Crime

The new 'Halloween' flick features a frighteningly inspired performance from James Jude Courtney, who leaned on an old friend/real-life murderer to pick up tips on playing the legendary villain behind the mask.

The "Halloween Kills" star joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to reveal part of his process to portray Michael Myers -- something James has done more than anyone else -- and it was downright chilling.

He told us he prepped for one of his very first killer roles by living in a psych ward with paranoid schizophrenics who had killed people ... but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Later in his career, James says he lived with a guy who had done hard time for murders -- he'd been a hitman -- but apparently wanted to moonlight as an acting coach.

James told us his killer roommate actually critiqued one of his movies, and told him how to make his character more believable, more realistic. That sounds great for James' acting career, but there's still the matter of actually LIVING under the same roof as a cold-blooded killer!!!

Chris Pearson's death was the result of someone losing it on him for being loud and disruptive in his apartment complex in the middle of the night ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say the former "Ex on the Beach" star was down in the pool area with his girlfriend, making a lot of noise around 2 AM Sunday.  We're told Chris was yelling ... it's unclear at who, but it pissed off the other residents who were trying to sleep.

We're told Chris ignored everyone, but then someone on one of the balconies amped things up and was yelling hard at Chris, who in turn started screaming back at the guy. Our sources say Chris went inside the building to confront the guy ... and that's when he was fatally stabbed in the area around his heart.

Our sources say the guy who stabbed him fled before authorities arrived.

As we first told you ... Chris was rushed to a hospital, but died around 3:30 AM from his injuries.

According to our sources ... Chris was not normally a confrontational guy, but that wasn't the case during the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops are investigating and looking for witnesses and videos that may help them figure out what went down, but so far no arrests have been made. Our law enforcement sources say cops are confident they'll catch the guy.

Dog the Bounty Hunter's leaving Florida empty-handed and hurt-footed after spending more than 2 weeks hunting for Brian Laundrie ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Dog tells TMZ ... he injured his ankle in rugged terrain during his search for Gabby Petito's fiance -- still the main person of interest in her death.

We're told the notorious bounty hunter wants to see his regular doctor in Colorado for his injury ... so he's heading back there now.

Dog's rep says he's not giving up on his mission just yet though -- he's still raising funds to help the team he's put together to continue searching for Laundrie.

We're told the team consists of a talented group of Florida locals who will continue the manhunt ... and Dog will stay connected and keep going after leads as much as he can in CO.

As we reported ... Dog joined the extensive search for Laundrie in late Sept. and claimed he was hot on his tail, only to leave everyone waiting for an actual capture.

He certainly seemed dead set on finding him though ... wading through a swamp to track a lead and even cancelling a public appearance to focus more on the search.

Scratch CMT off the list of possible landing spots for Dog the Bounty Hunter's return to TV ... despite his history with the channel.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ .... Dog hasn't made a pitch of a Brian Laundrie show to CMT just yet, but it sounds like he shouldn't waste his time, because we're told the network would not be interested.

One reason for passing ... we're told CMT has a renewed commitment to country music programming -- it's in the name after all -- so the network would likely not be doing another series with Dog in the future.

Dog fans will recall ... he did a spinoff show with CMT, "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt," debuting in 2013 and running 3 seasons until 2015, after which Beth announced they were leaving CMT programming.

TMZ broke the story ... Dog has TV offers rolling in now that he's on the hunt for Brian as part of the Gabby Petito case, with multiple networks expressing interest in resurrecting a show with him as the star.

As we've seen, Dog's been willing to get dirty on the manhunt for Brian -- but so far, he hasn't found the guy or a home for his show.

Dog's OG show aired on A&E, but that network's already passed on his Brian Laundrie show pitch.

Brian Laundrie's street is home to a media circus and tons of drama ... but people aren't afraid to be his new neighbor, because some folks are moving in just a few doors down.

Alisha Colligan and Tony Gustitus, who represent one of the top real estate teams in North Port, FL, tell TMZ ... despite the media frenzy outside Brian's house, people are still swooping up houses on his street.

In fact, the real estate agents say they just closed on a new home Monday that was purchased for $379k ... just a stone's throw away from the Laundrie house.

We're told the buyers were from out of state and expressed interest in the home prior to the Laundrie and Gabby Petito media madness, which apparently didn't turn them off.

Brian's new neighbors even got a first-hand look at what it's like right now on the block, where tensions are running high between neighbors and protestors, even leading to a fight.

We're told the buyers flew in for a walk-through at the house last week and closed on the home, despite warnings about the media frenzy, easing fears for the real estate agents who worried the Laundrie case might scuttle the deal.

It's interesting ... we're told the Laundrie situation doesn't appear to be having a negative effect on the housing market in North Port, where home sales are still on the rise.

A crazed gunman on an alleged crime spree in L.A. ended his trail of terror by taking a woman hostage -- only to be killed by cops who stormed in ... all of which is on video.

LAPD says this guy was on a criminal tear before fleeing into the Santa Fe Loft & Apartments high-rise building in downtown Friday ... running into a lady in the halls as police were hot on his trail, and forcing her into her unit at gunpoint -- barricading himself inside.

From there, a tense standoff unfolded -- but even prior to what you see on video here -- captured by another DTLA resident from across the way -- cops say the gunman was running amok on the streets ... allegedly shooting folks in a business, trying to carjack someone and even attempting to shoot someone in the head, with the gun failing to go off.

Like we said, this was his final stop -- and as you can see ... it was truly life or death, as the guy clearly appears to have had his own gun at her head while she was on her knees.

Helicopters were zooming ... and within minutes, a SWAT team was at the door, trying to negotiate with the man -- but ultimately decided to bust in and take control of the sitch, which they did. Luckily, the victim was unharmed as they unloaded their weapons on him.

She'd been moved to another area of the apartment, and was taken to a hospital afterward for an evaluation. Considering the violence this man is alleged to have inflicted before this ... it's a miracle the woman was left relatively unscathed, and walked away with her life intact.

The cops explained their actions on Twitter ... saying that based on what they'd been told the man had already done and the dire nature of the moment -- in addition to what they themselves were seeing via surveillance -- SWAT decided to take action ... and an officer-involved shooting occurred, killing the suspect on the scene.

There's been a very public back and forth between private investigators and cops investigating the Zodiac killer case over the testing of DNA found at the scene of a potential victim, but an email exchange obtained by TMZ appears to swing things in favor of the private investigators.

We've obtained emails from April, in which a member of The Case Breakers sent a message to The Riverside Police Department asking about hairs found clenched in the hand of victim Cheri Jo Bates. CB stated their investigators had identified a "viable suspect for a potential comparison."

From there, The Case Breakers tell us they were met with silence on the testing, and RPD refused to do a comparison between the DNA evidence found at the scene and the potential Zodiac Killer.

The email exchange seemingly goes against the RPD claim from earlier this week when they denied they'd ever received any sort of DNA testing or comparison request from CB.

What's more, in another email exchange obtained by TMZ between CB and RPD regarding the Bates case, RPD flat out said, "we can say without a doubt this case is not related to the Zodiac Killer case."

That statement is quite the opposite of what Riverside Police Chief Kinkead said back in 1969 when he said he felt the killer in the Bates case had many similarities to The Zodiac, including a military boot print at the scene of the crime.

As we reported, The Case Breakers announced Wednesday they had identified The Zodiac Killer as Gary Poste, a man who was living in Northern Cal and died in 2018.

Poste's family has not yet commented on the findings.

Kodak Black's doctors believe it would behoove the rapper to spend the final 30 days of his treatment at a facility outside of Florida ... so he's asking the court for permission to do so.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kodak's physician and treatment specialist believe he would benefit from a program outside Florida. The location and details were not provided in the public documents for security reasons.

But, Kodak's team makes it clear ... his doctors think that for Kodak to have a better chance of success, he needs to be in a different environment for a period of time.

The request comes on the heels of some very alarming tweets from the rapper that quickly had fans worried about his mental health. He's since deleted all of his social media accounts but some tweets included, "Sitting In My Room Crying Feel Like Killing Myself."

He also wrote, "So Lonely Depressed Sad & F***** Up ... Nobody Love Me Nobody Cares ... I'm Everywhere @ Once ... Friends Playin In My Head ... Girls Playin Wit My Heart ... Wish I Can Go Back To The Start I'll Never Be Famous."

Kodak's legal team is now asking for the court's permission to join an out-of-state residential treatment facility for the last 30 days of his court-ordered residential program.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... they'd love to move Kodak to a different state if and when probation agrees. He wouldn't say which state they have in mind.

We asked Cohen about Kodak's failed drug test and about Kodak's concerning tweets but he declined to comment.

As we first reported ... Kodak violated the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case by failing a drug test. He was ordered to get treatment. He's currently in treatment now ... but his doctors want him to spend the last 30 days at an out-of-state facility.

Bill Cosby is way off with his R. Kelly theory about the singer getting a raw deal in his federal sex crimes case ... according to one of Kelly's victims.

Faith Rodgers, who previously testified she's a victim of Kelly's sexual misconduct, spoke out Friday for the first time since the singer was convicted on all 9 federal counts ... and she says Kelly tried to threaten her into silence.

With attorney Gloria Allred by her side, Faith ripped Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, for telling TMZ ... his client's reaction to Kelly's conviction was, "The guy was railroaded."

Faith says that line of thinking, and terminology, is "beyond insulting" to all of Kelly's victims.

What's more, she claims Kelly threatened her multiple times after she decided to come forward as a victim. She says the alleged threats included publishing nude pictures and videos of her.

As we reported ... Kelly was found guilty last month on 9 federal counts, including sex crimes, human trafficking, kidnapping, racketeering and obstruction of justice and human trafficking. He's looking at 10 years to life when he gets sentenced next year.

The Kenosha PD officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times -- and who's avoided state prosecution -- will also not face federal charges.

The U.S. Justice Department said Friday it will not pursue federal criminal charges against Rusten Sheskey. The feds say "the evidence obtained is insufficient to prove that the KPD officer willfully used excessive force."

Remember, Blake was unarmed, back in August 2020, when Sheskey opened fire at point-blank range. Video of the shooting sparked racial justice protests across the country, and led to the Kyle Rittenhouse shooting.

According to the feds ... a team of experienced federal prosecutors from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reviewed the evidence to determine whether the police officer violated any federal laws.

The feds added that "a detailed and lengthy analysis of numerous materials, including police reports, law enforcement accounts, witness statements, affidavits of witnesses, dispatch logs, physical evidence reports, photographs and videos of some portions of the incident."

In essence ... prosecutors say they couldn't establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer "willfully" deprived Jacob of his constitutional rights. The feds say "neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a willful federal criminal civil rights violation."

As we reported ... Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D. Graveley also announced back in January that Sheskey would not be charged for the shooting. Graveley said Sheskey acted in self-defense, and it was necessary for the officer to use lethal force to stop Jacob from potentially harming him or others.

The shooting left Jacob paralyzed. The Justice Dept. says it's already informed his family about the decision not to charge Sheskey.

Turns out the dude who sat behind home plate at the Dodgers game back in 2016 is NOT one of the most wanted men in the world ... he's just a regular ol' baseball fan who happens to look like the convicted felon who illegally swindled $325 million, authorities say.

As we previously reported, the U.S. Marshals believed they had a credible lead on John Ruffo after a relative believed they spotted him on TV sitting behind home plate at a Dodgers game in 2016.

FYI, Ruffo was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars, but skipped town before serving his time.

The story recently came to light after ABC recently published a podcast on the case.

But, the U.S. Marshals now tell TMZ Sports the fan in question is NOT the fugitive ... he was just a dude who went to a baseball game and landed at the center of one of the biggest sports stories of the week.

After the story blew up, someone recognized their family member as the man in question, and contacted authorities ... who ultimately cleared the guy.

A man who says he spent 2 decades backpacking with Gary Poste -- the alleged Zodiac killer -- claims Poste definitely had a violent side ... and it showed when he killed animals.

The man goes by the name Will, and he spoke with a member of Case Breakers -- the team of more than 40 various investigators who believe Poste is responsible for the notorious murders in the late '60s -- about his relationship with Gary ... which he says started with Poste helping him with a legal issue.

We're told after that, in 1987, Poste invited Will -- who was just 18 at the time -- to come up to a wooded area in Northern California and hunt with him ... and he regularly did exactly that for the next 20 years.

Will claims during this time, he witnessed Poste kill animals "indiscriminately" and says Gary enjoyed "getting dirty" and bloody. He says Poste killed all sorts of animals and describes his behavior with their carcasses as "chilling."

It's interesting ... police profilers say an obsession with killing animals is a marker of a serial killer. The Zodiac killed his victims in the '70s and then stopped. If Case Breakers is right ... the killer may have turned to animals instead of humans beginning in the '80s.

We're told Will began to have suspicions about Poste being the Zodiac killer after watching a true-crime documentary about serial killers, and in 2014 he fled the woods and his life with Poste. He also felt the sketch of the Zodiac matched Poste.

Will then tried to talk to police and the media about Poste but says nobody would listen to him ... until he got in touch with Case Breakers about a year ago. BTW, Poste died in 2018.

As we told you ... despite what Case Breakers and Will believe, the official authorities -- the Riverside PD and a former San Francisco cop -- don't believe Poste is the infamous killer.

Whether that's true or not ... Will's account of hanging in the woods with a man who didn't have a conscience and slaughtered animals for joy is still incredibly disturbing.

We discussed Poste in this week's episode of The TMZ Podcast.

The Brian Laundrie manhunt has a new team member ... Brian's dad.

Christopher Laundrie joined the search Thursday morning in Florida where he was met by police. Park rangers were there waiting for Christopher and the cops as they opened the gate to let them in.

As for how all of this transpired -- law enforcement requested Christopher help officers with the search at a Florida preserve, according to his attorney ... who added that since the preserve had been closed to the public, "Chris had not been able to look for Brian in the only place Brian's parents believe he may be."

As we reported, Dog the Bounty Hunter and his team are convinced Laundrie has been hiding in the Florida Everglades where he's been searching. It's worth noting ... Dog says Laundrie may have hightailed it out of there in the last few days but he's adamant Laundrie's been there.

Laundrie's sister, Cassie, recently went on 'GMA' and detailed the last time she saw her brother ... which was during a camping trip after he'd returned to Florida without Gabby Petito.

She said she last spoke to Brian in person on Sept. 6 ... while she and their parents went camping at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, FL. She said the family dropped in for a quick minute and then left. She's denied knowing his current whereabouts.

Eighteen ex-NBA players -- including Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Sebastian Telfair -- have been charged with fraud ... after officials say they swindled a small fortune out of the Association's healthcare plan.

Federal prosecutors announced the charges against the former hoopers, which also included Shannon Brown and Darius Miles, on Thursday ... accusing the men of ripping off the NBA Players' Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.

The scheme was not terribly complicated, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Of NY, which is prosecuting the case.

The ex-basketball players allegedly submitted "false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement" to the plan --- which has been set up by the NBA to help current and former players pay medical bills -- and then were wrongly reimbursed.

Officials say it all started in 2017, when the players would ask the plan for money to pay for medical care they didn't actually receive.

The feds say the men submitted fraudulent claims that totaled approximately $3.9 million ... and they received approximately $2.5 million "in fraudulent proceeds" from the scheme.

The prosecutors claim Terrence Williams, the 11th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, was the mastermind behind it all.

In addition to Davis, Telfair, Brown, Miles and Williams ... officials say Tony Allen, Jamario Moon, Tony Wroten, Melvin Ely and Ruben Patterson were also involved in the scheme.

Officials have scheduled have a meeting with reporters to further detail the alleged crimes later Thursday afternoon.

A spokesperson for the department tells us the Lieutenant resigned from the force shortly after a series of bodycam vids were released back in September.

Minneapolis police officers were pumped up to fire non-lethal bullets at protestors during the unrest after George Floyd's murder, and boldly talked on camera about "hunting" people out past curfew.

The new body cam footage, from late May 2020, provides a shocking look at the cops' forceful response to the protests and riots in the city on the evening of May 30 into May 31. A cop is heard saying how it's a "nice change of tempo" for officers to be out actively hunting people instead of just chasing them around.

Another officer replies, "F*** these people."

In another clip, Minneapolis cops are enthusiastically ordered to shoot non-lethal rounds on "the first f***ers we see."

According to CNN, these videos from multiple police body cams were released by Eric Rice, the lawyer for a man who was recently acquitted on charges of firing a gun at officers on May 30 after they fired nonlethal bullets at him.

There's also a clip of an officer expressing his disdain for the media, then going off on proving the mayor wrong about the race of protestors. He then makes a racist comment, suggesting only Black people are responsible for looting and fires.

The Zodiac Killer has NOT been ID'd as The Case Breakers would have you believe -- at least according to cops who looked for the guy back in the day, but Case Breakers says the cops have refused to even investigate a possible connection.

Riverside PD tells TMZ ... the investigative body that came out Wednesday with its big get is probably wrong in its assumption Gary Francis Poste is the elusive serial killer.

RPD's PIO, Ryan Railsback, says the Case Breakers cite the 1966 murder of Cheri Jo Bates and evidence the group says it gleaned from studying the file as the basis of their conclusion.

Railsback says their initial suspicion the Zodiac was responsible -- based on letters they received at the time -- was nothing but a red herring. Railsback says if there was any evidence suggesting Poste was their man ... the force would've happily come forward with such info. But they haven't, 'cause he isn't.

That leads us to Frank Falzon, a former SFPD homicide inspector, who was once partners with the famed Dave Toschi -- in charge of the Zodiac case in the early days -- and who took over the file once Toschi left the picture. He, too, tells us ... he believes Poste ain't the guy.

His rationale -- Poste's name, from what he can recall, never came up as a strong possible suspect among the hundreds of names they had on file. It doesn't ring a bell to him.

But, here's the thing ... Case Breakers tells TMZ they contacted the Riverside PD and asked them to do a DNA test on the victim's hair and compare it with the DNA of Gary Francis Poste, and the PD refused. Case Breakers tells TMZ, the PD told them they believed the murderer was local to Riverside County and would not consider anyone outside the county. Case Breakers says the PD told them they were "100% sure" the murderer was not the Zodiac Killer and the police repeatedly refused to investigate a possible connection.

A source at Riverside PD tells us they do not have knowledge of CB reaching out regarding the evidence.

Falzon points to what he considers lots of circumstantial evidence the Case Breakers used in pinpointing Poste as the Zodiac -- which, in FF's view, isn't enough to draw that big of a deduction. In his eyes ... ID'ing the Zodiac would always come down to fingerprints and handwriting -- and based on what he saw in the CB's analysis, those factors were absent.