Crime

Director Joe Berlinger says when it comes to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a big part of his horrific rampage had to do with self-hatred and his inability to deal with his sexuality.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about digging into the mind of the notorious Illinois serial killer for his new Netflix docuseries, "Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes" ... and, as you might imagine, it's a frightening ride.

The film explores what made Gacy -- a birthday clown by day -- tick during his reign of terror in the 1970s. Berlinger says listening to Gacy's conversations with attorneys and cops ... showed how much the mad man blamed his victims.

He says the killings had a lot to do with Gacy's self-hatred, and inability to deal with his sexuality. As for why it took so long to catch him, Joe says society's prevailing attitudes toward marginalized groups, like the gay community, were a major factor.

On a personal note ... Berlinger admits he struggles to leave his work at home. He's been delving into the minds of murderers for decades now, and he told us why his Oscar-nominated doc, "Paradise Lost" -- about the 1996 slayings of 3 West Memphis boys -- was particularly difficult.

Joe says, "I was trying to have a tender moment with my new child, and I just kept flashing on the worst images of what happened to these children".

One of DaBaby's first major legal cases is being discussed anew after a video capturing him fatally shooting someone surfaced online -- sparking a fierce debate about self-defense.

Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday depicting a 2018 confrontation DaBaby was involved in at a Walmart out in his native North Carolina -- before he was super famous -- in which he shot and killed a man.

DB was eventually charged with carrying a concealed weapon for the shooting, but no murder charge.

DaBaby hasn't shied away from this case ... insisting from the jump he was acting in self-defense -- claiming the victim, 19-year-old Jaylin Craig, had pulled a gun ... and he feared for his and his family's life. He was with his GF and baby girl in the store.

RS suggests this video contradicts DaBaby's self-defense narrative, as he appears to be the aggressor in this situation -- at least based on what they posted. He charges at another man (not Craig) and the two get into a scuffle, with Craig monitoring on the outskirts.

Craig appears to reach for and even brandish what was later determined to be a gun on his person -- but RS says his grieving family insists he never would've had to resort to grabbing it if not for DB's aggressive behavior setting this whole thing in motion.

Frankly, it's unclear what exactly set all this off -- DB has claimed Craig and his pals were harassing and threatening him and his brood that night, which is why he went on the attack.

While Rolling Stone appears to be questioning DaBaby's story of protecting himself, others have seen this video and agreed ... he had every right to pull his own gun and fire once Craig pulled his, especially since he wasn't the one directly involved in the fistfight.

Of course, others say this video just proves DaBaby is a bad seed and apparently prone to violence ... something his own history since this incident seems to support, at least in some folks' eyes. As you know, he's been involved in countless physical altercations over the years.

Megan Thee Stallion is doing her first sit-down interview to talk about what happened with Tory Lanez -- and so far, it sounds like an emotional story.

The rapper is going to get in the weeds about what she claims happened Monday morning with Gayle King, and on Sunday ... CBS aired a portion of MTS's remarks, which show her getting incredibly teary-eyed as she recounts the alleged blow-by-blow.

In her own words, Meg says there were 3 of them in the car that night -- and that the other two people, including TL, didn't want to leave whatever party they were at ... but she did.

Sounds like Megan got out of the vehicle, at which point ... she claims Tory fired a gun in her direction from the car, allegedly saying "Dance, bitch." Megan says she was terrified to misstep because she thought she'd get shot, and breaks down to Gayle remembering it.

As you know ... Tory's been charged in connection to her injuries -- shrapnel being lodged into her feet -- although he's pled not guilty and denied wrongdoing. We haven't really heard his side of the story in great detail, and probably won't until their trial starts in September.

Amazing news from Aaliyah Gayles' father ... the USC hoops recruit's dad tells TMZ Sports she will return to the basketball court and play for the Trojans -- despite being shot multiple times last weekend.

As we previously reported, four people -- including 18-year-old Gayles -- were shot when someone opened fire at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16.

Gayles' dad, Dwight, tells us his daughter went to the party to accompany a friend and stayed for only 30 minutes or so before she decided to leave -- and that's when the shooting happened.

Dwight says the 5-foot-9 guard was hit a total of 10 times in "both arms and both legs" and had her third surgery this week.

Thankfully, Dwight says Aaliyah is expected to make a full recovery -- and is still planning to play for the USC women's basketball team.

"She will be able to play ball again," Dwight tells us. "It's God's plan."

"She is still a USC Trojan."

Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement shortly after the shooting that Gayles is "one of the strongest, most resilient young people I have ever known" and she will continue to support her and her family.

Gayles is a 5-star recruit and the #8 overall ranked player in ESPN's 2022 class. At Spring Valley High School last season, she averaged 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists per game.

She led the Grizzlies to the Class 5A state tournament and was named a McDonald's All-American -- the first Las Vegas player to earn the honor since 2010.

Trey Songz has a new accuser -- a woman whose attorneys are demanding he pay for allegedly groping their client ... and they say the video makes their case a slam dunk.

The demand letter, obtained by TMZ, was fired off to Songz and his team Thursday by attorneys George Vrabeck and Ariel Mitchell on behalf of their client, Megan Johnson, who they allege was sexually assaulted by Trey during a party back in August 2013.

They say Johnson was at an event called "Foxwoods Liquid Sundays with Trey Songz" at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT -- and it was there, they claim, that Megan encountered Trey in the VIP tent.

According to the letter, Johnson was having a friend take a picture of her, but in that moment they allege Trey came up from behind and pulled her breast out from her bikini top and then chanted "T***ies in the Open" four different times.

In the video, you see a woman who they claim is Johnson quickly reach up to cover her chest in embarrassment.

While Megan appears to have laughed it off, the attorneys claim she was humiliated and the incident caused lasting damage, including severe emotional distress and self-harm.

The attorneys say Megan was recently triggered by Trey's Vegas case -- which was recently dropped by authorities. The lawyers say they will drop the case if Trey settles ... for north of $5 mil.

There may be a statute of limitations problem for Megan ... the statute of limitations for this in CT is generally 3 years, although if there's a memory issue with the alleged victim where she doesn't recall the incident until she's triggered later, she may be able to try to extend that period.

The infamous state prison Jay-Z, Yo Gotti and several others blasted for inhumane treatment of inmates has now been labeled unconstitutional by the federal government.

The Department of Justice came down hard on Mississippi's Parchman State Prison Wednesday in a 59-page report that calls out inadequate mental health treatment, failure to roll out sufficient suicide prevention measures ... or protect inmates from prison violence.

Jay's Team Roc lawyers filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of the prisoners after horrifying videos showing the conditions inside Parchman were posted online. Gotti, who grew up not far from the prison, was particularly outraged ... and the DOJ agrees the prison needs a major overhaul.

The report says Parchman's conditions "violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution" -- basically, barring state prisons from doling out cruel and unusual punishment.

Gotti tells TMZ, "I'm grateful for the U.S. Department of Justice's thorough report to hold the Mississippi Department of Corrections accountable for the cruel and inhumane treatment of the incarcerated population."

Rapper Pooh Shiesty is going away for a 5-plus year stretch for a South Florida shootout -- and, considering what he could have gotten, he's actually happy with that number.

Pooh, whose real name is Lontrell Williams, was facing more than 8 years in prison, if prosecutors got their way -- but his attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... the government's calculations were off.

Cohen says they asked for no more than 63 months, which is exactly what the judge gave him.

Pooh was busted for an October 2020 shootout involving himself and several other men. The incident went down in a Miami-area condo parking lot ... and it left 2 men injured.

Police had surveillance video that showed all the violence play out, with Pooh armed with an assault rifle in the middle of the action ... as he sat in a McLaren sports car.

He eventually plead guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Cohen tells us, "We are going to file a motion for any time he spent in state prison on the same crime to get him additional credit for time served."

Oscar De La Hoya is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman on two occasions ... with the former co-worker alleging the boxing star brutalized her, causing "severe physical and emotional damage" that plagues her to this day.

But, the boxing Hall of Famer is adamantly denying the claims ... accusing the woman of being nothing more than a bitter employee who was fired.

"Unfortunately, with the twenty-four-hour news cycle, we find ourselves today, more often than not, as the recipient of vindictive and unjust accusations that are interpreted and spread as truth -- without any evidence to support erroneous claims," Oscar's rep told TMZ Sports in a statement.

As for the explosive allegations ... they're part of a larger lawsuit -- initially filed by Casa Mexico Enterprises -- where 49-year-old De La Hoya is a business partner.

ODLH's accuser was sued by Casa Mexico ... before filing a countersuit where she revealed the disturbing claims.

The accuser says she was on a work trip with Oscar and others at the company distillery in Mexico in March 2020. She says while fast asleep, someone began banging on her door. She says she got up and opened the door, only to find ODLH standing there with his pants around his ankles. She claims Oscar pushed his way past her and got into her bed.

The accuser states she got Oscar out of her bed, and back into his own room ... before returning to her room for the night.

However, the next morning she claims she was tasked with waking Oscar up ... and that's when she says things took a turn for the worst.

The alleged victim says she knocked on the door, but didn't get a response. She went inside the room. Once inside, the woman claims Oscar "subsequently pulled [name withheld] into his bed, where he sexually assaulted her."

The lawsuit makes no mention of the woman going to law enforcement ... or alerting Casa Mexico execs.

Unfortunately, the woman says the abuse didn't end there.

Sometime after the Mexico trip, the woman says she went to dinner with work colleagues, including Oscar, before returning to his home after eating.

The woman claims Oscar "revealed and retrieved a sexual object from a stored collection in his house" and "forcibly inserted the sexual object into" the alleged victim's body.

At that point, the woman says she alerted Don Buccio, the Casa Mexico founder, but she says no action was taken.

Despite the serious allegations, De La Hoya believes his name will be cleared.

Amir Khan is providing a blow-by-blow of the terrifying moment thieves stuck guns in his face and stole his luxury watch -- while his wife watched from just feet away -- telling TMZ Sports "it's the first time I ever had a gun literally pointed at my face."

We talked to the 35-year-old former boxing champion a day after his night out on the town with wife Faryal Makhdoom nearly turned deadly ... and asked the former boxing champion about the life-altering experience.

"In the UK, I mean the law is quite strong where hardly anyone, even the police, don't really carry guns," Amir explained, exasperated.

"So, it was quite shocking to see a gun pointed at me. And you could see that they were young. They seemed a bit nervous, and he kept saying to me, 'take off your watch.'"

We asked Amir, who had just finished eating in a restaurant about 45 minutes outside of London, if he believed the lick was somehow an inside job.

"Yeah, definitely. Obviously, I was in a restaurant taking pictures with a lot of people. I've never said no for a picture whenever someone wants to come for a picture," Khan said, explaining someone may have spotted the wristwatch and knew it was worth a pretty penny.

"Someone must've recognized that watch. I was wearing a really expensive watch which is worth like maybe $100,000. I think that news must've traveled a little bit. So, I do think that somehow it was set up. Maybe the news just went to the wrong people, and they knew I had a watch there."

We asked Khan -- who has some of the most dangerous hands in the world -- if he considered launching a counter-ambush and attempting to disarm the thieves.

Amir says the thought crossed his mind.

"I'm a fighter. There was a time I thought, he had the pistol and I can just move the pistol to the side and hit him. I know I would've hurt the guy."

But, he felt with two gunmen, and Faryal only feet away, the risk was too high.

"The only thing that stopped me was having my wife not far from me, behind me. Even if he shot the gun and even if it didn't hit me, it could've hit someone else."

After the robbery, Amir, as you'd expect, called the cops ... who immediately launched an investigation. We asked him if the police had any leads or suspects.

"The last time I spoke to them was obviously after the interview I had and they said that they saw where the car went, and they've got the car in that radius -- they've got the cameras around that car."

So far, Khan hasn't heard of any arrests that have been made.

Perhaps the saddest part about the story ... Amir, who grew up in Manchester, says he no longer feels secure in one of the world's most popular cities.

"I don't feel safe. I'm in the city London which is obviously a very well known town and everyone loves London. Now, after I was robbed, you start hearing all the stories or you start reading up on all the robberies that have happened. I mean, it's quite regularly happening," Khan says.

"The Flash" star Ezra Miller seems to be having lots of trouble in paradise ... getting arrested yet again in Hawaii.

According to Hawaii County police, the 29-year-old was arrested for second-degree assault ... after cops say they responded to an incident at a private residence in Pāhoa, Hawaii around 1 AM on Tuesday.

Cops say the "Fantastic Beasts" star got annoyed after being asked to leave a friend's home and was accused of throwing a chair that struck a 26-year-old female on the forehead ... leaving her with a half-inch cut.

As we've reported, this is not the first time Miller has gotten arrested in Hawaii. Miler was arrested for disorderly conduct last month after an incident at a bar ... when they allegedly lunged at a guy playing darts and took the mic from a woman doing karaoke.

On top of that ... they were physically blocked from going into another bar on Hilo, just weeks prior ... things got so heated, cops had to come and cool everything down.

More recently, Miller was spotted dancing oddly at a lounge in Hawaii, this month. Eyewitnesses told us, they was pretty much all over the place.

Revolve Festival was a nightmare for a ton of influencers ... and social media star Olivia "Livvy" Dunne was no exception -- the LSU gymnast says someone made off with her phone!!

Of course, the complaints piled in about the super-exclusive bash during Weekend 1 of Coachella ... with folks claiming they were stranded in the heat at shuttle stops without water or any other way to make it to the venue.

Dunne says her experience wasn't all gravy, either ... sharing a pic in a pink outfit while breaking the bad news.

"To the person who pick-pocketed my phone, thanks I needed an upgrade anyways:) #revolvefestival," Dunne said on Instagram.

The awful turn of events didn't completely ruin Dunne's time, though ... as she posted a TikTok from 'Chella in front of the iconic Ferris wheel.

Dunne is one of the best gymnasts in the country ... and was a Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American in 2021.

On top of being an incredible athlete, Dunne also has a massive social media audience ... with 5.2 million followers on TikTok and another 1.7 million on Instagram.

The presence has helped her rake in a ton of dough ... as Dunne has earned more than $1 million in name, image and likeness deals.

Despite reportedly being a person of interest in a murder investigation, Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph did work out with the team on Monday and is participating in Dallas' offseason program.

Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones confirmed that Joseph was with the team to begin this week ... saying on 105.3 The Fan that Joseph will be in and around Dallas' facility as police continue to investigate a March 18 murder.

"We're waiting to get all of the information," Jones said. "But, in the meantime, he was here yesterday, participating in the offseason program."

Jones added he and the team were "not going to comment further on any of the details at this point."

According to Yahoo Sports, police interviewed Joseph after they believed he was seen on video near where a 20-year-old man died in a shooting on March 18.

Cops say the victim was killed after people in a black SUV shot at him following an altercation in a nearby street.

Joseph's attorney, Barry Sorrels, said last week that Joseph was a passenger in the car in which the gunshots came from ... though he said Joseph did not pull the trigger.

Cops say they arrested 28-year-old Aries Jones and 21-year-old Tivione English over the weekend in connection with the homicide -- but they have yet to confirm or deny if Joseph is in the clear or not.

The Cowboys said in a statement last week that they were aware of Joseph's "possible connection" to the incident ... and said they were cooperating with authorities.

Jones added in his interview Tuesday, "We're obviously getting a lot of details here. But, that's all we're going to say at this point."

Formula 1 superstar Charles Leclerc reportedly had his $320,000 Richard Mille watch snatched right from his wrist during a photo op with fans in Italy ... but thankfully, the driver was allegedly unharmed.

Leclerc -- who's off to an incredible 2022 for Ferrari and sitting atop the driver standings -- was with his friends and trainer, Andrea Ferrari, in Viareggio on Monday when the incident happened, according to the report.

Motorsport.com says the 24-year-old was walking around Via Salvatori at 10 PM when he was recognized by fans, who asked for a pic.

After posing for a shot with the group, Leclerc realized his watch was taken ... and reported it to police.

Andrea went to social media shortly after the alleged theft to complain about the area being poorly lit ... calling for the street lamps to get fixed.

Of course, Leclerc has had a partnership with RM for years ... and even has his own signature watch. On top of that, Richard Mille became an official sponsor for Leclerc's Ferrari team ... so it won't be too hard to get a replacement.

Leclerc is in Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ... which is set to go down on Sunday.

Scary situation ... but the guy was back to meeting with fans just hours later -- posing for pics, although it's unclear if he was wearing any extra jewelry.

We've reached out to Ferrari for comment ... so far, no word back.

Scary moment for boxer Amir Khan ... the former champ says he was robbed at gunpoint on Monday night while walking with his wife, Faryal Makhdoom, after dinner in East London.

And, the alleged suspects were caught on video!

Khan spoke about the terrifying incident on social media ... saying two men approached him as he was walking across the street with Faryal in Leyton -- a town about 45 minutes east of London.

"I crossed the road with Faryal, luckily she was few steps behind me," Khan said, "2 men ran to me, one holding a gun from afar and one had the gun pointing to my head asking for my watch."

"The main thing is we’re both safe."

Faryal -- who married Khan in 2013 -- shared footage of the alleged suspects on Tuesday ... highlighting two men getting out of a car, saying, "they knew exactly what time we walked out."

"Seems like a set up to me. Considering we didn't even post where we were."

Faryal also posted the Franck Muller watch they say was stolen -- along with the serial number -- "incase it goes around we can find out who's done this."

If you're not familiar with Franck Muller watches ... they're a Swiss luxury watchmaker. Their timepieces can range from anywhere between a few grand to upwards of $100k and beyond.

As you'd expect, Khan is pissed off over the alleged robbery ... saying he couldn't sleep in an Instagram video, but is ultimately just happy he and his wife are okay.

"I was a bit mad," Khan said, adding ... "Glad everyone was safe. I'm all good, me and the wife."

Aariel Maynor, the man that shot and killed Jacqueline Avant, bragged to his friends over the phone from jail after murdering the 81-year-old philanthropist ... this according to the prosecutor seeking to lock him up for the rest of his life.

According to court documents, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Maynor laughed about all the publicity he's been getting to a friend during a jail call ... she didn't think it was funny, telling him he shouldn't be joking about someone's life. He told her it was all over the news, wondering "You think my mama's seen that, though?"

He told her he expected to get $50K from the Avant's house before the robbery went south.

He reportedly called another friend from jail and told them he expected to only serve a max of 25 years because the prosecutors did not file a so-called "special circumstances" murder charge -- which could've resulted in life without parole, or even the death penalty.

As we reported, Maynor broke into the Avants' Beverly Hills home in December, opening fire on Jacqueline with his assault long barrel pistol. She was taken to a hospital but died of her injuries.

Police caught Maynor an hour later ... after he was found attempting to burglarize another home in the Hollywood Hills but accidentally shot himself in the foot.

Weekend 1 of Coachella 2022 is in the books -- and after a 2-year hiatus, it seems folks were itching to land in some trouble with the law ... turns out, arrests were up!

The Indio Police Dept. just released hard numbers describing the alleged scoundrels they encountered Fri-Sun -- the first time Coachella had happened since 2019 -- and wouldn't you know it ... they slapped handcuffs on quite a few more people than the last time around.

There were a total of 112 arrests this year -- up 13% from the 99 arrests they made during Weekend 1 in 2019 -- and they issued a helluva lot more citations in 2022 as well ... 72 of them, in fact, which is 41% more than what they handed out in 2019 for the same window.

If you're wondering how exactly that data breaks down -- well, IPD has that info for you too ... there were 85 drug/alcohol/intoxication busts this year, 15 false ID arrests, 3 instances of folks allegedly possessing drugs for sale and 9 property crimes for which they hauled someone in.

On the citation front ... 54 slips were written for people cops say used bogus handicap placards, and 18 that were drawn up for attendees actually parking in handicap spots.

Now, the upside ... Indio Police say traffic congestion was kept in check -- thanks to a team effort from neighboring law enforcement agencies and partners -- and there were no major concert-related incidents.

So, all in all ... a pretty successful first weekend in the desert, minus all these other arrests they're mentioning. While they're not ideal, it doesn't seem like there were any crazy assaults or crimes of the like ... seems as though people were mostly getting trashed on their own accord.