Crime

The men who chased down and murdered Ahmaud Arbery committed a hate crime in the process of their fatal actions ... and they've all just been convicted of that offense.

The 12-jurors in the federal hate crime trial reached their decision Tuesday after a weeklong trial ... in which prosecutors argued the motivation behind the murder was hatred toward Arbery because of his race. As such Travis, Gregory McMichael and William 'Roddie' Bryan were all convicted.

All three men faced one count of interference of Arbery's civil rights, plus attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels were also charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

Travis -- the one who actually shot and killed Arbery on the road -- was also hit with a count of using a firearm in relation to a violent crime. The feds alleged these acts were racially motivated ... hence, why the case fell within the purview of federal hate crime laws.

Prosecutors pointed to racist messages they claimed had been posted or exchanged by the defendants -- specifically zeroing in on Travis McMichael, who allegedly once said Black people needed to be made examples of in white vs. Black confrontations.

Prosecutors also claimed the men had used racially charged language -- be it in writing, or verbally -- at one point or another. In addition to this, the feds claim Bryan himself told cops he'd heard the McMichaels use a racist epithet to describe Ahmaud after he'd fallen to the ground.

The men, meanwhile, insisted they weren't racist, and that the chase wasn't motivated by race.

Obviously, the jury didn't believe them.

Disturbing moment during a junior hockey game ... a player sucker-punched an official in the face, and the player has now been hit with a lifetime ban.

It all went down in the United States Premier Hockey League -- a developmental league for amateurs -- when a member of the South Shore Kings got frustrated with one of the refs.

Check out the clip, the official appears ticked off by something the player did and motions to send him to the penalty box.

That's when things went south ... 'cause as the player began skating off the ice, he punched the referee in the face, dropping him to the ice.

The other refs restored order ... and the official who was punched was helped back onto his skates -- but the damage had already been done.

FYI, Junior Hockey is typically played after high school, but before college.

The commissioner for the USPHL released a statement saying, "The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL. The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official, at any time."

He continued ... "The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban."

The Young Dolph murder case continues to produce new leads -- police say there are now more people they want to talk to about what happened that fateful day.

Memphis PD announced Sunday two persons of interest in connection to the homicide -- 26-year-old Devin Burns and 26-year-old Joshua Taylor ... both of whom the cops say they are unable to locate, and need the public’s help in finding.

Burns is described as 5'6" at about 135 lbs. and Taylor’s a tad bit bigger ... 6'6" at 180 lbs. MPD says Burns has unrelated open warrants for his arrest -- but both men appear to have posed for mug shots before.

It’s unclear how or why exactly these two are suspected to be related to the murder -- but cops say they want to sit down with them regardless.

The authorities have already nabbed two men they say are the actual shooters -- Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith, who’ve both pled not guilty to first-degree murder charges, among others.

A third man was also arrested ... Shundale Barnett, whom the police say served as an accessory in helping Johnson flee Tennessee.

Alec Baldwin has an important ally in the "Rust" shooting, because the D.A. may be onboard with his story that he never pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Santa Fe D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies told Vanity Fair, "You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it. So you pull it back partway, it doesn’t lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet."

This aligns with what Baldwin told ABC News back in December ... insisting he did not pull the trigger. He said, "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never."

The D.A. had her investigators perform a test in her office ... to see if a mechanical malfunction could have resulted in an accidental firing. The result -- she says the hammer could have caused the gun to discharge a bullet.

Some experts have claimed there's no way the gun could fire without pulling the trigger, but the D.A.'s own analysis is critical, given she's mulling over whether to charge anyone with criminal negligence.

Kodak Black is doing a little show and tell ... displaying the impact of his injuries after being shot during Super Bowl Weekend.

TMZ broke the story ... Kodak was hit in the leg outside Justin Bieber's after-party at The Nice Guy in Hollywood. Three others were hit, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Kodak posted photos and a video documenting himself traveling back to Florida and showing off the cast covering his leg injury. He's talking to his mom and says he bought her a new house and a $30,000 Birkin bag.

When he was released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Monday, he was clearly struggling to walk ... with an assist from a walker.

BTW ... he had bodyguards flanking him as he climbed into the SUV, and for good reason.

The investigation into the shooting death of 'Walking Dead' actor Moses J. Moseley just took a dramatic turn ... although cops believed he took his own life, new evidence suggests otherwise ... possibly foul play.

Moseley's body was found in his car January 26, with a bullet wound to his head and a gun sitting in his lap. Cops were investigating the death as a possible suicide.

Captain Randy Lee of the Stockbridge, GA PD tells us, "During the preliminary investigation, the potential of the death being a suicide was considered while not ruling out any other possibilities. As investigators progressed their investigation and more evidence was processed, reviewed and analyzed, other possibilities have presented themselves including accidental."

We spoke to a family member of Moseley ... they say investigators pointed to evidence of blood splatter, the way the bullet entered Moses' skull and his grip on the gun as not necessarily aligning with suicide.

The family member tells us the bullet entered below Moses' eye and never left his skull, whereas people who shoot themselves usually will put the gun to their temple (and the bullet exits on the other side) or in their mouth. He also had a "loose" grip on the gun, as if someone had put it in his hand.

TMZ broke the story, Moseley's family believed there was something fishy about his death from the get-go ... thinking it was possible he had been kidnapped and murdered.

Kanye West could soon find himself charged for allegedly attacking a fan outside an L.A. hotel ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops have nearly completed their investigation into the case, and will soon ship their findings off to the L.A. City Attorney's Office, who will decide on whether to file any criminal charges against Kanye.

We're told between the paparazzi video evidence, and witness statements, cops think there's enough evidence to charge Kanye with a crime. We know cops wanted to interview Ye, but our sources say it never happened ... citing a busy schedule.

As we've told you ... Kanye is under investigation for allegedly punching an autograph seeker near the Soho Warehouse in DTLA ... and video shows the man laid out on the street as Kanye rages at folks who apparently work for him. We were told at the time Kanye broke the guy's nose.

The way it works in L.A. ... the City Attorney has 3 options -- file charges, reject the case, or call the involved parties in for an informal office hearing where they could impose certain conditions for the case to go away ... conditions like attending anger management classes.

Benny The Butcher is a suspect in a grand theft case, after the alleged victim claims he made off with some of her super-expensive jewelry ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ ... a few weeks ago, the rapper was sharing a room with a lady at the SLS Hotel in Bev Hills. When the woman woke up, Benny and her earrings were gone ... earrings she says are valued around $10k.

We're told Benny and the woman were the only ones in the room. When she called him, she says he admitted to taking the earrings ... and promised he would return them.

Well, a few weeks went by and the woman was still earring-less ... in fact, she says he changed his story, claiming the earrings were lost.

The woman has now filed a police report, naming Benny as the thief.

Kim Potter was just sentenced to 2 years for the killing of Daunte Wright ... though it won't all be served behind bars.

Potter received a sentence of 24 months Friday in an MN courtroom ... but only 16 months of that will be served behind bars, the remaining time will be on supervised release. On top of that, she'll have to pay a $1,000 fine. The sentence is significantly less than the 7 years prosecutors had suggested.

Potter broke down in addressing Wright's family during the sentencing hearing, apologizing several times for what happened and asking for the family's forgiveness.

As we've previously told you, the ex-Minnesota cop was found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter after fatally shooting the 20-year-old black man in December.

Daunte's mother, Katie Wright, spoke during the sentencing hearing in an emotional moment that had the courtroom silent. She refused to refer to Potter by her first name, Potter only referred to Daunte as "the driver" through their exchange.

Katie also expressed her frustrations in how selfish she thought Potter was after shooting Daunte, only worried about getting in touch with her union rep ... Katie asked the judge to give the maximum sentence.

On April 11, 2021, Daunte Wright was pulled over by police for an expired tag and an illegal air freshener. Cops attempted to arrest him when they learned he had a warrant, and he tried to flee ... that's when Potter pulled out a gun and shot him.

You'll recall ... Potter has said she thought she pulled out her Taser ... instead of pulling out her firearm. As you can see in the bodycam footage, she yells out "Taser" ... and moments later she says, "Holy sh**! I just shot him!"

She broke down on the stand during trial when recounting the events that led up to Wright's death.

Shortly after the shooting, the incident sparked protests and civil unrest throughout the U.S. over how Black people are treated by police.

The legal team for Wright's family insisted that his death was absolutely preventable.

Tennesee Titans defensive end Bud Dupree spent part of his Friday morning in jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the football player finally turned himself in for booking after he was cited for his alleged role in a January altercation at a Walgreens.

The Metro Nashville Police Department tells us Dupree was booked on a misdemeanor assault charge in the 9 o'clock hour Friday morning. He took a mugshot and he's no longer in custody, a spokesperson told us.

According to records, Dupree also had a court hearing scheduled for Friday.

As we previously reported, Dupree was cited for misdemeanor battery on Jan. 4 after cops say he attacked an employee at a Nashville Walgreens on Jan. 2, just hours after the Titans' home game against the Miami Dolphins.

In a statement, cops said Dupree grabbed the employee and then later tried to take the man's phone -- and eventually fled the scene before officers arrived.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the incident ... and in the footage, you can see Dupree did appear to grab a man and then wrestle with him for several seconds inside of the store.

Sources close to Dupree allege he was being heckled with nasty comments ... claiming the man threatened to spit on the women he was with and kick Bud in the knee.

Former Angels staffer Eric Kay has just been found guilty of distributing the drugs that led to the death of ex-MLB pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

The jury just announced the verdict ... finding Kay guilty of one charge of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one charge of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Kay is now facing life behind bars. Sentencing has been set for June 28.

According to The Athletic's Sam Blum, who was in the courtroom for the Kay trial this week, Skaggs' mother and wife broke down in tears and hugged following the verdict.

As we previously reported, Kay -- who had worked as the communications director for the Angels for several years -- had been accused of supplying Skaggs with the drugs that ultimately led to his overdose death before an Angels game in Texas in June 2019.

Skaggs was just 27 years old.

Story developing ...

In another strange twist ... controversial Russian skating star Kamila Valieva fell to the ice multiple times and failed to medal in the women's free skate event.

15-year-old Valieva -- the best skater in the world -- was heavily favored to win leading up to the competition, but ended up finishing fourth after suffering one of the worst performances of her young career.

Kamila has been at the center of a firestorm of controversy ... after it was revealed last week that she failed a drug test in December. Valieva was popped for a performance-enhancing drug named trimetazidine. The drug helps blood flow and endurance.

Valieva was ultimately suspended for the positive test by Russian drug officials ... who then quickly reversed course, un-suspending her just a day later.

Other Olympic entities appealed the lifting of the suspension ... so the decision went to an organization called the Court of Arbitration (CAS), who ruled Valieva should be allowed to compete, despite seemingly being caught cheating.

One of their reasons? It'd cause "irreparable harm" to the 15-year-old skater.

Although Kamila didn't medal in Wednesday's event ... she did win a gold medal last week. It's still unclear if she will get to keep her medal.

A customer at a Foot Locker in L.A. was just viciously stabbed ... and it was all over a new shoe release.

Foot Locker did a release of Nike Dunks Wednesday, and there was a line outside the store on Melrose Ave. to get in for the hot new kicks. An eyewitness tells TMZ ... there was some argument between two separate parties in the line for the shoes, which sparked a physical fight, leading to the stabbing.

You see a male in a black T-shirt hop a barricade with a knife and swing on the woman in blue jeans, stabbing her.

It appears from the video we've obtained she was stabbed in the abdomen. We are not showing the actual stabbing but it is brutal. The woman was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. We do not know her condition.

The suspect drove off in a Hyundai and as far as we know he's still on the loose.

This isn't the first stabbing in the area. Last month, UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer was stabbed to death while working in a nearby furniture store. The alleged assailant, Shawn Laval Smith, a homeless man, was arrested and charged with murder.

George Floyd's aunt, Angela Harrelson, knows his murder ignited a worldwide wave of activism, and she wants to make sure it continues ... as the federal trial continues for 3 ex-cops involved in his fatal arrest.

Angela joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," but on Tuesday she'd been in court to see ex-officer Tou Thao testify. He and fellow ex-cops J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are accused of violating George's civil rights during the arrest.

She called it a triggering day -- having to see the gut-wrenching video again, as well as listening to Thao's testimony.

Unlike Derek Chauvin, Thao, Lane and Kueng did not have their knees on George's neck ... but Angela told us why she feels they still bear responsibility for his death.

Angela, who was extremely close to George, has also written a memoir, "Lift Your Voice: How My Nephew George Floyd's Murder Changed the World." As she explained, writing it was cathartic -- but it also gave her a chance to be a voice for George.

She says she's urging others to keep using their voices as they did during months of marches for equality and justice after George's murder. Angela's point is ... when you see something that isn’t fair speak up, because every person can make a difference.

Longtime Dallas Cowboys exec Rich Dalrymple is adamant he did not film cheerleaders who were changing in a stadium locker room back in 2015 ... this despite multiple women alleging he did.

Dalrymple released a statement this week saying reports that he pulled out his phone and photographed women while they were changing at AT&T Stadium nearly seven years ago were flat-out not true.

"People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I'm about," Dalrymple said. "I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false."

ESPN broke the story Wednesday ... reporting that multiple women had accused Dalrymple of the disturbing act.

The women said it happened during a Kickoff Luncheon on Sept. 2, 2015 ... claiming the Cowboys exec used a keycard to gain access to their changing area and then began recording on his phone.

One woman who claimed she was in the locker room at the time allegedly said, according to ESPN, that she ran toward Dalrymple and chased him off.

ESPN also reported that Dalrymple had been accused of inappropriately filming Jerry Jones' daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson, inside of the Cowboys' NFL Draft war room in 2015.

Regarding that accusation, ESPN reported that a viewer said he had seen Dalrymple on a live stream pointing his phone at Charlotte, a Cowboys' senior vice president.

The Cowboys, though, released a statement to ESPN saying it investigated all of the claims against Dalrymple "thoroughly" ... but "found no evidence of wrongdoing."

In his statement this week, Dalrymple said the incident with Charlotte "simply did not happen."

He added, "Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully."

Still, ESPN reported Wednesday that Dalrymple was issued "a formal written warning in October 2015." The outlet also reported that the team "paid a confidential settlement of $2.4 million" following the cheerleaders' claims.

Dalrymple retired earlier this month after working for the team for many years, but told ESPN his departure had nothing to do with the allegations.

Trey Songz allegedly anally raped a woman at a house party ... this according to a new $20 million lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by a Jane Doe who says she had a consensual sexual relationship with Trey before the alleged rape on March 24, 2016 ... when she claims he suddenly turned into a "savage rapist."

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the woman claims Trey invited her to a house party in L.A., where he invited her upstairs for what she believed would be consensual sex.

Instead, she claims Trey repeatedly asked her if he could "get that a**" on the way upstairs ... to which she says she repeatedly told him "no" and to stop asking.

In the docs, the woman claims Trey's demeanor changed upon entering the bedroom ... she says he threw her to the ground, ripped her pants off, pinned her down face first and forced his penis into her anus without her consent.

The woman claims she screamed in pain and begged Trey to stop, and even tried fighting him off her ... but says she was overpowered.

In the suit, the woman says someone entered the room during the alleged rape, giving her hope that what she describes as a "brutal rape" might end ... but she says the person quickly left the room and Trey kept raping her.

The woman claims she was only able to escape after Trey finished and stopped raping her ... grabbing her clothes, except for her underwear, and running outside to call an Uber.

In the docs, the woman says her Uber driver noticed she was in distress and rerouted her to a hospital, where she claims a sexual assault exam was performed and the police were called.

The woman says the exam showed she had "severe anal tearing that could require surgery" ... but she says she didn't name Trey to police because she was "in shock and fearing for her life."

She's now suing Trey for $20 million in damages.

The woman's attorney, Ariel Mitchell, is also representing 2 women who are suing Trey for alleged sexual assaults in Miami and Las Vegas.

As we first told you ... Trey's legal team is accusing Mitchell of witness tampering in the Miami sexual assault suit, an allegation Mitchell vehemently denied.

Mitchell and the woman's other attorney, George Vrabeck, tell TMZ ... "Victims are coming forward every day. Just know you are not alone, and this behavior is unacceptable. George Vrabeck and I will not be deterred by bullying or intimidation tactics and will continue our pursuit of Justice for sexual assault victims of Trey Songz.”

We reached out to Trey's camp about this latest suit ... so far, no word back.