wrestling star Cash Wheeler -- one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions -- was arrested on Friday and charged with a felony, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to online records, the 36-year-old was booked into an Orange County, Fla. jail at around midnight ... on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Further details of the allegations against Wheeler were not made immediately available ... though court records indicate the arrest stemmed from a July incident.

Wheeler joined the AEW in 2020 after a notable WWE career ... and has since become a fan favorite in the org. -- wrestling alongside his tag team partner, Dax Harwood.

The two won the tag team title together in April ... and had been slated to co-main event at AEW: All In London at Wembley Stadium in two weeks.

It's unclear if Friday's arrest will alter those plans ... the AEW said in a statement that it "has been made aware of the charge, and we are closely monitoring the situation."

The org. added Wheeler "is fully cooperating with local authorities."

NFL star Robert Quinn -- a former Dallas Cowboy -- was arrested in South Carolina on Friday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 33-year-old pass rusher, who played for the Eagles and Bears last season, was booked in a Dorchester County jail at around 8 AM ... on hit and run and assault charges.

Attempts to reach police for comment on the arrest were unsuccessful.

According to WCSC-TV, however, Quinn has been accused of crashing into four cars, a light post and a gate ... and then leaving the scene during a wild incident in Summerville on Tuesday.

The outlet reports one witness told them the football player stopped to talk for a brief moment following the wreck before leaving ... but was "very belligerent."

"He kept saying, 'Oh, don't worry about it I'll buy you new cars, I'll buy you new cars, let's go to the dealership,'" the witness said. "I told him to get off my property and he proceeded to put his hands on me and slap me not once but twice."

Court records show Quinn has since been hit with seven total charges related to the incident.

Quinn -- a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft -- has long been considered one of the league's best sack masters, piling up 102 QB takedowns in 162 career games ... though he's currently a free agent after an underwhelming season in Chicago and Philadelphia last year.

Donald Trump is looking to kick one of his criminal cases down the road -- way down the road -- he wants his federal election interference trial to begin after he gets another shot at the White House.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Trump is seeking to delay his upcoming trial until April 2026 ... instead of the January 2024 trial date Special Counsel Jack Smith wants.

Trump's proposed trial start would fall about 17 months after the 2024 presidential election, in which he's the leading Republican candidate.

According to the docs, Trump says the delay is necessary because prosecutors have produced 11.5 million pages of documents -- which he says if stacked together would stretch nearly 5,000 feet into the sky -- and his attorneys need time to comb through all of it.

The former president is now facing 4 criminal cases, but this is related to his federal indictment for attempting to undermine the 2020 election with his actions on, before and after January 6, 2021.

Remember, prosecutors at the Department of Justice charged Trump on Aug. 1 with 4 counts -- conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights (to vote).

Trump's pleaded not guilty ... and Smith's team of prosecutors previously filed docs requesting jury selection begin in December, with the trial starting Jan. 2.

Of course, that would be square in the middle of Trump's campaign for the 2024 election -- keep in mind the Iowa Caucus is on Jan. 15.

So, it's not all that surprising Trump wants to hit pause, and push it until well after the 2024 election ... to a date when he could actually be POTUS, once again. That would make more history.

Joe Mixon will head into the 2023 NFL season with his road rage case in the rearview mirror ... the Bengals running back was just found not guilty on Thursday morning.

The tailback had been in court on trial in the case since the start of the week ... and after four days of back-and-forth between prosecutors and Mixon's attorneys -- a judge found him not guilty of misdemeanor aggravated menacing.

Mixon -- wearing a light-colored suit and navy blue tie -- did not take the stand during Thursday's proceedings. He appeared relieved after the judge's ruling was announced.

Joe did not speak with reporters after court ... directing media members to speak with his attorneys instead. One of the lawyers said outside of the courtroom, "We thought it came out the way it should have."

The 27-year-old football player was initially charged in the case back in February ... after a 43-year-old woman alleged he had pulled a gun on her on Jan. 21 and threatened to shoot her over a dispute the two had been having on a roadway in Cincinnati.

The charge was at first dismissed just a couple days after it was filed ... but the case was reopened on April 7 after investigators said they found "new evidence." Mixon pled not guilty to the charge less than two weeks later on April 19.

Mixon is expected to have a huge role for the Bengals this year ... after the team parted ways with his primary backup, Samaje Perine, in the offseason. It's unclear if he's still facing punishment over the criminal case from the NFL despite Thursday's ruling.

A California man caught on a viral TikTok sniffing women's butts at a Barnes & Noble was arrested last week ... but he's already back on the streets despite a lengthy criminal record.

The disturbing clip made the rounds online last week -- the man, who law enforcement sources believe is 36-year-old Calese Carron Crowder, is seen going up to women from behind and allegedly smelling them.

According to online records, Crowder was arrested last week for what appears to be a separate, misdemeanor incident in Glendale. He was released a few days later.

What's shocking is that records show Crowder has a very long list of arrests over the years, but was let go relatively quickly after the August arrest.

WWE legend Tammy Sytch just pleaded no contest to a felony charge of DUI causing death ... and she's now facing a prison sentence of up to a quarter of a century, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 50-year-old wrestling Hall of Famer was first hit with the count -- and seven others -- back in May 2022 ... after officials alleged she killed a 75-year-old man during a drunken car crash just two months prior.

Sytch had initially pleaded not guilty to all of the charges ... but changed her pleas in a Volusia County courtroom on Wednesday afternoon -- days before the case was slated to go to trial.

According to court documents, in addition to the plea to felony DUI causing death, she also pleaded no contest to one felony charge of driving with license suspended causing death, four misdemeanor counts of DUI with damage to a person, and two misdemeanor charges of DUI with damage to property.

A sentencing hearing for Sytch has not yet been put on the docket ... though, according to court docs, she's facing a maximum sentence of 25 years behind bars whenever it comes up.

Sytch has been in jail since May 2022 in the case ... after prosecutors claimed she crashed her car into the back of another vehicle on a Florida road in March 2022 while it was stopped at a traffic light. The officials alleged at the time of the accident she had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.

Sytch had at first received bond in the case, but days later, she was thrown back in jail after prosecutors called her a danger to the community.

The case was not the first time Sytch had been accused of drinking and driving -- she had also been arrested at least six times for impaired driving before, including back in 2019 in New Jersey.

The white apartment manager in North Carolina on video hitting a Black 11-year-old and pouring soda on him is being taken to court by the kid's parents.

Robert Eury and Joella Lee-Eury filed a federal lawsuit against Kimberly Jennings, claiming she got physical with their son and 8-year-old daughter because they were using the pool at the apartment complex she manages.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the parents claim their kids were swimming in the pool at an apartment complex where their friends live when Jennings ordered them out of the water.

The parents say their kids were attempting to leave when Jennings approached their son and "poured soda over his head and struck him in the face multiple times all because him and his little sister was swimming in a pool at the property she manages."

In their suit, the parents claim Jennings also pulled their daughter's hair and hit her after ordering the kids out of the pool. The parents even claim Jennings told their son "he was acting like a real n*****."

Jennings was later arrested on an assault charge, but the parents say their kids are still reeling from the pool incident ... so now they're suing for discrimination, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Here's what life is like right now for Tory Lanez inside Los Angeles County Jail ... he's being held away from general population and only gets a few hours a day outside his cell.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Tory is being held in what's called the administrative segregation unit, which is for inmates who cannot be safely housed with the rest of the folks behind bars.

With that, Tory is only allowed out of his cell for 2 hours a day ... and for those 120 minutes, he's by himself.

We're told he is allowed to get some fresh air during recreation time, but that's only for 3 hours each week.

This is the status quo for Tory as he waits to get shipped out of county jail for prison ... remember, the judge just sentenced him to a decade behind bars after being found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion.

We're told Tory will be on the move within the next month, when he will be transferred to an intake center ... and that's when California will reveal which prison he'll be calling home for the duration of his sentence.

In the meantime, we're told jail staff is checking on Tory every 30 minutes ... as they do with all the inmates in administrative segregation, and he's able to load up on goodies at the commissary.

We're told whatever Tory buys from the commissary -- snacks, soap, etc. -- goes with him to the big house, as well as any money he has on the books.

Tory's vowed to appeal, and said he won't apologize to Meg ... but this is his life for the time being.

Britney Spears' ex-husband, Jason Alexander, is being ordered to steer clear of the woman he's accused of stalking.

Jason had a hearing this week in his aggravated stalking case in Tennessee ... and the judge ordered him to have no contact with his alleged victim, and to refrain from posting about her on social media.

TMZ broke the story ... Jason's arrest came after he allegedly texted, called, and followed a woman from a gym multiple times. She claims it even escalated to the point where he showed up at her home.

Remember ... the alleged victim also claimed Jason followed her to the parking lot of a Life Time Fitness in Franklin, TN back in June ... and she says she told him to leave her alone -- instead, he blew up her phone with tons of calls and texts.

What's more, the woman claims Jason allegedly drove past her house a few times, and even approached her at the gym's pool when she was there with her kid.

Jason's got to stay away from her for a while ... the next hearing is in August 2024.

David Montgomery and his girlfriend's offseason move to Detroit didn't get off to an auspicious start ... TMZ Sports has learned one of the couple's dogs was involved in a bloody biting incident just days after the new Lions running back got settled into his new Michigan home.

According to police documents, officers were called out to Montgomery's new Grosse Pointe Shores residence on June 4 ... after his and his GF's pitbull mix, Lola, was accused of escaping the house and attacking a smaller dog on the sidewalk.

In police body cam footage from the scene ... Montgomery's girlfriend -- Tatum Causey -- can be heard explaining to officers that she was in the backyard when she realized her pooch had gotten out.

"I go inside, literally opened the door and I said, 'Anybody see Lola?'" she told an officer at the scene. "So, I'm looking in the backyard for her -- she normally stays right in the backyard -- but when I walk out, I see my brother carrying her."

The owners of the dog who claimed Lola bit their pup said in an incident report that during the attack, Lola grabbed their animal's leg and would not let go.

"I heard our dog's leg break," one of the complainants wrote in the documents.

The owners said they suffered bite wounds and lacerations of their own during the attack. They added that their pup was diagnosed by the vet with two leg fractures. They also claimed it required stitches.

Causey -- who has a child with Montgomery -- was charged with misdemeanor harboring a vicious dog over the incident ... though court records show she pleaded not guilty to the count at a hearing in late June. The records show she's due for another hearing on the matter in September.

As for Lola, Causey shared an emotional tribute post to the dog one month after the biting incident that seemed to indicate the animal had passed away.

"So many quiet days just filled with your unconditional love," she wrote on the IG post. "You are and always will be the best. My soul dog, I love you forever and ever my Lola Bear."

The Montgomery riverfront brawl is triggering ... in a financial sense, because retailers are cashing in with merch based on the viral fight, and the items are going like hotcakes.

Sites like Etsy, eBay and Amazon made it their business to start hawking brawl-themed merch almost immediately last Sunday -- the day after the Alabama fight went down, and these platforms are still surging with a bunch of creative options to buy.

Some of the things ya can scoop up include folding chair earrings and keychains, hoodies with photos from the fight, and even shirts that read, "Don't start nothing, won't be nothing."

One of the most common shirt designs says, "F*** around and find out," with a folding chair front and center ... pretty funny stuff.

JoeRyanDesigns on Etsy made an "Avengers Assemble" coffee mug with people portraying superheroes, like the man with the folding chair -- who's since been arrested -- and the company tells us its merch is going viral, just like the event that inspired it.

The site's seen a "massive increase" in traffic, which comes out to a 3,011% uptick in views.

Tory Lanez still insists the system screwed him with a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- but, that's just the consequence of the crime if you ask Trinidad James.

We caught up with Trinidad at LAX and his stance is clear: jail time should always follow the act of shooting someone in a criminal fashion, and since Tory was convicted ... Trinidad has no issue with the sentence.

The "All Gold Everything" rapper used Kendrick Lamar's "Money Trees" lyrics ... "Everybody gon' respect the shooter/But the one in front of the gun lives forever" ... to summarize his POV.

Trinidad also tells us Iggy Azalea should've kept quiet, after her public support for Tory became a hot-button issue following the sentencing.

Iggy grew close to Tory while they worked on music prior to his trial, and wrote a letter to the judge asking for leniency -- a bad move according to Trinidad, but he still respects her right to have an opinion.

Jose Baez, Tory's lawyer, told us Tory's in the dumps after getting sentenced, and Tory himself remains defiant -- insisting he didn't shoot Meg.

The guy caught on video smashing people over the head with a folding chair in that riverfront brawl in Montgomery, Alabama has just been arrested.

The Montgomery Police Department announced Friday that Reggie Ray turned himself in ... and he's been charged with disorderly conduct and is being held in the Municipal Jail.

TMZ obtained the 42-year-old's mug shot ... and he doesn't look happy about the consequences of his actions in the epic melee.

Ray is the fifth person arrested for the brawl ... remember, Chief of Police Darryl Albert previously identified Reggie as the Black man who infamously wielded the chair on the dock, bonking several people on the head.

Ray got in on the action late, after men from a pontoon boat that was blocking a passenger ferry from docking ganged up on the ferry's co-captain ... sparking a huge brawl along racial lines.

The other 4 arrested include Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, who turned themselves in Wednesday and are each charged with one count of 3rd degree assault.

Richard Roberts, 48, was the first arrested ... he's accused of punching a 16-year-old dockhand.

The Alabama riverboat co-captain who got into that epic fight with a group of white boaters says the men threatened to beat him to death during the wild melee.

Damien Pickett, the co-captain of the Harriott 2 passenger ferry -- and the man who tossed his hat in the air -- told police the boaters who ganged up on him peppered him with threats during the beatdown on the docks, telling him "I'm gonna kill you, motherf*****. Beat your ass, motherf*****."

Damien's claims are part of his written account of the incident, first obtained by NBC News, where he tells police his side of the story.

The co-captain says crew members on the Harriott 2 asked the folks on the pontoon boat to move several times because it was docked where the ferry needed to land, and he says the boaters responded by giving them the middle finger.

Damien says he and a dockhand went to shore and untied the pontoon boat, moving it "three steps to the right" before tying it back to the dock to clear space for the Harriott 2 ... and that's when he claims 2 of the boaters ran up to him and yelled, "Don't touch that boat motherf***** or we will beat your ass."

The co-captain says the men continued to threaten them and then the pontoon boat's owner -- dressed in a gray shirt, red shorts and a sun visor -- eventually came over and got in his face.

Damien says the guy who threw the first punch was "a tall, older white guy" who hit him in the face ... and he says he soon found himself being attacked from all angles, so he started defending himself and fighting back.

The co-captain couldn't tell police how long the brawl lasted, explaining ... "I grabbed one of them and just held on for dear life."

So far, 4 people have been charged for the brawl ... Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, turned themselves in Wednesday and were charged with one count of assault 3rd degree.

Former NFL star Fred Smoot was arrested in Virginia on Thursday, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to jail records, the ex-Washington Commanders cornerback was taken into custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center at 10:58 AM ... and as of Friday morning, he remained behind bars.

A spokesperson for Loudoun County Sheriff's Office tells us ... he was booked misdemeanor failure to comply with support obligation.

Further details surrounding the arrest were not made available.

Smoot -- a second-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft -- is no stranger to trouble with the law ... he's been arrested multiple times over the years, including back in 2019 when he multiple cops put him in cuffs after he allegedly didn't appear in court over minor traffic violations.

Smoot was also famously involved in the 2005 Minnesota Vikings' "Love Boat" scandal ... where a bunch of players were accused of hiring prostitutes for a massive sex party on water. He later pled guilty to disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance on a watercraft stemming from the incident.