Crime

Atlanta Falcons player James Pearce Jr. is dodging a trial in his Rickea Jackson case after agreeing to enter an intervention program.

Pearce -- who was hit with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police, and resisting arrest, as well as misdemeanor stalking, after a Feb. 7 domestic dispute -- will take part in the program for six months under strict guidelines.

As part of the agreement, Pearce will not be allowed to make contact with or be near the WNBA star ... and must take part in therapy sessions.

A California man was charged with murder Thursday in the stabbing death of a beloved Burbank 1st-grade teacher earlier this week.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is charging Sergio Fraire with murder, with a special circumstance of lying in wait, for allegedly attacking and killing Arti Varma in a Burbank, CA home early Monday morning.

Arti’s daughter -- identified by neighbors as 25-year-old mental health activist Meera Varma -- was also stabbed in the attack ... she was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

On top of the murder charge, Fraire has also been hit with one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of first-degree residential burglary.

2:15: PM PT -- Dave Merritt entered a not guilty plea in court on Thursday ... and he has since bonded out.

He's due back in court in June.

Former NFL player and current Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was arrested for domestic battery on Wednesday ... after reportedly causing bodily harm to "a daughter."

The 54-year-old was arrested around 9 PM in Overland Park ... and was booked into jail without bond, according to the Kansas City Star.

A complaint was filed with the Johnson County District Attorney's Office on Thursday ... claiming Merritt "unlawfully, knowingly, or recklessly" caused bodily harm to a daughter -- a domestic violence offense, the outlet reported.

Dylan Sprouse acted fast when he woke up to a trespasser at his and wife Barbara Palvin's Hollywood Hills property last week ... and new footage from the incident shows him holding what appears to be a gun while speaking to the alleged trespasser at the scene.

TMZ has obtained video of the Disney alum speaking in an animated fashion to the man garbed in all black outside his home Friday morning ... and you can see the alleged silver weapon at his side in his right hand. The person Dylan is addressing is wearing a black hoodie with white writing across the front, which matches what the suspect was wearing when he was arrested by cops.

Another man eventually enters the conversation ... he's in a black hoodie and gray sweats.

Celeste Rivas' family says they're "devastated" by newly released autopsy findings ... and confirm they won't attend an upcoming hearing for D4vd, who's charged with her murder.

The Rivas Hernandez family, through their attorney, tells TMZ ... they're suffering "profound emotional pain" after reviewing the report into their daughter's killing ... describing the details as "horrible and gruesome." They're now asking for privacy, understanding and patience as they process the tragedy.

The family also says Celeste's parents, Jesus and Mercedes, will not attend D4vd's hearing scheduled for Thursday.

We broke the story ... the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had actually determined Celeste's cause and manner of death months ago -- back on December 9 -- but the findings were kept under wraps due to a court-ordered security hold requested by LAPD during the investigation.

Now that the info is public, L.A. County M.E. Dr. Odey Ukpo is speaking out ... saying it's "unfathomable" the grieving family had to wait so long for answers.

Ukpo emphasized transparency is critical not just for accountability, but to help communities understand and prevent future tragedies.

The M.E.'s report ultimately ruled Celeste's death a homicide caused by multiple penetrating injuries from unspecified object(s).

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is speaking out about being muzzled for months in the Celeste Rivas murder case, TMZ has learned.

The M.E. says Celeste's cause and manner of death was determined way back on Dec. 9 but the information was only made public on Wednesday because there was a prior court order initiated by the LAPD that had been preventing them from releasing their findings.

In a statement, Dr. Odey Ukpo, says ... "After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss. It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter."

"The transparency of the information contained in our findings and reports is essential for empowering the community to make informed changes to affectively reduce fear and allowing the community to take informed action," he added. "Making the Department’s information publicly available is not just about accountability, it is about social justice and prevention."

Prosecutors say Jonathan Rinderknecht -- the man who allegedly started the horrific Pacific Palisades Fire -- shouldn't be allowed to introduce evidence and argue about the Los Angeles Fire Department's response to the wildfires to get himself out of trouble.

Here's the deal ... prosecutors say Rinderknecht's attorneys are trying to bring up alleged incidents of the department's supposed ineptitude to protect their client and reframe the case around the response to the January 2025 fire to distract from his alleged role in starting it.

One example Rinderknecht is arguing is that one member of the fire department apparently wasn't alarmed by seeing smoke. But prosecutors say brush fires commonly smolder after firefighters put them out ... something they say this particular firefighter knew, and explains the lack of concern.

Prosecutors list a series of examples they say are just like this ... insisting Rinderknecht's attorneys are grasping at straws and attempting to "transform his trial into a misguided and much lengthier trial about the LAFD."

"Unexpected" star Bella Vaughn's mom Falen has broken her silence after being arrested this week in Arkansas ... and it sounds like she's ready to fight the charges.

Kevin Hickey, Falen's lawyer, tells TMZ ... his client denies any wrongdoing ... and she plans to plead not guilty when she is scheduled to appear in court.

As we reported, FV was arrested on Monday for disorderly conduct and disrupting governmental operations. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Celeste Rivas' cause of death has just been revealed ... and the medical examiner in Los Angeles says she was killed by multiple penetrating injuries with unspecified objects, and her death was ruled a homicide.

The M.E. says there are "2 penetrating wounds of the torso with smooth edges that may represent sharp force injuries. The wound -- [3/4 inch length and 1.5 inches deep] -- on the upper abdomen penetrates the liver, and the wound on the left chest -- [9/16 inch length and 2 inches deep] penetrates one of the left intercostal spaces, with disruption of the adjacent ribs' cortical surfaces."

It's interesting that the M.E. uses the word "may," which is something the defense will jump on.

It should also be noted that the M.E. says there were "multiple superficial linear abrasions on the right dorsal hand." It does not say whether or not these could be defensive wounds.

The M.E. also says that her left ring and pinky fingers were amputated, but the body diagram shows that her right pointer finger with the "Shhh" tattoo was intact.

Madonna’s been sounding the alarm over her missing wardrobe -- and TMZ’s now got the full list of what went missing ... including a lavender corset worth around $25K that she rocked during her epic performance with Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella last weekend.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the items -- originally reported missing by Madonna’s tour manager, Lindsey -- also include lavender gloves, purple trunks, thigh-highs, a slit-and-teddy combo, and a purple leather jacket.

That’s not all. A pink sequin jacket, pink gloves, pink thigh-highs, plus a Moschino corset were also reported missing -- with most of the pieces said to be archival.

A former beauty queen from Mexico was found shot to death in her apartment ... and, according to local reports, authorities are looking into two of her family members.

Carolina Flores Gomez was found with a gunshot wound to her head Wednesday, April 15, according to Reporte Indigo.

Authorities told the outlet they believed Gomez was killed Wednesday.

Prosecutors trying "American Idol" alum Caleb Flynn for murder say they expect to put his daughters on the witness stand to ask them about the night their father allegedly shot their mother to death inside their home.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors in Ohio say they anticipate multiple children testifying in Caleb's upcoming murder trial. We've also seen the witness list, and there are some redacted names.

As we previously reported, Caleb's two daughters were home the night their mother was murdered ... and prosecutors say Caleb pulled the trigger while his kids were in the other room.

D4vd is living a far different life than he was a week ago ... trading his $15,000 a month L.A. rental for a cold jail cell with strict rules.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the musician, charged with murdering Celeste Rivas, is being held in a segregated single cell. 

D4vd is escorted from his cell to the shower, which he is allowed every other day. The singer is only allowed to make phone calls on the days he is allowed a shower.

Sources tell TMZ that D4vd is allowed recreation time with fresh air, but only 3 hours per week. He has no contact with other inmates during rec time. 

Crocodile hunters may be all the rage Down Under ... but alligator hunters are born and bred in Florida -- with the state's cops being some of the best around.

The West Palm Beach Police Department shared a video Tuesday of an officer tangling with a reptile in a parking lot ... kicking off with the cop holding tightly onto the animal's snout -- before losing his grip.

Watch the clip ... faced with the sinister grin of his foe, the officer lifts up under its chin and tries again. When the alligator again slips away, he smacks it on the head a couple times to get it to look up ... before he and a partner are able to slap some tape around its jaws to muzzle it.

In the caption, the West Palm Beach Police Department joked officers need to be “ready for anything, even when it has scales and a serious attitude.”

The Houston Police Department is investigating an officer who is going viral after apparently using a series of racial slurs in a shocking social media video.

Officer Ashley Gonzalez has been relieved of duty pending the results of an investigation, according to Click2Houston.com ... with HPD saying they are looking into a video where a woman, who is reportedly Gonzalez, is telling a story about her wallet almost being snatched.

In the video, the woman says the guy who tried to take her wallet was Black ... and she called him the n-word after she says she caught him.

A young PBS employee’s life was cut short in a brutal shooting -- and cops say the man behind it was someone she once loved and trusted.

Ivy Unruh -- a 25-year-old engineer for PBS Kansas and a U.S. Marine veteran -- was gunned down outside her Wichita apartment early Friday morning ... allegedly by her estranged husband.

Police say Unruh was shot in the upper body around 8 AM and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She fought for days, but ultimately died Monday from her injuries.

29-year-old Joshua Orlando -- identified as her estranged husband -- called 911 to report the shooting himself, according to the Wichita Police Department. When officers arrived, they arrested him at the scene and recovered a firearm.