Crime

Idaho detectives probing the savage murders of 4 college students have come under fire for failing to solve the case after six weeks, with some doubting their competence ... but at least one victim's family believes the cops have the wherewithal to bring the killer/killers to justice.

Ben Mogen -- father of slain University of Idaho student Maddie Mogen -- told The Spokesman-Review he has no doubt Moscow PD will solve the baffling quadruple homicide with biological and visual evidence.

"From the very beginning, I've known that people don't get away with these things these days. There's too many things that you can get caught up on, like DNA and videos everywhere. This isn't something that people get away with, that goes unsolved."

Maddie and her fellow classmates -- Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin -- were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house on Nov. 13. The unknown assailant/assailants are still at large. Police have not disclosed a motive.

Despite the lack of answers, Ben Mogen threw his support behind the case investigators..."I have to just know that they know what they're doing, and if they don't, then they know someone that does," referring to the FBI and the Idaho State Police -- both of whom are assisting the Moscow Police in the investigation.

Mogen gave one investigator in particular props for regularly keeping him in the loop on developments in the case. But, he still admits he's waiting for answers to "so many questions."

Tory Lanez is now behind bars awaiting sentencing after being convicted for shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- and on Christmas Day ... here's what's waiting for him in the cafeteria.

TMZ has gotten a rundown on what the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department is cooking up Sunday for their inmates in jail ... and with Tory now being one of them, for the time being, he's definitely getting the same meal as everyone else -- and it doesn't sound half bad.

According to LASD, their corrections facilities have quite the food lineup ... including 4 oz of roast turkey, 4 oz of mashed potatoes, 2 oz of gravy, 1 oz of cranberry sauce, 4 oz of green beans, 1 cup of tossed green salad, a dinner roll, a pumpkin muffin and a chocolate milk.

The jails also have religious/medical diet options ... Halal, vegan, diabetic and everything in between -- none of which sound quite as appetizing as what's listed above. FWIW, Tory's currently being held at the Men's Central Jail just outside of Chinatown ... not too far from where he was in court for the past couple weeks, and where a jury found him guilty Friday.

Speaking of Friday, here's a photo of what may have been Tory's last meal on the outside. During an afternoon break amid jury deliberations ... TL and his crew were seen grabbing some pizza in DTLA.

Several New York Giants players and the team's announcer were inside the Mall of America Friday night when a 19-year-old man was shot and killed -- forcing the mall into lockdown -- just hours before the team was scheduled to play the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.

Thankfully, all Giants team personnel are safe.

The Giants are staying across the street from the famous mall ... and a group of players headed over to do some shopping Friday night.

According to Bloomington police, there was an altercation between two groups of men before gunfire erupted around 7:50 PM in Nordstrom. The teenage victim was hit multiple times and did not survive.

Following the shooting, the gigantic mall, busy with last-minute Christmas shoppers, was placed on lockdown.

"Everyone is back in the hotel and accounted for now," Giants PR man Pat Hanlon told the AP.

The identity of the players who were at the mall isn't known. It's also unclear how many Giants were on the premises when the shooting happened.

Bob Papa, longtime Giants radio announcer, was also at MoA Friday night.

Papa tweeted, "Scary here [at Mall of America]. Shooting in mall. On lockdown at #TwinCitiesGrill. Two gunmen at least one victim," before sending out an update about an hour later where Bob reassured his followers he was safely out of the mall.

Police have not yet made any arrests.

Being held hostage at gunpoint during work is not enough for Jessica Redfern to leave her front end team lead position at Walmart ... she tells us she's willing to return to her post.

Jessica, the Walmart employee seen on video being held hostage by a woman wielding a gun inside a Mississippi store, tells TMZ ... she's rightfully taking a few days off work after the scary incident, but doesn't have any plans to quit and look for a new job.

As we reported ... the hostage situation played out on video Wednesday night at a crowded Walmart in Richland, MS ... with Jessica being held against her will at gunpoint before police responded and ultimately shot and killed the suspect.

Jessica tells us Walmart is offering counseling services to her and the coworkers who had a front-row seat to the traumatic experience ... but she hasn't decided if undergoing counseling is the right move for her.

In the meantime, Jessica is dealing with police ... giving cops a statement. But, she's not ready to publicly address the hostage situation.

Jessica, who's worked at Walmart for 10 years, tells us one of her managers called her Thursday to check up on her ... and she's simply not ready to give up on the only job she's ever known.

The Idaho house where four students were stabbed to death was truly a party house ... new police body cam footage shows officers responding to a big bash at the pad, several weeks before the grisly murders ... meaning lots of people had easy access to the home.

The off-campus house hosted a wild party Sept. 1, and when police showed up for a noise complaint they were told the University of Idaho students who lived there weren't even home ... despite their pad being packed to the gills with revelers.

In the body cam footage, first obtained by the "Truth & Transparency" YouTube channel, Moscow police officers are banging on the front door for several minutes before someone finally answers and tells cops the residents left to hit up another party.

Five students lived in the home ... including three of the four students who were stabbed to death inside the home just two months after the party ... and the two guys who answered the door at the party told police none of them were there, despite the party raging on without them.

The cops eventually get in touch with one of the residents, Madison Mogen, talking to her on the phone. She's heard telling them "sorry" and says she's "frustrated" ... and cops tell her to "just come home."

As you know ... Mogen was found stabbed to death in the home Nov. 13, along with her housemates Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle, plus Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin.

Both sides have rested their case in Tory Lanez's shooting trial ... and now, the singer's fate will be decided by the jury.

The jury started deliberations Thursday, after 9 days of trial. Closing arguments from the prosecution started Wednesday afternoon, with Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott making one last effort to convince jurors that Tory shot Megan Thee Stallion ... saying the case is simply about "a guy who shot a girl, then apologized for it."

Prosecutors also pointed to Tory's "bruised ego" as a reason he shot Meg.

The defense's closing argument went hard on Kelsey Harris, claiming she was the one that pulled the trigger -- while also calling Megan a liar, and claiming Tory was trying to save the day in the aftermath of the shooting.

The defense also tried to make the point that Megan was lying about Tory because they're both artists, and she's looking to stay on top in the music game.

We've also obtained the jury sample verdict form that they'll use in making their decision ... the document has been circulating online as alleged proof to Tory's guilt or innocence -- but the jury has not yet made a decision, the document is only a guide.

The judge is letting the jurors decide if they want to come in on Friday to continue deliberations -- the day before Christmas Eve ... so it's possible deliberations could continue into next week if a verdict isn't reached today.

A woman with a firearm held a Walmart employee hostage at gunpoint inside a Mississippi store ... causing cops to race to the scene and take lethal action.

The nightmare situation played out Wednesday night at a Walmart in Richland, MS ... video from inside the store shows a woman holding a gun in one hand and grabbing hold of a Walmart employee with the other.

As you can see, the Walmart worker looks terrified as she's ordered around the store by the woman with the gun.

Police say they responded to a report of a hostage situation and an officer ended up shooting and killing the suspect. Cops say no one else was hurt in the incident, and now the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is on the case.

It's unclear why the woman took a Walmart employee hostage ... but cops say they were told the suspect walked into the store with a gun and demanded news crews show up.

Tory Lanez might be losing sleep at home, cuz he appeared to make up for it in the middle of his Meg Thee Stallion shooting case ... dozing off as jury instructions were given.

Tory was in court for day 8 of his Los Angeles trial Wednesday -- and while he didn't take the stand, seems like he may have taken the opportunity to rest his eyes. Courtroom eyewitnesses say T.L.'s eyes closed, and his head bounced up and down several times like someone fighting off exhaustion.

To be fair, it only appeared to happen during the jury instructions -- which don't pertain to Tory -- but still ... he's the one on trial!!!

As for the rest of the proceedings, closing arguments are set to begin after the court comes back from lunch.

As we reported, it's been an emotional trial, Meg teared up during her testimony as she told the jury, "I wish [Tory] would've just killed me if I knew I'd have to go through this." She reiterated several times she saw Tory with the gun before getting shot.

Kelsey Nicole Harris, the other woman in the car with Tory and MTS during the 2020 shooting, caused fireworks when she almost immediately asked for immunity when called to the stand.

Megan's bodyguard -- who was supposed to offer "devastating evidence," according to Megan's attorney, Alex Spiro, has seemingly gone missing ... and never testified.

A lot's gone down so far ... no wonder it looked like Tory's needin' a pillow!!!

Antonio Brown won't be thrown behind bars over an alleged battery after all ... officials said Wednesday the ex-NFL star's arrest warrant has been withdrawn -- and he's no longer facing criminal charges.

Police had issued the warrant for Brown's arrest back in November ... after a woman accused the former football player of throwing a shoe at her during a violent incident on Nov. 28 at a home in South Tampa.

But, the State Attorney's Office said Wednesday the alleged victim recanted her story to them during a follow-up interview on Dec. 16.

Following the woman's new statement, prosecutors said they "determined we could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt a battery took place."

"As a result," the SAO said, "a letter of release was issued, which formalizes the SAO's decision not to prosecute and withdraws the previously issued arrest warrant."

Moscow Police have looked into the mystery behind a crashed Hyundai in Oregon, and say they don't believe there's any connection to the case of the murdered college students ... so now they're asking for people to stop hounding the car's owner.

Moscow PD tells TMZ ... the department has spoken to the female owner of the white car that was found in Eugene, OR over the weekend -- adding she's "not believed to have any relation to any property in Moscow, Idaho or the ongoing murder investigations."

Cops say the vehicle is registered in Colorado and was involved in a collision, subsequently getting impounded. Moscow police are specifically asking the public to "stop contacting the owner."

As we reported, someone called Eugene police about a person sleeping inside the car ... and an official for the department told us they made contact with the individual but no further report was made.

Moscow investigators were made aware of the vehicle, as they've been on the hunt for a car with the same description that may have been near the crime scene.

Nothing is holy in 2022 -- not even a plastic baby Jesus around Christmas time ... just ask cops in Fort Worth, who are looking for a Grinch-y thief.

FWPD posted surveillance footage of what they say is a crook making off with the centerpiece of a life-size nativity scene Saturday morning that was set up downtown -- and sure enough, you can see the dude making a clean getaway with young JC himself!

The man casually strolls up to the outdoor exhibition around 2 AM, picks up the baby doll from its basket ... and then saunters away like nothing even happened.

Unfortunately for him, his mug shows pretty clearly on camera ... and the cops have a solid view of who they're looking for. Fort Worth police say he was later seen jumping into a tan or silver Chevy Tahoe (or a Pathfinder, perhaps) -- leading them to think he ain't alone.

They're asking the public for any help in identifying this fella, and go out of their way to call him a not-so-wise man. Tips can be sent to 817-392-3956, with Report# 2200325146.

Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering her boyfriend, couldn't believe it when police told her Christian Obumseli was dead ... new video shows.

Clenney was sitting in a Miami Police Department interrogation chamber when cops delivered the news that Christian did not survive the brutal stabbing ... and it appears to hit her like a ton of bricks.

In new video, obtained by Law & Crime, Clenney is talking to herself as she sobs and says, "God, Christian, be OK," while waiting to be interviewed by police. When interrogators finally arrive, Clenney asks how Christian is doing and she's told he's being monitored at a hospital.

Clenney appears to perk up at the news and asks if Christian is going to need surgery, but is told it's too early to know.

But, a few hours later, after leaving and returning to the interrogation room in a different outfit, Clenney is told point-blank Christian is dead ... and her reaction is emotional.

Clenney sighs, clutches her chest and puts a hand to her mouth ... seemingly in disbelief. She asks police if Christian is really dead, and says, "This is not real right?"

CC asks for a hug then declines when offered one ... and she tries to convince herself Christian is still alive, her voice breaking as she tries to process the news ... before it eventually sets in that Christian is gone.

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.