Crime

The prosecutor in Jussie Smollett's case raised a lot of eyebrows during his closing argument, by using the phrase "monkeyed around" while referring to the famous defendant.

Prosecutor Dan Webb was trying to make a point that Jussie kept a noose around his neck for a long, long time until police showed up at his apartment. He told the jury Jussie "monkeyed around" with the rope.

The phrase led to groans from Jussie's family ... with several of them shaking their heads in disgust. The jury heard and saw all of this play out ... and it certainly didn't score points for the prosecution that tried to prove the alleged racial attack on Jussie was fake.

This isn't the first time the prosecutor got schooled for a racial misstep. Just 2 days ago Jussie called him out in court for reading some of his texts and using the full n-word. The prosecutor actually backed down and had Jussie read the texts.

Flavor Flav's domestic violence incident from October is all wrapped up and dealt with in the eyes of the law -- he copped a plea to a lesser charge, and is happy to close the book.

The rapper's misdemeanor domestic battery charge was dropped, and Flav pled no contest to one count of coercion. He was fined $640. He will not serve any jail time.

His attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, tell TMZ, "Today the domestic violence charge against Mr. William Drayton (Flavor Flav) was dismissed. Mr. Drayton acknowledged the nonviolent act of grabbing a phone during the incident in question, a misdemeanor, and the case was closed by the court."

They add, "Mr. Drayton and his family are grateful to bring an amicable close to this matter and appreciate everyone's support as he continues his one-year journey of sobriety."

As we reported ... Flav was arrested in October after out in Nevada, this after cops got a call about a domestic incident at his home.

Scott Peterson, the man who was convicted of killing his pregnant wife Laci Peterson and their unborn child in 2002, has just been resentenced to life in prison... TMZ has learned.

As we previously reported, Peterson's death sentence was thrown out last year, after the state Supreme Court determined that jurors who personally disagreed with the death penalty were dismissed. The case was sent down for resentencing.

He was originally convicted and spent more than 15 years on death row in California.

As you may know, Peterson killed 27-year-old wife and their unborn son Conner, when Laci was 8 months pregnant on Christmas Eve, 2002.

Jussie Smollett was clearly good pals with the Osundairo brothers -- or at least one of them, as evidenced by these photos showing them hanging out several times in the months before the alleged attack.

TMZ got a hold of photos showing Jussie and one of the O bros in friendly settings on at least 3 separate occasions -- all before Jan. 29, 2019, when JS claims he was attacked by Ola and Abel (Bola) Osundairo.

One pic shows Jussie with Bola mere days before the incident -- they were together, with a third guy, at the Electric Hotel in Chicago on Jan. 19, 2019 ... and everyone looked chummy.

Another shot shows Bola and Jussie yet again, this time on Sept. 28, 2018, when they hit up LiqrBox. They also recorded a video together while in the Chicago hotspot.

There's yet another photo of Jussie and Bola from July 2018 at Joy District Chicago.

Interestingly, Bola's brother, Ola, isn't in any of the pics. Jussie testified this week Ola weirded him out as he got to know both of them.

Of course, Jussie also testified he and Bola had gotten intimate at a bathhouse, and even made out a few times. Bola denied he'd ever been in a relationship with Jussie.

Ultimately, the jury will have to decide who to believe -- the brothers or Jussie -- when it comes to almost every aspect of their interactions. If they buy Jussie's version more than the Osundairos, he's got a good shot at acquittal.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas -- a very smoky one -- after someone torched the tree outside the FOX News building ... and cops already have a suspect in custody.

NYPD arrested a homeless man they believe acted alone in setting the 50-foot tree ablaze early Wednesday morning. No one was injured, and FDNY put out the fire pretty quickly, still ... we're told smoke filled the office building.

The tree had been decorated with 10,000 ornaments, and its 100,000 lights were just turned on Sunday during an on-air lighting ceremony.

The flames damaged three other nearby trees decorated with Christmas lights ... but luckily, there were no injuries reported.

Crews are already taking down what's left of the burned-out tree, and FOX has plans to install and decorate a new one ASAP.

Not today, Grinch ... not today!!!

The crime spree unfolding in L.A. has got celebs acting skittish, so much so that there's a big boom in security hiring ... which might sound great for them, but isn't a good sign big picture.

TMZ spoke with two different high-profile security companies that offer services for famous folks and other VIP types -- and they both tell us the same thing ... their business is on the upswing, and it seems to be aligned with what's going on in the City of Angels.

Alfredo Moosa and AJ Moosa of 2 Deep Executive Protection -- which has worked for people like French Montana, Maria, A1 Bentley and more --  tell us they're getting booked left and right these days, especially in L.A. ... where they say they're most in demand.

Take the Tank Davis fight in town this past weekend -- the Moosa's say there alone they had 8 different clients with their guards on hand, who are being hired for way longer shifts than anything they've done in the past (17+ hours) ... emblematic of what they say is happening generally. In the past year ... they tell us they've hired 15-16 new guards.

The Moosa's also say they've seen a lot of their clients lately ditch jewelry and other bling they may normally wear -- which they think has to do with the fact people are getting jacked in brazen attacks of late. 2 Deep is also doing a lot more house calls at the moment -- we're told now, they're being asked to stick around and patrol Airbnbs their clients might stay in ... whether they're actually there or not, a shift from what they're usually asked to do.

There's also Kings Protection -- having been hired by the likes of Quavo, Lil Pump, LeBron James, etc. -- whose CEO, Jack, tells us they too are getting a spike in bookings, and everything else that comes with their offerings.

Jack says they've seen an increase in day-to-day security needs, including clients being out and about in a nightlife setting ... or even just home patrols, something they specialize in. Kings have had to hire 200 more guards this year due to the phone constantly ringing.

Armie Hammer's alleged rape investigation has wrapped up and law enforcement is sending its findings to the D.A. ... but we're told the actor isn't likely to face any charges.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the LAPD is forwarding the case to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office now that it's completed its probe, which launched way back in March.

We're told the case isn't strong, and will probably not result in any charges being filed against Armie. It's unclear if the reason behind that is a lack of credibility of potential witnesses or a lack of particular evidence backing up the claims. In any case ... the D.A.'s office will have final say over the matter.

As we reported ... Armie was accused of raping a woman named Effie, who filed a police report.

Effie went public with her accusations via press conference, alongside attorney Gloria Allred. The alleged rape occurred in 2017 -- and Effie claims it lasted for over 4 hours in what she characterized as a violent incident.

Armie has denied the allegations, saying Effie was sending him dirty texts as recently as 2020 ... which he says undermines her story. Effie's claims surfaced amid a larger scandal Armie was embroiled in -- where some of his sexual exploits were even painted as cannibalistic.

Some women have claimed Armie took things too far, to the point they felt violated and/or assaulted. He's vehemently denied all of their accounts, saying all sexual encounters he's had were fully consensual.

Jussie Smollett interrupted his own courtroom grilling to make an interesting request -- that the prosecutor does not use the n-word in full ... because he found it offensive.

The "Empire" actor stopped prosecutor Dan Webb -- who's white -- during his line of questioning during cross-examination Tuesday, and flat-out asked the guy to stop repeating the slur while quoting messages Jussie had sent to the Osundairo brothers on the day of the alleged attack.

Jussie said in court, "Can you spell or say the n-word out of respect for every African American in this room? You've been saying that word a lot."

Webb made a compromise ... asking that Jussie read the messages himself, which he apparently did. One of the messages Jussie read himself was from Abimbola, which said ... "N**** finally made it just landed haha."

After cross, Jussie stepped down ... and the defense rested its case. Closing arguments are expected to begin tomorrow.

The Univ. of Michigan football team is honoring the Oxford H.S. shooting victims in yet another way ... this time it's auctioning off its tribute jersey patches and donating all of the proceeds to the affected community.

The Wolverines wore the special jersey logos last Saturday during their Big Ten title game against Iowa ... and they were heartwarming.

The patches featured 4 blue stars to represent the 4 victims of the tragedy ... and they also featured the jersey number and the initials of Tate Myre -- the football player who heroically tried to disarm the gunman on Nov. 30.

School officials say the patches are now on sale for $5 each ... adding that 100 percent of every penny made will go toward helping the Oxford victims.

Of course, the Univ. of Michigan has already been active in showing its support for Oxford -- which is just about one hour north of the university.

In addition to the gameday patches, the team also invited Myre's family for the coin toss at the Big Ten championship game.

Several other sports teams have paid tribute to the Oxford victims as well -- the Detroit Pistons wore Oxford Wildcat T-shirts during warmups on Monday and also had a moment of silence.

The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, dedicated a game ball to the Oxford victims after they beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday ... with head coach Dan Campbell saying those who died are "in our hearts and in our prayers."

Kyle Rittenhouse says he's no longer a fan of LeBron James ... saying the Lakers star's shade toward him during his trial "really" ticked him off.

"I liked LeBron," the Kenosha shooter said Monday on The BlazeTV's "You Are Here" show. "And, then I'm like, 'You know what, f*** you, LeBron.'"

If you missed it ... LBJ mocked Rittenhouse after the 18-year-old gave an emotional testimony on the stand during his homicide trial last month.

Rittenhouse fought back tears while explaining how the Aug. 25, 2020 shootings in Wisconsin unfolded ... and then he got so choked up, the judge actually paused the court proceedings for several minutes.

LeBron, though, didn't believe Rittenhouse was actually remorseful or even crying at all ... writing in a social media post, "What tears????? I didn't see one."

"Man knock it off!" James continued. "That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court."

LeBron added several crying emojis to the post as well.

When Rittenhouse finally spoke publicly about James' comments -- he made it clear, he now despises the NBA superstar over it all.

"I was a Lakers fan too before he said that," Rittenhouse said. "I was really pissed off that he said that."

Jacqueline Avant's family believes she was awake at home when an intruder shot and killed her, as Clarence was nearby in the couple's bedroom ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the situation tell us Clarence was asleep during the break-in last week at their Trousdale Estates home, but his wife was already up just after 2 AM -- as she typically is -- in another room.

We're told she and the suspect unexpectedly came face-to-face ... the family believes they startled each other and that's when he opened fire.

Our sources tell us security was patrolling the front of the house and the suspect appears to have entered from the side yard.

We're told a guard heard a gunshot from inside, raced over and then the suspect fired at him too ... before fleeing the scene.

As we reported ... cops took a man named Aariel Maynor into custody about an hour after the crime, and say he's the guy responsible for killing Jacqueline. They allege he was attempting yet another burglary in the Hollywood Hills, where he apparently shot himself in the foot.

The police say he's the sole perpetrator in the Avant killing, and they also say he used an AR-15 style weapon.

Maynor has since been charged with murder, attempted murder, felony with a firearm as well as 2 counts of residential burglary with a person present ... all in connection to the Avant shooting. We're told he's scheduled to have surgery on his foot Wednesday, so he won't be arraigned until after that.

Paul "PK" Kemsley, husband of 'RHOBH's Dorit, is dealing with the law again -- this time on the wrong side -- he was busted for DUI, just weeks after burglars invaded their home ... TMZ has learned.

According to the California Highway Patrol ... officers stopped Kemsley in the early hours of Nov 23, after they saw his grey Bentley weaving in traffic on L.A.'s 101 freeway.

PK, who was driving alone, was arrested and the officers say he was cooperative during the stop. We're told he agreed to submit to a breathalyzer test once they got him back to the station.

The last month has been a rough one for Dorit and PK -- in late October, while Paul was out of town, 3 masked men broke into their home. Dorit was home and came face-to-face with the suspects.

The men made off with more than $100k worth of their stuff, including jewelry and expensive purses.

Dorit's called the home invasion a terrifying incident ... during which she begged the suspects not to kill her.

Getting arrested is never a good thing, but PK's timing is particularly awful ... all things considered. We're told he was cited for DUI, and later released on his own recognizance.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the lead armorer on the set of "Rust" has one weapons specialist and Hollywood veteran on her side -- it's her dad, who is backing his daughter's training and claiming she was sabotaged.

Thell Reed, whose career in movies spans several decades says Hannah was raised around guns, and learned gun safety from an early age. Reed says his daughter complained she had to carry both armorer and prop duties on the movie, and it was because she was doing prop duties that she was unable to be inside the church set when Halyna Hutchins was killed.

Thell told "Good Morning America" Tuesday he believes if Hannah was inside the church during the fatal scene, she would've checked the gun's chamber one more time and discovered the live round, potentially saving Hutchins' life.

What's more, Thell echoes the same message Hannah's attorneys have previously claimed ... believing Hannah was somehow sabotaged on set with the live ammo. Though, he doesn't really get into how or why that might've happened.

Of course, it was just last week when Alec Baldwin claimed he never pulled the trigger on the revolver that killed Hutchins. Alec claims he cocked the hammer back and when he released it, the gun went off.

Jussie Smollett just took the stand in his own defense, talking about his career and his sexual encounters with one of the men he says is responsible for attacking him.

Smollett was called as a witness for the defense Monday, and opened up about his family, the loss of his dad and finding success on "Empire." Jussie claimed to have made $25K-$35K per episode on the first season of the FOX show.

Jussie also got into how he met Abel, saying the two met at a gay club one night and went to a Chicago bathhouse where they did drugs, including cocaine and marijuana. During another visit to the bathhouse, Jussie says they made out and masturbated together.

We had Fox News correspondent Matt Finn on TMZ Live who was inside the courtroom when Jussie took the stand, and gave us a better idea of the actor's mood.

This is the second week of the trial, last week saw testimony from the Osundairo brothers, who Jussie says attacked him. Of course, the Osundairo brothers have maintained Jussie was in on the whole thing, and staged the attack with them for publicity.

Last week, Ola Osundairo fought back against previous claims Jussie had made calling him homophobic. He presented the court with a photo of himself dressed as a Trojan warrior and handing out condoms at a gay pride parade to show he was friendly with the gay community.

In describing the planning of the attack, the brothers testified Smollett originally wanted them to punch him, put a noose around his neck and pour gasoline on him. However, the gasoline was changed to bleach because the brothers felt gasoline could be too dangerous.

Lil Wayne allegedly pulled an assault rifle on one of his own bodyguards during a dispute at his home, and now police are looking into the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the rapper's guards told cops he and Wayne got into a fight at Weezy's Hidden Hills, CA home, and cops say they were told the altercation escalated to physical violence and a brandished firearm.

We're told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that's when Wayne dramatically escalated things.

We've spoken with a source close to Wayne who strongly denies the incident even happened ... and tell us Wayne doesn't even have a gun.

That's not however, what the guard told cops ... our sources say the guard claimed Lil Wayne pulled out an AR-15 ... and that's when the guard booked it out of the house to the gated community's guard shack, where he called police.

We're told cops went to Weezy's place to get his side of the story, but he was already gone. The guard told police the fight started with Wayne accusing him of taking photos and leaking them to the media.

Other law enforcement sources involved in the case tell TMZ ... cops have issues with the guard's story, and they say he did not have any marks on his body or injuries from the alleged physical confrontation.

We're told the guard also does not want to press charges against Wayne -- and while police have doubts about some of the allegations, they will nevertheless investigate.

The brother of 'Bachelor' Nation standout Ivan Hall -- who also made an appearance on Tayshia Adams' season of "The Bachelorette" -- has been charged with murder.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Gabriel Hall was arrested in October for the murder of Carlos Veliz Jr. in Abilene, Texas. Cops say Hall and Veliz were involved in some sort of verbal argument around 1:30 AM on August 31 ... and it ended with Gabriel shooting Veliz in the head, killing him.

Cops say they connected Hall to the crime with the help of surveillance footage in the area that linked a car he was renting to the scene. They also say they found a spent shell casing in the vehicle as well as evidence of gunshot residue on Hall's hands and clothing.

Ivan finished third as a contestant on Tayshia's season, and his relationship with Gabriel was a plot point on the show. During one episode, Gabriel surprised both Tayshia and Ivan when he joined them on the hometown date episode.

Ivan had previously shared with Tayshia that he helps raise Gabriel's 6-year-old daughter because Gabriel was regularly in trouble with the law.

Hall has been charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of methamphetamines and a slew of other counts.