Crime

Diddy's defense is back on the mic at his sentencing hearing, and they're claiming he almost got attacked with a makeshift knife inside the Brooklyn jail where he's been detained since his arrest.

Defense lawyer Brian Steel just said Diddy's got a target on his back at MDC Brooklyn, because there are certain people who would gain prestige if they harm him. He then claimed a guard at the jail stopped a man with a shank.

Diddy's been held at the detention center since he got busted in September 2024, and he lives in a room with 24 other men ... surrounded by drug use and violence. Steel said Diddy hasn't slept more than 2 hours in a row since being incarcerated, and only eats bags of chips.

5:27 PM PT -- A rep for CoolKicks tells TMZ ... "Yesterday, the LAPD impounded a small allotment of Nike sneakers that Coolkicks purchased and received within the last 48 hours, alleging that the merchandise was stolen. This news came as a complete shock to our entire team. Neither Coolkicks leadership, nor our staff, had any knowledge or reason to believe that these products were stolen. We entered into this purchase in good faith, as we always have, committed to running an honest business built on integrity and trust."

The statement continued ... "It is important to clarify: there have been no allegations whatsoever from law enforcement that any of the products were counterfeit. Coolkicks takes pride in serving our loyal community with authentic, high-quality products and service; it is at the heart of our culture. We want to reassure our community that the integrity of our products remains our highest priority. We are confident the truth will come out, and the trust we have worked so hard to earn will remain strong. We deeply regret the concern and inconvenience this situation may have caused. Coolkicks has always stood for honest business, and that commitment will never change."

The owner of CoolKicks LA -- the celeb-loved sneaker shop -- was arrested on a felony charge after he was caught up in an LAPD raid that was allegedly captured on a livestream.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... Adeel Shams, 33, was arrested around 4:45 PM on Thursday in Santa Monica and was booked on a felony charge of "Receiving Known Stolen Property over $950.00."

Shams is scheduled to appear at Los Angeles Superior Court on October 23. No further information was provided at this time.

Actor-singer Tyrese Gibson was booked early Friday morning on a Cruelty to Animals charge in Atlanta ... days after news broke at least one of his Cane Corso mastiffs had fatally mauled a neighbor's dog last month.

According to Fulton County, Georgia records, Tyrese was booked at 5:59 AM local time ... he posted a $20,000 bond and was released.

As we reported, at least one of the singer's dogs killed a 5-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Henry in the little dog's own yard.

Megachurch pastor Robert Morris won't be preaching to the choir anytime soon ... because he pled guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child Thursday.

Morris entered his plea in Oklahoma's Osage County District Court, and he was given a 10-year prison sentence -- but he's only gonna have to serve six months, according to NBC News. He'll also have to register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement.

FYI ... Morris founded Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas in 2000. The church's congregation grew into the tens of thousands, and he later became associated with President Donald Trump.

Diddy's defense team is giving way to his family ... and Diddy's six adult children are up in front of the court, explaining why their father deserves his freedom.

First up was Quincy Brown, who claimed Diddy was "completely transformed" and would never do anything again to jeopardize his freedom.

Justin Combs was next, and he said his father is his "superhero" who taught him to believe in God. He asked the judge to give Diddy a second chance.

Diddy's family is showing up to see the conclusion of the federal case against him ... appearing somber as they headed into a NYC courthouse to hear his sentence firsthand.

The rapper's mother, Janice, arrived at court first ... looking angelic in an all-white power suit -- and she gave a little wave to the assembled crowd of reporters and well-wishers.

Christian Combs and his girlfriend, Raven Tracy, strode in together ... before Quincy Brown, Jessie Combs, D'Lila Combs and Chance Combs walked up as a long human chain -- hands clasped tightly together.

On October 3, 1995, the jury in O.J. Simpson's murder trial walked into the courtroom in Downtown Los Angeles and announced they'd found the former football standout not guilty.

Thirty years later, the evidence in the case, the spectacle of it and the controversial verdict are still ingrained in the public consciousness ... and, we've got all the photos of the trial for you to review each and every moment.

O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson were married from 1985 to 1992 ... two years later, Nicole and the man she was dating, Ron Goldman, were brutally murdered outside her condo in Brentwood in L.A., by a suspect with a knife.

Christa Pike's murder of Colleen Slemmer back in the 1990s shocked citizens of Tennessee, where Pike has remained on death row ever since she was convicted of the Slemmer's killing.

Pike won't be on death row for much longer -- because she was just given a date for her execution.

We're going to take a look into the murderer's background and see what's happened in the years since she committed her heinous crime.

Christa apparently experienced a difficult upbringing, which allegedly included instances of both physical and sexual abuse, according to USA Today.

The convicted murderer later described herself as "mentally ill," especially around the time of the killing, in a letter to The Tennessean.

Christa's attorneys later said she'd been diagnosed with "bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders," although the conditions weren't discovered until after she'd been convicted of murdering Slemmer.

Her attorneys, who also said she'd been subject to neglect as a child, claimed she'd later developed "deep remorse" for her actions.

Christa, who was just 18 years old at the time of the crime, initially met Slemmer through their participation in the Knoxville Job Corps, and she eventually became fearful of Slemmer trying to steal her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp.

Slemmer was murdered on January 12, 1995, when Christa, Shipp, and their friend Shadolla Peterson lured her into a wooded area near the Corps center and began attacking her, killing her. Christa carved pentagrams into her victim's forehead and chest in the attack.

The murderer also kept a fragment of her victim's skull, and she showed it off to fellow students.

She was eventually arrested, and she was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1996. Tadaryl Shipp was also convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison ... while Peterson, who apparently served as a lookout, received probation after testifying against Christa.

Christa's legal team has made several appeals, and they've argued she would not receive the same sentence if she were tried today, according to CBS News.

Her attorneys' filings have apparently noted evidence of their client's various issues -- including PTSD and congenital brain damage -- wasn't included at her trial.

However, Christa -- who's currently the only female inmate on death row in Tennessee -- has since been given an execution date of September 30, 2026.

The state of Tennessee has officially set a date for Christa Pike's execution -- and if it goes through, she'll become the first woman executed in the state in more than 200 years.

The state's Supreme Court has scheduled the execution for September 30, 2026, USA Today reports.

Pike killed Colleen Slemmer, whom she'd originally met through a career-training program, after she began suspecting Colleen would try and steal her boyfriend.

Pike, as well as her boyfriend and another friend, lured Colleen into a wooded area near the Knoxville Job Corps center, where the victim was attacked and eventually killed. Pike reportedly bragged about the incident, during which she carved pentagrams into Colleen's forehead and chest.

Pike and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, were both convicted of first-degree murder, while her friend, Shadolla Peterson, testified against her and ended up sentenced to probation. Shipp was sentenced to life in prison ... he's set to become eligible for parole next month.

Pike has since accepted responsibility for her actions, and her attorneys have claimed her troubled upbringing -- which allegedly included physical and sexual abuse -- would have earned her a life sentence had she been tried today.

Pike's attorneys also cited the Death Penalty Information Center ... only three women have ever been executed in the state of Tennessee, the most recent in 1819.

At least two people were killed outside a Manchester, UK synagogue in a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack ... carried out on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Authorities say the Thursday morning attack has left several others injured, including three in serious condition.

Police say the suspected attacker was shot by police officers and is believed to be dead -- his condition has not been confirmed due to "suspicious items on his person."

A bomb squad was also dispatched to the scene.

The 911 audio of the Iryna Zarutska fatal stabbing aboard a North Carolina train captures the sheer horror right after the unprovoked attack ... with callers seemingly resigned to the fact she was already dead.

TMZ obtained the audio recording of multiple witnesses making emergency calls from a Charlotte train station in August shortly after Iryna was stabbed.

The assault was captured on video and released to the media, sparking national rage over the senseless act and Iryna's tragic death.

Gay porn star Austin Wolf is facing some stiff restrictions after he serves his prison sentence for child sexual exploitation ... and one of his limitations is a real kick in the balls!

Wolf won't be allowed to watch any adult smut films and, of course, kiddie porn after completing his 19-year term behind bars, according to new court docs. The feds have also slapped Wolf with a bunch of other very strict conditions that's sure to have him twiddling his thumbs when he finally gains his freedom back.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Wolf will be placed on supervised release for a decade once he's out and that's when the feds will really put the screws to him.

Wolf will have to take part in an outpatient program that includes regular testing to ensure he hasn't fallen back into drugs or booze. He's also required to undergo a sex offense-specific evaluation and mental health treatment with polygraph tests tossed in to keep him in check.

A scorned husband isn’t denying a thing -- admitting he set fire to a Virginia lawmaker, accusing him of an affair with his wife, Mary Alice ... even though she’d already filed for divorce weeks before the attack.

Yup, we finally got the why behind Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes' alleged actions -- laid out by a Danville PD investigator during Tuesday’s prelim hearing, months after his July arrest.

Shotsie flat-out told cops he bought gas to kill Danville City Council member Lee Vogler -- then used a lighter to spark the blaze.

Police body cam shows officers swarming D4vd’s Texas family home -- just days after Celeste Rivas' body was discovered in his Tesla -- responding to a report of gunfire.

The footage shows cops walking up to D4vd’s Hempstead home with guns drawn on September 18 ... after a 911 caller claimed they heard gunshots outside the home, a woman screaming and someone dead.

When officers knocked, it was the singer's parents who answered, looking stunned and very confused.

A California teenager who once dated Celeste Rivas back in middle school is speaking out ... saying she had a troubled home life before running away -- and her mom treated her badly.

In an exclusive interview with TMZ ... 15-year-old Damien Hernandez and his mother, Jamie, told us about his relationship with Celeste at a Lake Elsinore middle school  ... Celeste was in the 7th grade, and Damien was in 8th grade.

Damien says he met Celeste when she was looking for something serious, describing her as "kind." He says her troubled home life made her unhappy, noting that her mom did not treat her well.

Federal prosecutors are full steam ahead to lock up Diddy ... asking a judge to sentence him to more than 11 years in prison following his conviction on prostitution-related charges.

In a new court filing -- obtained by TMZ -- prosecutors say they want "at least 135 months' imprisonment" for Diddy, along with a $500k fine.

Judge Arun Subramanian is set to hand down Diddy's sentence on Friday in NYC.