Crime

The cops working the grisly murder case of 4 Idaho college students were just alerted to the discovery of a white Hyundai Elantra nearly 500 miles away -- and are now working to see if there's any connection between the car and their investigation.

Detectives in Moscow, Idaho have been on the hunt for a vehicle of the same description that may have been at or near the crime scene on November 13.

An official for the Eugene, Oregon PD tells us someone called 911 over the weekend about a person sleeping inside a white Hyundai Elantra. Officers responded to the scene and made contact with the individual -- but no further report was made.

We're told Eugene alerted investigators in Moscow of the vehicle -- and a rep for Moscow tells us they're now working to see if there's any connection with the ongoing murder case.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has had his fair share of battles inside and outside the ring ... but perhaps none scarier than when the WWE legend recently had to ward off an intruder at his South Carolina home.

68-year-old Duggan told the story in an interview with Wrestling Inc. ... saying someone broke into his SC home around 6:45 PM on Thursday, December 8.

Jim says he took the man, who was in his mid-20s, down to the ground, and then held the guy at gunpoint using a .44 caliber pistol.

Jim's wife, Debra, was also home at the time of the horrifying incident.

As if the guy breaking in wasn't scary enough, Jim and Debra heard other people in the neighborhood yelling, which made them fear more danger was on the way.

The intruder reportedly knocked on multiple doors seeking refuge from a separate legal matter ... before ultimately entering Duggan's house, through an unlocked front door, as a last resort.

"Thank God we didn't shoot him," the WWE Hall of Famer said, who declined to press charges on the intruder.

On Saturday, Jim -- who previously battled prostate cancer -- commended the Kershaw County Sherriff's Department in SC for responding and apprehending the intruder.

After several weeks, a verdict has been reached in Harvey Weinstein's 2nd sexual assault case -- the disgraced movie mogul was found guilty on 3 of 7 charges.

The verdict was just read in Los Angeles, a jury found Weinstein guilty of all charges related to Jane Doe 1 -- forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object. The jury was hung on the counts related to Jane Doe 2 and 4, which were sexual battery by restraint, forcible oral copulation and forcible rape.

He was found not guilty of a sexual battery by restraint charge from Jane Doe 3.

Weinstein's rep, Juda Engelmayer, tells TMZ, "Harvey is obviously disappointed in the verdict ... however, the accounts of Jane Doe 1 have a high likelihood of an appeal with positive results -- her logistics of the time and location of the incident do not make sense. Harvey is grateful for the jury's work on the other counts and he's going to continue his legal fight."

As you know, the disgraced film producer was originally facing 11 charges, including rape and sexual assault in California involving 5 women ... but 4 of the charges connected to one of the unknown accusers were dropped as the trial was underway.

He entered a not-guilty plea in 2021 while appearing in court -- something he was expected to do based on how he'd pled in the past.

This verdict comes after weeks of testimony from several witnesses over the years ... including CA Governor Gavin Newson's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. As we reported, she shockingly was asked in court to recreate how she faked an orgasm with Weinstein.

She fired back when asked, saying "This is not 'When Harry Met Sally.' I'm not doing that." She then broke into tears, saying, "I was making noises to get him to finish. He had already raped me. This is so gross."

Megan Thee Stallion's bodyguard remains off the grid -- after skipping his scheduled testimony -- but the L.A. County D.A.'s Office now has cops out on the hunt for him ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, Justin Edison was supposed to testify Friday in the Tory Lanez trial for allegedly shooting MTS, but he never showed up. His "disappearance" raised a lot of eyebrows, and law enforcement sources tell us ... investigators paid a visit to an L.A. home Monday morning, hoping to find Justin.

We're told the investigators' goal was to find out what Justin's availability would be for testifying, as he was supposed to last week. Unfortunately, they did not locate him, and still have no clue on his whereabouts.

Our sources also say Justin still is not considered a "missing" person ... nor has anyone even reported him as missing.

Megan's attorney Alex Spiro told us Monday on "TMZ Live" ... Meg's team was last in touch with Justin on Thursday night, when they fully expected he would be in court Friday for testimony they felt would be devastating to Tory's case.

Spiro believes there's witness intimidation going on in Tory's trial, and he claims prosecutors have launched an investigation into that.

O.J. Simpson is once again denying age-old rumors that he slept with Kris Jenner and fathered Khloe Kardashian -- explaining the reason that can't be true ... she ain't his type.

The Juice addressed the speculation in an interview on the "Full Send Podcast," where he was asked about gossip that he and Kris may have had an affair going on way back in the day ... when O.J. and Robert Kardashian were still good friends and before the murder trial.

O.J. says there's no truth to the notion he hooked up with Kris, explaining he was never attracted to her ... and didn't think she was attracted to him. Not to mention, she was married to Bob at the time -- so there's that.

He also flatly denies being Khloe's dad ... despite years of people suggesting he could be. O.J. says he doesn't know anything about that, but does float the possibility of someone else perhaps being her dad ... making mention of a "cook" rumor he's heard.

In any case -- O.J.'s sticking to his story -- one he's told on camera before regarding this.

O.J. does make clear he had a good relationship with the Kardashians once upon a time -- and it sounds like he was even friendly with Kris post-acquittal -- telling a story about how KJ once allegedly begged him to play golf with Caitlyn Jenner when they first got together.

Donald Trump broke the law during the attack on the U.S. Capitol -- so says the Jan. 6 congressional committee ... which is now asking the Department of Justice to prosecute.

The House select committee made criminal referrals to federal prosecutors Monday, suggesting they've found evidence of criminality throughout their months-long hearings ... and are now pointing out specific crimes they feel the DOJ could pursue, if they're inclined.

The charges they feel are warranted here ... obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to make a false statement, conspiracy to defraud the United States and straight-up insurrection. If the DOJ were to prosecute (and if Trump was convicted of all this) ... he could face up to 35 years in prison.

Of course, Congress's recommendation to the Justice Dept. is simply that ... a proposal, which is largely symbolic in this case -- and may not really amount to much big picture.

Fact is ... the DOJ is already running its own investigation into Trump on multiple fronts, including for his involvement on Jan. 6 -- for which they've already appointed a special counsel. Their probe(s) have been running parallel to the congressional hearings for a while, and they've been keeping tabs on the proceedings. It's unclear if they've become aware of any major new bombshells against Trump that they weren't already aware of.

With that said ... the fact Congress is officially looking to have a former Prez prosecuted -- even if it is out of their hands -- is a major statement ... as it's never been done before.

Whether Trump ends up being personally charged/prosecuted for any alleged wrongdoing -- and there's a lot he's been accused of lately -- remains to be seen, especially since he's running for office again and is about to be in the thick of his 2024 campaign very soon.

Trump's alleged malfeasance on or around Jan. 6 has been well-documented throughout the hearings -- there's been claims that he fought with his own Secret Service in an attempt to arrive and meet the coup crowd at the Capitol ... not to mention the allegation that he asked to have metal detectors removed in hopes of people being able to sneak in weapons.

Of course, there's also the fact that he explicitly called his VP, Mike Pence, a traitor ... and essentially left him for the wolves, along with the other lawmakers that day. Trump was also very soft on condemning the attack, and is reported to have prolonged his response.

College basketball player Phil Urban -- a freshman forward at Post University -- was tragically shot and killed at a nature preserve in New Jersey on Saturday, officials said.

He was just 20 years old.

According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, police responded to the Hopewell Valley Nature Preserve in Hopewell Township at 7 PM on Saturday ... and found Urban "slumped over" in the driver's seat of a Mercedes on a trail.

Officials say Urban was taken to a local medical facility -- but was pronounced dead there from a gunshot wound.

Authorities say a preliminary investigation showed Urban appeared to have been attempting to meet someone at the preserve ... and "was shot at some point during the encounter."

No arrests have been made ... and a probe is ongoing.

Post Univ. president John Hopkins said in a statement that Urban "modeled the attributes of leadership, commitment and hard work on the court and in the classroom."

Hopkins added the school and its community are "heartbroken" over Urban's death.

Urban committed to play hoops at Post Univ. back in April. The school welcomed him at the time with a tweet ... writing, "We are excited about what Phil will add to our team both as a player and person. Welcome to the nest, Phil!"

Jack Johnson has gotten legal protection against a female fan he says poses a serious and alarming risk to his safety.

The "Better Together" singer testified at a hearing in Los Angeles Thursday about a woman he says keeps popping up at his shows and hotels, trying to get close to him.

Jack called into the hearing and the judge was convinced the woman is dangerous enough to warrant a 5-year order of protection.

TMZ broke the story ... Jack got a temporary order of protection two months ago, claiming the woman has been hounding him for years, with things escalating to the point where she recently confronted him at a hotel he was staying at on tour. He says she got in his face and it was so frightening cops came and detained her.

A tantalizing new clue has surfaced in the murders of 4 Idaho college students ... two of the victims were seemingly caught on video discussing a person named "Adam" just hours before they were slaughtered.

Fox News Digital obtained the eerie surveillance video from a Facebook group of amateur sleuths and released a screen grab and audio from it Saturday. It apparently shows Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen walking with a mysterious guy in downtown Moscow, ID.

The women are decked out in the same clothes they were seen wearing in a previous video at a food truck hours before the murders on Nov. 13. The man seems to be dressed in the same attire as someone observed in the food truck video and later cleared by police as a suspect in the slayings.

In the new clip, a voice believed to be that of Goncalves asks, "Maddie, what did you say to Adam?" The second woman responds, "Like, I told Adam everything."

It's not clear who Adam is or if police have questioned him and considered him a suspect or not. But, the Facebook group, which is devoted to solving the baffling homicide case, says they submitted the evidence to investigators.

Meanwhile, new police body cam footage has emerged showing cops stopping 3 people suspected of underage drinking near the crime scene around the time of the murders. In the video, you can hear what some believe to be a scream in the background ... others say it's just tires screeching.

There's also audio of a scream at 3:12 AM the morning of the murders, according to Daily Mail ... a scream picked up on a police mic -- the cop was responding to a nearby, unrelated incident.

As we reported ... Goncalves, Mogen and two fellow University of Idaho students -- Xana Kernodle and boyfriend Ethan Chapin -- were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house. The assailant/assailants are still at large. Cops have yet to find the murder weapon -- but they believe it's a combat knife. A motive has not been disclosed.

Megan Thee Stallion's bodyguard -- a key figure in the Tory Lanez trial -- has allegedly vanished into thin air ... and cops are said to be on the case.

MTS's attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ ... "We recently learned that Justin Edison went missing right before he was scheduled to appear in court. The LAPD is currently looking into his disappearance, and welcome any information about his whereabouts."

The Shade Room -- which first broke the news -- reports that a separate source familiar with the situation insists Justin's own attorney hasn't heard from him since Thursday ... and that he apparently has critical information about the case. That much we already knew.

Remember, this is the guy that Kelsey Harris -- Meg's ex-BFF who was in the car that night -- texted almost immediately after the shooting, writing ... "Help," "Tory shot Meg" and "911." Presumably, he could've provided more context to that ... including any follow-up convos he had with either Kelsey or Megan. Now, though, it appears he's nowhere to be found.

With uncertainty over whether Tory's driver -- who was also in the car that night -- is going to testify (as of now, it doesn't seem like he is) and a very hazy narrative laid out by Kelsey herself ... Justin could've possibly been crucial to help swing this thing one way or the other.

Spiro's concerns also seem to suggest foul play may be afoot, but so far ... there's no evidence of that. We've reached out to the LAPD to confirm whether Justin is, in fact, listed as a missing person at this point -- and whether they're actively searching for him.

So far, no word back.

A former "Big Brother" contestant is being taken to court ... because Pennsylvania's attorney general claims she and her company are running a "homeowner benefits" scam.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, AG Josh Shapiro is going after season 15 contestant Amanda Zachman -- who went by "Zuckerman" on the show -- and her Florida-based company, MV Realty.

According to the docs, Zachman's company scams customers by offering them a one-time upfront payment -- usually between $400 and $700 -- in exchange for the right to exclusively list their homes on the real estate market for 40 years.

However, the AG says backing out before 4 decades has draconian penalties -- and the AG says they buried the risks in the fine print, and never told the homeowners about it. The AG says the company screwed over 1,000 unsuspecting homeowners.

The docs claim MV Realty's phone sales pitch misleads homeowners by stating there's no risk or cost to them unless they sell. He says his office has heard from a bunch of homeowners claiming they've been ripped off.

Fans of "Big Brother" remember Zachman having a showmance with McCrae Olson and placing 7th in the season ... she went down as one of the most villainous, and this may not help her reputation.

A statement from MV reads, "MV Realty has helped more than 30,000 satisfied clients nationwide through our Homeowner Benefit Agreement (HBA) by providing our clients up to $5,000 that can be used to pay their mortgage, utility bills or improve their financial standing. In return, we only ask to be their realtor if they sell their home during the term of our agreement."

They continue, "New and innovative business models, like the HBA, can transform established industries and can sometimes draw questions from critics or outright hostility from those whose existing business model is threatened. However, to suggest that MV Realty has engaged in unfair or deceptive practices is simply false."

Jen Shah was a no-show for the taping of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" reunion ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us the 'RHOSLC' stars are filming the show Friday in New York City, but Jen skipped out despite being invited to join her fellow costars and Andy Cohen.

We're told the reunion show is still moving forward without Jen ... it's Hollywood, after all, and the show must go on. Our sources say Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Heather Gay and Whitney Rose are on set with Andy.

Jen's got other things on her mind these days ... she's awaiting sentencing in her federal case after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was arrested back in March 2021 and next month a judge will decide her fate -- she's facing up to 14 years.

By not showing up, Jen's also avoiding questions about her counterfeit designer bag collection ... as we first told you, the feds seized a ton of Jen's possessions when agents raided her home, including more than 30 counterfeit luxury bags and around 40 pieces of counterfeit luxury bling.

It appears Jen is home in Utah, hanging out with family ... far from the reunion show taping.

Jen Shah seems to have a thing for counterfeits ... because the feds say they seized a ton of fake designer bags and jewelry when they raided her Utah home.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' star was sitting on a treasure trove of knockoffs ... including more than 30 counterfeit luxury bags and around 40 pieces of counterfeit luxury bling.

Jen's counterfeit collection included knockoff bags from designers like Chanel, Balenciaga, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Fendi ... mostly made in China.

Jen's fake jewelry included pieces claiming to be designed by Bulgari, Chanel, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Hermes and Tiffany & Co.

The feds seized all of Jen's knockoffs when they raided her home back in March 2021 as part of an investigation into her fraud case.

As part of Jen pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, she was ordered to forfeit $6.5 million to help pay up to $9.5 million in restitution ... and the feds have now released the inventory of the items.

The list does also include legitimate designer purses and jewelry such as bling from castmate Meredith Marks' company -- that will hopefully put a dent in what she owes.

R. Kelly's team called police claiming hundreds of his master recordings were stolen ... and now his camp thinks that could be behind the unauthorized release of the new "I Admit It" album.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, the Kelly master recordings were reported missing back in February ... swiped from an Illinois storage facility.

Cops say a man named Keith Calbert called to report a theft, telling officers he oversees the Kelly property being stored in the warehouse. Calbert told police several hundred of Kelly's recordings were missing, and he valued them in the millions of dollars.

It's interesting ... cops say Calbert told them 2 roadies removed the masters from the warehouse 9 months prior, and took them to California. Police say Calbert also told them he had advised one of the roadies to bring back the recordings ... but was told he needed to pay $160,000 for their return.

Police say Calbert showed them 10 empty shelves he said used to be completely full, and estimated between 300 to 500 missing recordings.

It's unclear why Kelly's team waited so long to make the report. In any event, cops say they investigated but it didn't go anywhere, so the case was closed with no arrests.

TMZ broke the story ... R. Kelly claims he had nothing to do with the recently released, 13-track "I Admit It" album.

His legal team says they're trying to find out who uploaded the music to Spotify and Apple Music, and those 2 roadies are high on their list of people to contact.

Kelly Clarkson got a restraining order against a woman who allegedly kept showing up at her doorstep -- but even after a judge signed off ... Kelly claims the lady won't stop coming around.

The singer's team filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, which claim that a woman by the name of Huguette Nicole Young has deliberately driven by KC's Los Angeles-area home at least once this week ... this after a TRO was granted last week to keep her ass away.

According to the docs obtained by TMZ, Kelly's head of security, Michael Lopez, says the team noticed Young's car -- which had previously been seen and identified by them from her past visits -- cruise by Kelly's property very early on Tuesday morning at around 1:45 AM.

Lopez even uploaded surveillance camera footage of what he says is Young's vehicle creeping across Kelly's driveway in the dead of night.

Remember, Kelly just successfully got a judge to sign off on a court-ordered temporary restraining order -- saying Young has been to her home nearly 20 times over 5 years.

Kelly's security team claimed Young has left gifts and other items at her front gate, and has been captured multiple times on surveillance.

There's more ... one of Kelly's former backup singers filed an additional declaration claiming that Young has actually been dogging Kelly around the country dating back to 2009. The singer says Young started writing letters and fan mail around that time.

Idaho police might have unearthed a key piece of video evidence in the murders of those 4 college students -- thanks to a gas station employee.

The overnight assistant manager told Fox News she recently had some downtime, so she reviewed the gas station's surveillance video from around the time of the November 13 early morning attacks. Despite not working that day, she said she had a "weird feeling" to go look at the footage.

It paid off ... she found a snippet that showed a white sedan barreling down the highway and turning onto a side street. The vehicle matches the description of a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra police have been searching for since last week. Cops say they want to speak with the occupant(s) of the car, which was spotted near the crime scene the night of the slayings.

The gas station manager snapped a screenshot and emailed it to investigators through a tipline. Detectives went to retrieve the new evidence and are now pouring over hours of footage, trying to find more clues. They don't know yet if the video shows the actual car they're seeking, as they haven't been able to match license plates.

Moscow PD spokesperson Robbie Johnson tells TMZ ... they are having difficulties locating the Hyundai because the car is so common, but they have received "good tips." Neighboring police departments are also keeping an eye out for the car. Pullman PD, which is about 7 miles from Moscow, tells us they are "closely scrutinizing" all vehicles that look like the Hyundai.

As we reported, 4 University of Idaho students -- Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin -- were discovered fatally stabbed inside an off-campus house last month.