Crime & Arrests

Bryan Kohberger allegedly ogled photos of college coeds in swimsuits in the months before he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students.

Some more of Bryan's alleged cell phone browsing history is being revealed by "Dateline" ... they say they got info from cops showing Bryan was checking out female college students in bikinis.

And, get this ... NBC News says they dug through social media and found some of the bikini-clad coeds on Bryan's phone were friends with or followers of 3 of the 4 students Kohberger is accused of murdering ... Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen.

Elizabeth Smart is breaking her silence following the latest legal issue with one of her kidnappers, Wanda Barzee ... ripping her for allegedly getting near some kids.

Elizabeth, who was just 14 years old when she was kidnapped, voiced concerns about Barzee's alleged parole violation.

As we reported ... police in Utah say Barzee was arrested last week after detectives say she allegedly visited at least two public parks in Salt Lake City, a big no-no for the registered sex offender.

The Menendez Brothers got good news today in court in their ongoing quest for freedom ... a judge has denied a petition to stop a resentencing hearing from happening, and the brothers will get their day in court next week for the next step.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic rejected the prosecution's motion to stop next week's resentencing hearing, finding there's no new information revealed in a risk assessment report on the brothers that would stop the consideration.

Friday, details from the Compliance Risk Assessment (CRA) were revealed -- Lyle broke prison rules last year for being in possession of a phone. This year, Erik also broke rules, by having a cellphone and communicating with someone outside prison, and by purchasing and trading drugs, and lastly, performing tax fraud.

The former Indiana teacher charged with sexually abusing multiple underage children while they wore "Scream" masks has a big adjustment to make behind bars ... no more sex!!!

Brittany Fortinberry is being held at the Morgan County Jail in Martinsville, IN and there's no way she's doing the nasty ... because there are no conjugal visits, no access to porn, and no sexually explicit material -- and she's all alone in her cell.

A rep for the jail tells us Fortinberry is in general population and she has a cell all to herself, despite each room allowing for 3 inmates. It's just her and a metal bunk, sink fixture, towel hooks, toilet, mirror and a night light.

Diddy's federal trial officially got underway earlier this week ... and, we'll be rounding up all the action from court each week on our new show "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial" on Tubi.

Our own Harvey Levin and a panel of famous guests will dive into exclusive details about the trial of the year ... breaking down all the dish from inside the courtroom that ain't even out yet.

As we've told you, the trial isn't televised -- but, this is the next best thing as our crew keeps you updated on every development and delivers exclusive info on what is going on behind the scenes.

The panel will rotate week to week ... and, the first episode -- releasing Friday, May 9 -- will feature famed attorney and cohost of our "2 Angry Men" podcast Mark Geragos, legal commentator Nancy Grace, reality star and lawyer Eboni K. Williams, and host of Banfield on NewsNation & the "Drop Dead Serious" podcast Ashleigh Banfield.

Harvey Weinstein accuser Kaja Sokola claims Weinstein bragged about making stars out of Gwyneth and Penélope Cruz -- right after allegedly sexually assaulting her as a teen.

Testifying in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday, Kaja Sokola, 39, said she wanted to scream after the alleged assault at 16, but Weinstein told her she had to obey him and keep quiet if she wanted a career like the big-time stars he name-dropped.

As for the alleged assault, Sokola said Weinstein picked her up for lunch, took her to his Soho loft in NYC -- and allegedly touched her vagina and forced her to touch his penis in the bathroom before he "ejaculated on the floor."

Federal prosecutors are taking a big gamble with one of their star witnesses in Diddy's sex trafficking trial, because the woman they call "Victim 3" has always made it clear she does NOT want to testify ... TMZ has learned.

During jury selection this week, lead prosecutor Maurene Comey admitted the feds do not know whether the alleged victim -- one of Diddy's ex-girlfriends -- intends to appear in court to testify against him. Comey said the woman does not live locally, there's an issue getting in touch with her attorney ... and she may not even show up to court despite a subpoena.

Our sources with direct knowledge say the woman has never cooperated with prosecutors, and never gave them an indication she would be willing to take the stand during the trial.

Jennifer Aniston's alleged stalker was in court Thursday to be arraigned ... and, not only has he been ordered to stay away from Aniston, but his mental competency is being evaluated to determine whether he’s fit to stand trial.

Jimmy Wayne Carwyle appeared in an L.A. courtroom Thursday to face one count of felony stalking and one count of felony vandalism.

Carwyle looked disheveled in court ... appearing in a blue suicide-prevention blanket. It's unclear if he had any clothes on under it. He stood behind thick panes of glass while proceedings occurred -- quietly staring straight ahead.

Mark Geragos may not like that Diddy's lawyers are subject to a gag order -- and so is he ... but, a prominent prosecutor from L.A. says prosecutors need it to avoid a possible appeal.

Kirsten Brown-Neil -- a deputy district attorney for L.A. County -- spoke with us on "TMZ Live" about Judge Arun Subramanian warning Geragos to watch what he says on our "2 Angry Men" podcast.

When asked about Geragos citing a Supreme Court ruling saying defendants and their attorneys have the right to speak publicly about the case, Kirsten said she thinks Geragos is taking a very narrow view of the ruling.

The guy arrested for crashing his car onto Jennifer Aniston's Bel-Air property is now facing felony charges for stalking her for several years.

L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Wednesday he'd slapped Jimmy Wayne Carwyle with one count of felony stalking and one count of felony vandalism ... and said the suspect would be in court Thursday for his arraignment.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD was digging into 48-year-old Carwyle's social media after finding several rambling posts that mentioned Jennifer -- and, in one, he actually referred to her as his bride.

Former U.S. Olympian Ivan Lee was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor sex offenses stemming from his time as head coach of the Long Island University fencing team.

Lee was arrested in 2024 on forcible touching, sexual abuse and harassment charges ... after a female fencer he was coaching at the time filed criminal complaints against him.

According to USA Today, the forcible touching charge was vacated by the Kings County Criminal Court after Lee participated in a court-ordered treatment program.

The feds would probably say Luigi Mangione got his just desserts on his birthday -- 'cause he had to nosh on some crappy prison food!!!

TMZ obtained a copy of Luigi's breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for his 27th birthday Tuesday, while locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

And while much of the food is the type of stuff we all eat ...it all seems kind of nasty when you factor in the whole jailhouse aspect.

Diddy's third day of jury selection featured a couple people with close ties to the case ... this despite the judge's direction to both sides to better vet prospective jurors.

Proceedings in Diddy's case are moving forward ... with more potential jurors called Wednesday as both sides worked to put together the 45-person jury pool -- and, it seems they weren't vetted with a fine-tooth comb.

Juror 317 took the stand ... which got Judge Arun Subramanian laughing immediately -- 'cause he and the man used to work on anti-class action cases together.

Diddy's federal trial may begin without one of the biggest witnesses for the prosecution ... 'cause the feds still can't get in touch with the woman known as "Victim 3."

The third day of jury selection in Diddy's federal case wrapped up just a short time ago ... and, the prosecution told the judge they still haven't been able to locate this unidentified person or get through to their attorney.

As we told you ... the prosecution, led by Maurene Comey, admitted Monday that Victim 3 does not live near New York City -- and, try as they might, they're worried about getting her to show up in person.

Michael Pitt's been ordered to stay away from his ex-girlfriend ... this after he was arrested on sexual abuse charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Pitt has been ordered by a New York judge to steer clear of his former partner for a year.

We're told Pitt has to avoid her home, work or any place where she physically goes ... and, he also can't use electronic means -- texts, calls, emails -- to get in touch with her.

The judge in Diddy's criminal trial is issuing a warning to Mark Geragos over his public comments about the case, and vows he'll be watching and listening weekly to his podcast, "2 Angry Men."

Judge Arun Subramanian called Geragos into chambers Tuesday -- on day 2 of jury selection -- for a tête-à-tête about the famed attorney referring to the federal prosecuting team as a "6-pack of white women" during last week's episode of the podcast he co-hosts with TMZ's Harvey Levin.

Prosecutors alerted the judge to the comment, which they claimed violated court rules because Geragos appears to be consulting with Diddy's defense team. The rule bars prosecutors and attorneys involved in a trial from making public comments that could influence the jury.