Crime

Drake's wish is officially granted -- he will not be grilled by a defense attorney about XXXTentacion's murder ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Judge Michael A. Usan signed off on Drake's motion to avoid the deposition ... tossing the court's previous order calling for him to sit down later this month and answer questions.

Defense attorney Mauricio Padilla, who reps suspect Dedrick Williams, previously argued Drake needed to be present for questioning due to an old beef between XXX and him.

Drake's attorney, Bradford Cohen, though, told the court Drizzy has no relevant information to add to the case -- and the judge agreed.

It is possible Padilla could convince the judge there's some other cause for Drake to be deposed, and get a new subpoena -- but with the trial already underway, the clock's ticking.

Families are left devastated after a mass shooting at Michigan State University ... and "Flavor of Love" star Deelishis says her niece was among the 3 students killed.

Deelishis first posted Monday night, asking her followers to help locate her niece in the chaos following initial reports of the shooting. She wrote, "My beautiful niece @ariellediamond_ is a student at MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY… she was in her classroom in the same building as the active shooter and we have not heard from her."

She continued, "If you know her whereabouts please dm me … in the meantime my family and I ask for your prayers 🙏🏼❤️‼️ #MichiganStateUniversity #ArielleDiamond"

Unfortunately, her niece Arielle never made it out ... the reality star later pinned a comment by another family member that said, "my sweet beautiful niece... RIP baby girl".

As we reported, a gunman -- identified by police by police as Anthony McRae -- went on a shooting rampage at MSU Monday night ... killing 3 students and critically injuring 5 others.

Hours later, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Right now, cops are investigating the incident and have not yet found a motive for the tragedy.

Billie Eilish and her family are getting court-ordered protection from the man she claims broke into her childhood home.

The "lovely" singer appeared virtually in court Thursday for a hearing, where a judge granted Billie a 5-year restraining order against 39-year-old Christopher Anderson. Billie's parents, Patrick and Maggie, and brother, Finneas, are also getting protection.

TMZ broke the story ... Billie got a temporary restraining order against Anderson last month after her dad claimed Anderson broke into the family home after professing his love for Billie, even though she's never met him.

Billie says she didn't feel safe visiting her family anymore ... especially after they had to call cops to the home 5 times in December as a result of Anderson's unwanted visits.

Ex-NFL star Vontae Davis seemed to be sound asleep on the side of a highway near two wrecked vehicles after he was accused of drunkenly crashing his Tesla during an accident on Saturday morning ... new photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the pictures -- snapped just minutes after Davis allegedly rammed his ride into the back of a Toyota truck in Broward County, Fla. -- you can see Davis appeared to be unconscious on the pavement.

Wearing a mint-green corduroy set with his shoes still on, the 34-year-old former Indianapolis Colts defensive back was balled up with his head laying in his hands and his eyes closed.

A witness tells us that even as people moved around him -- including first responders, a clean-up crew and police -- Davis remained fast asleep ... until cops woke him up and put him in a squad car.

In Florida Highway Patrol dash cam footage we obtained, you can see Davis appeared to be having trouble staying awake there too.

During questioning, the two-time Pro Bowler seemed to fade in and out of consciousness ... and when one officer eventually began telling him why he was being arrested for DUI -- the cop said, "Your eyes are bloodshot. Your speech is slurred. You can barely stay awake. All right? You almost killed somebody."

Other photos from the scene we obtained show just how fortunate everyone is to have come away from the wreck alive -- you can see in the pics, Davis' Tesla was mangled ... as was the back of the Toyota.

Davis did admit to cops he had drank two "mixed drinks" before getting behind the wheel, but he said he had no recollection of the car accident.

The former football player, who spent 10 seasons in the NFL from 2009 to 2018, was ultimately arrested and booked on a charge of DUI.

'Real Housewives' star Teresa Giudice is down a set of wheels ... her Mercedes-Benz was stolen from her New Jersey estate, and now police are working to get the whip back.

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell TMZ ... Teresa's luxury car was stolen overnight Monday, when intruders came onto her $3.35 million property in Montville, NJ and drove off with her Benz.

Our sources say police were called and cops are currently investigating the incident, as well as working to get the car back to the 'RHONJ' star.

As for which Mercedes was stolen, that's unclear ... Teresa has had a G-Wagon for a while, but her hubby, Luis, gifted her a white Benz sedan for Christmas in 2021 when they were still engaged.

The good news ... law enforcement already has some early leads, because we're told there is surveillance video from Teresa's home capturing the crime and the suspects on camera.

Gunna's being told to refund the $250K he allegedly got for a verse recorded prior to the YSL Rico case ... all because his collaborator believes Gunna snitched on Young Thug to get out of jail.

Florida-based rapper Bandman Kevo says he paid Gunna to get on a song they did together many months ago, but his incarceration delayed the rollout.

Now that Gunna is free, Kevo says he's ashamed of the collab and it's not happening.

As a result, he's now demanding Gunna return the 6-figure check to sender -- and if he doesn't, Kevo says he'll sue.

The song's titled "Alone" and they even shot a video with YSL rapper Lil Duke -- who was also arrested, and took the same Alford plea as Gunna -- so, Kevo's entire record is kaput as far as he's concerned.

Kevo's reimbursement demand is a total 180° from his thoughts shared in an interview a little over a month ago, when he gave Gunna the benefit of the doubt,  assuming the "Pushin' P" rapper had an elaborate legal scheme that did not involve snitching.

The woman who accused Armie Hammer of raping her says he's trying to gain sympathy and manipulate her by now claiming he tried suicide after she spoke out against him.

Effie Angelova took to Instagram Monday and said the actor told her about his attempted suicide before she publicly claimed he raped her in 2021.

Armie broke his silence Saturday about the rape allegations, saying he was hoping to drown or get eaten by a shark in the ocean, but he changed his mind, thinking about his kids.

Hammer has denied her claims and said this was all consensual role-playing and she's the one who suggested they meet at Starbucks, pretending they were strangers ... and then she would go home and leave the door unlocked for him to come in.

TMZ broke the story, law enforcement has already decided no criminal charges will be filed, but the LAPD has not turned the case over to the D.A. ... it's been with LAPD for more than a year and a half.

In several IG posts, Effie said she was so worried about Armie and only wanted to take care of him after he told her about his alleged childhood abuse and had disappeared for a couple days.

"Now he claims his ocean story happened after I spoke out publicly," Effie said.

She added, "It seems so manipulative because he knows his ocean story shut me up last time and evoked sympathy and it's like now he's trying it again."

As we reported, Effie claimed Armie violently raped her for four hours, during which he allegedly slammed her head against a wall and physically abused her in other ways.

Joe Mixon allegedly threatened to a shoot woman in a "road rage" incident just one day before the Bengals' playoff game against the Bills ... this according to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Cincinnati Police Dept. documents, cops say the alleged incident happened at 12:49 PM on Jan. 21 -- less than 24 hours before Cincinnati played the Bills in the Divisional Round in Buffalo.

According to the docs, a 43-year-old woman told cops that an "unknown suspect" -- later believed to be Mixon -- "brandished a firearm and threatened to shoot her."

She added, per the report, that it was all "a result of a 'road rage' incident."

A warrant for Mixon's arrest was eventually filed last week for one count of misdemeanor aggravated menacing. In court documents, authorities said Mixon told the alleged victim at the time, "You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police can't get me."

The case, however, was dismissed on Friday after prosecutors said they needed "additional investigation before we would move forward with this case." Officials said there was still a chance it could all be refiled in the future.

Joe Mixon is in the clear in his aggravated menacing case -- at least, for now -- prosecutors dismissed the charge against the Cincinnati Bengals star on Friday ... though there is still a chance they could re-file it at a later date.

Officials from the Cincinnati City Prosecutor's Office asked a judge to sign off on the case's dismissal early Friday morning ... and just minutes ago in a Cincinnati courtroom, Hamilton County Judge Curt Kissinger did just that.

"I will sign the entry of dismissal," the judge said at the hearing. "And the warrant will be recalled subject to further filing by the City of Cincinnati."

Prosecutors said in the courtroom they were asking for dismissal because they needed "additional investigation before we would move forward with this case."

They noted the alleged victim would like to still go forward with the charge "if we do decide to refile it."

As we reported, an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor count of aggravated menacing was issued for Mixon on Thursday ... after officials alleged he pointed a firearm at a woman on Jan. 21 and told her, "You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police can't get me."

Mixon's rep, Peter Schaffer, said in a statement following the court filing, "It was a rush to judgment."

"I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges -- because of the damage that can be done to the person's reputation -- to do their work," Schaffer added.

Keanu Reeves is getting protection from a man he claims showed up at his home, apparently hell-bent on trying to prove they're somehow related.

The "Matrix" star's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, beelined it to court Tuesday asking the judge for a temporary restraining order ... to protect Keanu and his partner, Alexandra Grant, from a 38-year-old man named Bryan Dixon -- who he claims is transient and has been harassing them for months.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, Keanu hired a security firm to investigate Dixon after claiming he kept showing up at the actor's home uninvited, and finding different ways onto the property.

The docs say Dixon trespassed 6 times from November through January -- the first time, on November 5, he entered through a side gate and fell asleep in the backyard before getting the boot.

Dixon allegedly came back the next morning and left a "suspicious and alarming" backpack on Keanu's property, which they say included a DNA testing kit “apparently intended to use on Mr. Reeves in a delusional attempt to prove they are blood-related."

Keanu's legal team says Dixon is a complete stranger to the actor, but they've discovered some red flags -- for instance, Dixon currently has a bench warrant issued against him in Rhode Island for alleged breaking and entering with felonious intent, possessing burglary tools and vandalism.

Keanu’s lawyers claim the guy's rap sheet goes back 2 decades.

What's more, Keanu's camp claims Dixon keeps posting disturbing messages on social media referring to himself as "Jasper Keith Reeves" and has set out to assign all of his personal "rights" to Keanu and put Keanu in "charge" of him.

The judge granted a temporary restraining order barring Dixon from coming within 100 yards of Keanu and Alexandra.

The 2 monkeys found in the closet of an abandoned home seem to be healthy after vanishing from a Dallas Zoo ... now officials are upping the stakes to find the culprit.

The Dallas Zoo gave a health update Wednesday on the 2 monkeys ... "Bella and Finn were so happy to snuggle into their nest sack here at the Zoo last night! Our vet and animal care teams have said, beyond losing a bit of weight, they show no signs of injury."

BTW ... these monkeys only weigh about a pound, so every ounce counts.

Officials said the 2 emperor tamarin monkeys started to eat and drink almost immediately after getting examined. Now they have to go through a quarantine period before they can be returned to their zoo habitat.

You'll recall, the 2 emperor tamarin monkeys were found Tuesday in the closet of an abandoned home in Lancaster TX ... a day after a Dallas zoo notified Dallas PD that they were missing from their habitat.

And, while health officials are watching over the monkeys, Dallas PD is trying to nab anyone involved in the heist ... the zoo's hiked the reward to $25K.

Tiffany Haddish says she's shocked there's a push to get her written out of the long-anticipated "Girls Trip" sequel -- but she's defiant, telling us there's no way she'd miss it ... no matter what Twitter haters think.

Tiff seemed genuinely surprised outside The Ivy Tuesday evening when she was asked what she thought about the instant backlash when it was announced last week "Girls Trip 2" was finally going to be made ... and with the OG cast of Tiffany, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Regina Hall.

Well, she makes it crystal clear that as long as her costars want her to do the movie ... Tiffany WILL be there, regardless of any controversy.

The issue is, some fans think Haddish should not be included this time around, because of the child molestation lawsuit that was filed last year against Tiffany and Aries Spears.

As we reported, the suit was dismissed and the plaintiff even publicly forgave Tiffany ... saying she knows the actress would never harm her or her family.

As for the sequel to the 2017 comedic hit ... Tiffany told us she "can't be concerned with what other people think. I gotta be concerned about how I feel" ... and she says she's feeling really good about herself these days.

BTW, even though it's been announced the film will be set in Ghana, and everyone's on board ... Tiffany seems less than convinced it's actually gonna happen. As she put it, "Y'know every year they say this."

The two monkeys who went missing this week from the Dallas Zoo have been found ... cops say they were left in the closet of an abandoned home.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the emperor tamarin monkeys were found Tuesday afternoon at a home in Lancaster, Texas, and the animals have been returned to the zoo.

We're told Dallas Police received a tip the monkeys were possibly at an abandoned home in Lancaster ... with cops from Dallas and Lancaster following up on the tip and finding the monkeys in one of the empty home's closets.

As we reported ... the zoo notified Dallas PD Monday a couple of their emperor tamarin monkeys were missing from their habitats ... with the zoo also claiming there was evidence the monkeys were taken.

Cops put out an alert earlier Tuesday, saying they wanted to speak with a man who was spotted munching on a bag of chips at the zoo around the same time the monkeys vanished.

The Dallas Zoo issued a statement after the monkeys were found, saying they are "thrilled beyond belief" the animals were located. The zoo says the monkeys will be evaluated by veterinarians.

Alec Baldwin has now officially been charged with a crime over the fatal shooting of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins on his "Rust" movie set, and the D.A. listed a litany of safety lapses which she says sit squarely at Baldwin's feet.

According to the charging document, the D.A. says Baldwin knew the drill ... that the armorer should have been present, checking the gun to make sure it was safe, and Baldwin knew that ... yet he relied on the assistant director who had no authority to clear the weapon for use.

The D.A. says Baldwin was supposed to undergo firearms training but failed to do so. Adding Baldwin was then supposed to get minimal training for 30 minutes, but was on his cell phone for most of that time speaking with his family.

The D.A. honed in on TV interviews Baldwin did, where he claimed not to have fired the weapon ... something the FBI and prosecutors dispute. The D.A. states there are multiple photos and videos that clearly show Baldwin with his finger on the trigger.

The district attorney goes on to say, as the producer of the movie, Baldwin should never have allowed the production company to hire Hannah Gutierrez-Reed as she lacked the requisite certifications and experience for the job.

And, the D.A. lays the numerous safety lapses on the set at Baldwin's doorstep, saying he did not address those issues, which even resulted in crew members walking off the set in protest.

The D.A. says Baldwin violated the first rule of gun safety -- never point a firearm, loaded or not, at another person.

And, the D.A. says Baldwin was in 40 films in which guns were an integral part, so he should have known all the protocols.

Prosecutors in Santa Fe County, NM have formally filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's head armorer, is also charged with involuntary manslaughter. They're both facing up to five years in prison if convicted.

As for assistant director Dave Halls, he's already agreed to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon -- a misdemeanor. Per the deal, Halls will receive a suspended sentence and six months probation.

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, announced earlier this month Alec and Hannah would be prosecuted for the fatal shooting ... with special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb saying, "The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the 'Rust' film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don't take our State's commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously."

Reeb added ... "If any one of these three people - Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls - had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It's that simple."

Alec denies any wrongdoing, insisting he was just following instructions during a rehearsal where he was practicing how to position the pistol for a "cross draw" scene in a chapel ... as director, Joel Souza and Halyna figured out camera angles.

Halls told Baldwin it was a "cold" gun ... meaning it was unloaded and safe, and Baldwin says he relied on that assurance.

Hannah was not in the chapel at the time of the shooting ... but Alec has said it was her job to prepare and check the prop guns.

The shooting occurred back in October 2021 and Alec was visibly torn up immediately after the incident. Alec repeatedly claimed he bore no responsibility for what he called a tragic accident, insisting he did NOT pull the trigger that fateful day.

The FBI disagreed with Alec ... the feds issued a report concluding the pistol would not fire without someone pulling the trigger ... and the D.A. has said she trusts the FBI's analysis.

Halyna's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec and others involved in the production, claiming Baldwin and others were responsible for the lapse in safety protocols that led to Halyna's death on the set.

Baldwin and the Hutchins settled the lawsuit, agreeing to finish filming "Rust" ... with Halyna's widower, Matthew Hutchins, becoming an executive producer on the film.

Michigan State cornerback Khary Crump just caught a big break in his tunnel assault case -- the player was sentenced to probation after agreeing to a plea deal ... and will not spend any time behind bars.

Crump was one of 7 MSU players who faced legal trouble after the post-game altercation with a Michigan player in October ... and was charged with one felony count of assault by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office.

Crump was the only MSU player hit with a felony ... but earlier this month, he pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery and disorderly person jostling.

Crump was sentenced to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service ... and his charges can be wiped from his record if he completes the requirements of his sentence.

"That was all I could really hear, I was crying in my heart," Crump told reporters. "It felt beautiful. I'm just looking forward to finishing my term and getting back on the field."

"I just want to get past probation, put this behind me and get back to the initial plan," the 21-year-old defensive back added.

The Big Ten conference announced in November that Crump is suspended for the first eight games of next season and the other 6 players were hit with four-game suspensions.

Tennis star Alexander Zverev will not face any disciplinary action after an investigation found there was "insufficient evidence" to substantiate domestic abuse claims made against him, the Association of Tennis Professionals announced Tuesday.

"Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports," the ATP said in a statement released on Tuesday, "in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev, and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse, or determine that violations of ATP’s On-Site Offenses or Player Major Offenses rules took place."

The ATP continued ... "As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. This determination may however be reevaluated should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules."

In 2021, the ATP launched an investigation against Zverev, 25, after his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, accused him of emotionally and physically abusing her while they were in a romantic relationship.

Zverev released a statement Tuesday on the ATP's ruling ... saying, "From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless allegations made against me. I welcomed and fully cooperated with the ATP’s investigation and am grateful for the organization’s time and attention in this matter."