Crime

Gabby Petito's father is not obsessing over what might be inside Brian Laundrie's notebook ... instead, he says the focus should be on the domestic violence issues plaguing the nation.

Joe Petito tells TMZ ... nothing in Brian's notebook is going to bring his daughter back, and whatever's in there won't explain how her tragic death could have been avoided.

As you know, Brian's remains were found last week in an area that was previously underwater, and law enforcement found some of his belongings, including a notebook, nearby.

Joe says he is never going to get closure from the notebook -- even if cops can recover any info from it -- and it's not going to help him get over losing a child. He says the only reason he would want to know what Brian wrote would be for his own selfish gratification.

Gabby's father also says the notebook won't do much for Brian's parents either, because they lost a child too, and the book won't bring their son back either.

Brian's parents don't know what's inside the journal either ... according to the family lawyer.

Instead of focusing on the notebook, Joe says he would rather put meaning behind Gabby's death ... and for him, that means making a difference with domestic violence issues.

Joe now wants the focus to be on how to avoid another tragic incident like his daughter's. He says it's "insane" to see research showing over 1 in 3 women in the United States have experienced domestic violence. He adds, society needs to figure out how to shift the shame from the victim to the abuser ... and maybe that starts by having conversations that reassure victims it's not their fault.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the woman at the center of the "Rust" death investigation -- was also recently tied to the death of a close friend, and her insurance company shelled out big bucks to his family.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Reed's friend, Tyler Dyer, was killed in an accident back in August 2020 -- a wreck that also involved her boyfriend, Aaron Butcher. Both men were on motorcycles at the time -- Aaron had borrowed Hannah's.

Tyler's dad tells us all 3 of them had been hanging out at a party prior to the accident -- and Hannah admitted to cops she'd seen both Tyler and Aaron drink 4 to 5 beers each before she opted to give Aaron the keys to her ride.

BTW, Aaron was already on probation for a DUI, and only permitted to operate vehicles with a breathalyzer attached to the ignition ... which Hannah's bike did not have.

According to cops, Tyler was going too fast when he made a turn and crashed his bike into a wall ... while Aaron tried to avoid him, and ended up wrecking Hannah's bike.

Tyler died in the crash, Aaron was arrested for aggravated DUI, and because he was on Hannah's bike ... her insurance company paid Dyer's parents, Joe and Sara, $50,000 in exchange for an agreement not to sue Hannah in the future.

The documents state each of Tyler's parents ended up walking away with $15,481.

TMZ broke the story, 24-year-old Reed revealed just last month she only recently wrapped her first project as a head armorer ... a project she says she almost didn't take on because she was afraid she lacked experience.

The armorer on "Rust" got an earful from one Nicolas Cage when she was working on his movie earlier this year -- and it doesn't sound like he was confident in her abilities either.

The veteran actor reportedly got pissed and yelled at Hannah Gutierrez-Reed over the summer while shooting his newest flick, "The Old Way," down in Montana -- this after she apparently fired off weapons around the crew without warning, not once but TWICE.

According to The Wrap, the 24-year-old rookie was allegedly complained about a lot ... not just by Cage, but by other seasoned people who noticed -- she was out of her element.

As for the supposed NC blowup ... Sharon Waxman reports after the second time in 3 days of Gutierrez-Reed testing a weapon near everyone else unexpectedly, Cage yelled -- "Make an announcement, you just blew my f***ing eardrums out!" Then, he stormed off.

A key grip on 'TOW' claims Cage wasn't the only one who was frustrated -- he apparently told the assistant director the young armorer had to go, as he felt she was slipping up.

Now, for the record, a producer for "The Old Way" denies any such account ... while saying the accounts about Gutierrez-Reed on that set are being blown out of proportion. They went on to say she was working under a head prop master, and felt she was just fine.

NBA YoungBoy is finally sprung from jail -- after several months behind bars in his federal gun case -- but he had to drop some serious coin to make it happen.

The rapper's attorneys, Drew Findling and Andre Belanger, tell TMZ ... NBA YB was released on bond Tuesday after forking over $500k in cash. The St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office, which had the rapper in custody since March, confirms they've handed him his walking papers.

YoungBoy might be rejoicing about regaining his freedom until he stands trial ... but he's on a tight leash. He's gotta keep his nose clean -- or else he'll land right back in a cell.

His legal team tells us a condition of YoungBoy's release includes home confinement in Utah, where his location is being monitored. How exactly they'll keep track of him isn't quite clear --  whether it's electronic or physical surveillance -- but we're told the authorities are keeping tabs.

TMZ broke the story ... cops had to use a K-9 unit here in L.A. to wrangle YoungBoy after he allegedly evaded a traffic stop and spurred a police chase.

The gun scenes in the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" were considered dangerous enough to provide certain protections ... but not protections for people, but rather the expensive camera.

Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... his last scene in the movie on October 8 was a shootout where he was killed, and he says he was terrified that there were 20 rounds from pistols and rifles that were unloading blanks, and the only protection against a mishap was some sort of shield around the camera.

Hudson describes what he says was something like a 3X2 foot shield, with the only part exposed being the lens. He was standing 6 feet in front of the camera, and wondered why there was a need to protect the camera as he stood there exposed. He adds there were people standing behind the camera, something gun experts say should not have happened.

Hudson says he felt the scene was "life-threatening," because real weapons were being pointed at him and blanks discharged, creating a rush of air that struck him multiple times. He also said he was hit by small pieces of cardboard.

The actor told us he didn't complain because he was new in the business and felt he would be viewed as trouble if he voiced concern.

And, Hudson says, he and his fellow actors were alarmed enough to reference the accidental killing of Brandon Lee back in 1993. He told us they discussed the fact that it didn't seem like much has changed in the last 30 years.

Hudson says the other, more experienced actors checked their weapons 2 or 3 times after they received them from the armorer, and it didn't matter whether they were told the gun was "cold" or "hot." Baldwin did not check the weapon, but rather relied on the assistant director who assured him the gun was "cold."

The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is now under the microscope because of her inexperience ... something she talked about in a recent podcast. But, Hudson says director, Joel Souza, praised Hannah when Hudson was on set, telling her she was doing a good job.

As we reported, Souza was shot along with director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, who died from her injures after being hit by a live round.

Ian's character was killed in a shootout with Jensen Ackles' character ... and he says it was extremely unsettling.

Brian Laundrie fled into the woods looking incredibly upset -- but his parents still don't know why, or what may be written in his recovered journal ... so says their attorney.

Steve Bertolino tells TMZ ... Brian's parents, Chris and Roberta, have no idea why their son fled with such angst the day he went missing in September. he would only say they felt he was "out of sorts."

Obviously, everyone wants to know exactly what the parents knew and when -- but Bertolino insists they were in the dark on what the heck was happening with Brian as he fled from the house and vanished.

He says ditto on what might be in Brian's journal, which authorities found near his remains at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Bertolino says cops haven't made the Laundries aware of its contents yet -- but says he has heard some of it may not be salvageable.

Of course, that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Like, for example, how did Brian die, and what involvement, if any, he had in Gabby Petito's disappearance and death.

Kodak Black's failed drug tests came back positive for pot and ecstasy ... and yet he's now asking a judge for permission to hit up a big concert where drug use might be rampant.

As we first told you, the rapper violated the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case by failing drug tests earlier this year. According to new legal docs, he tested positive for marijuana in February and then MDMA in August.

The judge ordered Kodak to complete a 90-day treatment program ... and he recently got permission to spend 30 of those days outside of Florida, after claiming it would give him a better chance at success.

Now, Kodak has his eye on a multiday music festival in New York.

According to the docs, KB asked the court to let him attend the Rolling Loud NYC music fest this weekend, and says it's strictly for business.

The judge signed off on it and gave him permission to perform at the festival -- he'll be on stage Friday in Queens -- as long as he keeps in touch with his Supervised Release Officer.

Waka Flocka's wife, Tammy Rivera, is fuming over a CVS employee who she believes racially profiled and harassed her -- but she's also making an appeal to save the woman's job.

ICYMI, Tammy went off Sunday with a couple of video posts ... one of them from inside the CVS in DeKalb County, GA as the alleged profiling was going down. Tammy said she frequents this CVS and knows all the employees, but the woman she encountered this time was new.

Tammy claims the staffer eyeballed her constantly, up and down every aisle, and yelled at Tammy for opening a hair accessory she intended to buy. The whole scene escalated when the clerk tried to kick TR out of the store, and police were called.

She eventually left the store to avoid trespassing charges, but Monday morning Tammy called her CVS to file a complaint, and she got a quick response from the general manager ... who called back to apologize.

A rep for CVS tells TMZ ... it has a "firm non-discrimination policy" and it's committed to ensuring that all customers are "treated with respect and are offered courteous customer service." The rep added they've launched an investigation.

Tammy tells us she's told CVS she doesn't want the woman to get fired, but instead, would like to see her get more education and training. As Tammy put it ... if it happened to me, it's probably happened to other Black or Latina customers.

The crew on the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" appears to have taken shortcuts on safety -- ones a top film weapons expert says could've and should've been avoided.

We talked to Steve Wolf -- who's been working in SFX and props in films for several decades -- and he laid out exactly what he thinks went wrong on the New Mexico set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed.

Check out our convo with him on "TMZ Live" ... Steve says the lead armorer, Hannah Reed, was not experienced enough to handle the job, in his opinion.

He explains with that type of role on a set -- one of the most important ones, especially if weapons are at play -- it requires a certain authority and expertise he believes Reed might not have had.

He also says low-budget flicks -- which "Rust" appears to be -- often do a lot of corner-cutting ... like not waiting on actual prop guns, or opting for live ammo or not taking the extra steps to thoroughly check weapons before they're used.

Finally, he addresses the burning question on everyone's minds -- who's actually responsible, and should Baldwin himself shoulder any blame? In Wolf's eyes, he does ... to a certain extent, anyway.

Jeremy Piven may need a new wardrobe ... because we're told he's the victim of a home burglary that saw crooks get away with five figures worth of his threads.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the "Entourage" star had his Los Angeles area home broken into earlier this week, with thieves smashing a window to get inside Jeremy's crib.

It sounds like JP has expensive taste just like his fictional character Ari Gold ... because we're told the burglars made off with over $20,000 in clothes. Must be quite a haul.

Our sources say police are looking for videos to help them catch the perps ... but so far, we're told no arrests have been made.

It's unclear if Jeremy's place was specifically targeted, but we're told he was NOT home at the time of the burglary.

Brian Laundrie will not be laid to rest with a traditional funeral -- what's left of his body will be incinerated, and held onto privately by his family ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Laundries' attorney, Steve Bertolino, says that, yes, Brian's parents are planning on skipping a casket-style service ... and going straight for cremation. The ashes will be given to Chris and Roberta Laundrie once the authorities are done examining his remains.

What they do with that afterward is anyone's guess -- but one thing is clear ... they won't be holding any type of public gathering or remembrance, and probably for good reason,

Fact is ... there've been nonstop protesters and media outlets outside their home for weeks on end now -- blaring megaphones, leaving items on their property, creating makeshift memorials and other activity ... all in the name of Gabby Petito, who was murdered.

Cops have been called out several times of late, and have even told protesters (in some instances) to settle down. You can tell it's getting on the Laundries' nerves -- Brian's father nailed in a sign on his front lawn this weekend, which said "No Trespassing."

If they held a service of some sort ... it would almost certainly be protested to some degree -- which would be awkward, to say the least. Still, it appears some have sympathy for Brian's parents ... as it looks like they've been getting flower arrangements sent to their home since Brian was confirmed dead last week.

As we reported ... his belongings were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, FL -- not far from where he lived. The feds said they hadn't discovered him sooner because a large part of that area had been underwater until recently. Of course, they only revisited the site after word from his parents they'd be doing just that.

Chuck Liddell has been granted a temporary restraining order from his estranged wife, Heidi, TMZ Sports has learned ... in addition to temporary primary physical custody of their kids.

This just days after the 51-year-old UFC legend claimed his wife roughed him up at their family home.

A judge in Los Angeles signed off on the order last week ... preventing 41-year-old Heidi from having any contact -- including over the phone or computer -- with The Iceman.

The TRO dictates Heidi must remain at least 100 yards from Chuck at all times.

Heidi was also ordered to immediately leave her and Chuck's home ... until the couple has a court hearing the 2nd week of November.

Violation of the order could result in a fine and/or a year in jail.

Chuck will also get temporary physical custody of their 2 kids ... though the arrangement could change after the hearing.

Heidi will be allowed visitation on the alternating weekends.

The UFC HOF'er also gets temporary physical custody of the family dogs ... a miniature poodle and Australian shepherd.

We broke the story ... Chuck was arrested for domestic violence earlier this month after he allegedly got into a verbal argument that turned physical with his wife of a decade.

Heidi was also cited for putting hands on Chuck ... but she was not taken in because the UFC legend asked that she be allowed to stay with their kids, according to an incident report.

Chuck adamantly denied putting his hands on Heidi ... and claimed he was the real victim. Police noted Chuck had a minor injury after the incident, while Heidi was uninjured.

The L.A. District Attorney ultimately decided NOT to charge Chuck or Heidi with a crime.

Chuck filed for divorce shortly after the alleged incident.

Some of Charles Manson's remains are part of a couple's creepy tribute to the mass murderer ... they paid for his ashes to be used in their matching, portrait tattoos.

Patrick Boos, the Niagra Falls man who got inked up, tells TMZ ... his wife Deanne wanted to be the first woman with a tattoo featuring Manson's ashes, and he didn't want her to go it alone, so he got one too.

As you can see, the couple both got CM portraits ... Patrick's is on his thigh, and Deanne's is on her lower leg ... and the couple says the special ink set them back about $1,600 total.

Tattoo artist Ryan Almighty tells TMZ ... Manson's ashes are mixed in with the red ink and black outlining on the tatts.

As we've reported, Ryan says he copped ashes from CM's cremation ... and he used some last year to give Patrick at "Helter Skelter" face tatt. Ryan obtained the macabre remains from people who scooped up ashes when they were scattered at Manson's funeral.

Patrick says he's gotten mixed reviews about his 'Skelter' tattoo ... some people say it's cool, while others have gotten pissed off and made rude comments.

Despite the criticism, Patrick says he's thinking about getting another CM tatt with more ashes ... potentially one of the Manson women, like Leslie Van Houten.

Blueface's mom and stepdad say they were attacked in a violent home invasion at a place her son owns ... and it sounds like the alleged attackers were there to go after the rapper.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Blueface's mom, Karlissa Saffold, and her husband got into a physical altercation with 4 men who broke into the Santa Clarita home where they stay.

We're told the men shattered a back window around midnight, but were scared away for some reason, and Blueface's mom and stepdad called the cops, who took a report.

It's pretty scary ... we're told the suspects returned a few hours later and somehow got inside the house, and Blueface's stepdad heard something downstairs and went to investigate.

We're told the stepdad bumped into one of the suspects and they started fighting. Our sources say another intruder joined the altercation, pointing an object at the stepdad before striking him in the head with it.

We're told the stepdad suffered a concussion and injuries requiring 10 stitches near his left eye ... and his face was a bloody mess.

Our sources say the 4 suspects fled and Blueface's family called the police, who brought the stepdad to the hospital for treatment. He's since been released.

A second police report was filed and we're told the Santa Clarita County Sheriff's Office is investigating ... but there have been no arrests so far and nothing appears to have been taken from the home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one working theory is Blueface was the intended target ... but he wasn't home at the time, and doesn't live there.

Brian Laundrie's autopsy has been completed without answers, and now his bones will be shipped off to an anthropologist for further evaluation ... TMZ has learned.

Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, tells us the coroner just wrapped, and no matter or cause of death could be identified through his remains. Bertolino says the next step will be to send his bones to an anthropologist to be examined.

Bertolino tells us he's not sure why the anthropologist is getting involved, but online studies say the experts are brought into cases when bodies are too far along in the decomposition process to determine a cause of death using soft tissue.

As we reported, Laundrie's remains were first found off of a Florida trail Wednesday near his backpack and notebook. The FBI positively identified the bones found as Brian thanks to dental records.

Investigators say it appears Brian's body had been decomposing in the area for several weeks, and prior to their discovery, the remains had been in an area that was underwater.

Brian Laundrie was extremely upset when he left home for good about a month ago and his dad tried but failed to stop him ... so says the family's lawyer.

Steven Bertolino said on MSNBC Thursday Brian's father, Chris, tried to stop Laundrie from leaving the day he took off for the woods, but Brian was determined and there was nothing his dad could do.

The most interesting part of the conversation ... whether Laundrie's parents will reach out to the Petito family ... presumably to offer condolences and discuss what happened.

Bertolino hedged, saying certain conversations must happen first before there's any communication between the two families. He never amplified on the nature of those conversations, but he offered a hint ... that Bertolino needed first to have a discussion with the Petito family attorney.

This sounds like Bertolino is worried about a wrongful death lawsuit, which is definitely in the cards. The other fairly obvious concern ... whether cops have Brian's parents under a microscope to determine if they in any way helped him escape ... something Bertolino has dismissed as hogwash.

As we reported ... the remains found Wednesday at the Carlton Reserve -- a portion of a skull -- was positively ID'd as Laundrie's.

One thing that could be highly relevant in determining what happened to Gabby Petito -- the contents of Laundrie's backpack, which was found near the remains. The question ... did he leave a note detailing what happened to her.