Crime

Mackenzie Shirilla’s aunt tried to defend her niece in her murder case ... telling the judge Mackenzie was in "very much in love" with her boyfriend before the fatal car crash ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained court docs filed as part of Mackenzie’s appeal of her sentence. She made the case that prosecutors failed to prove she had a real motive to kill her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan.

Prosecutors used forensic evidence to show Mackenzie was driving a car that was going 100 mph and didn't apply the brakes before it slammed into a wall, killing Dominic and Davion, on July 31, 2022.

Matthew Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, is asking for some leniency at his upcoming sentencing ... telling the judge he could not "simply say no" when it came to feeding Perry's drug habit ... TMZ has learned.

In new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenneth, who is set to be scheduled on May 27, disagreed with prosecutors’ claim he could have told the "Friends" star “no” when he asked for ketamine.

As TMZ previously reported, Kenneth is facing years in prison for securing ketamine for Matthew and even injecting him with the drug on the day he died. Matthew died on October 28, 2023, from the acute effects of the drug.

Britney Spears had a complete meltdown when she was arrested for DUI ... and the superstar even made cops a very bizarre offer.

In CHP footage, obtained by TMZ ... Brit has some serious mood swings, going from combative and defiant ... to a full-on crying spiral.

At first, she tells the cops she won't get out of her car ... because she feels “invaded” and "harassed" by them -- and that "I haven't done anything wrong."

Mackenzie Shirilla is "literal hell on wheels" -- at least that's how the judge felt about her role in the fatal car crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan in 2022 -- but who is she, exactly?

Whether you've been following Mackenzie's case for years or are just now hearing the hype over Netflix's new documentary, "The Crash," we've rounded up everything you need to know.

Mackenzie was driving her then-boyfriend Dominic, and her friend Davion home around 5 AM on July 31, 2022 when she crashed her car into the brick wall of a building in Strongsville, Ohio.

Mackenzie Shirilla wanted to testify in her murder trial, and she planned to tell the jury she was the third victim in a car crash that killed her then-boyfriend and their pal ... at least that's what she told her mom in a phone call from jail.

In undated audio PEOPLE obtained from a jail conversation between Mackenzie and her mother, Natalie, the teenager questions her defense team's decision to keep her off the stand.

Mackenzie tells her mom ... "I was asking him if I could just testify to show them that like, I have nothing to hide, and he was like 'I don't know if that's a good idea at this point.'"

She goes on to say ... "If they see the truth, then they'll know that this was nothing but a car accident. They'll just see that there's a third victim, and it's me, and I lost the love of my life and a good friend, and now I have to deal with this grief the rest of my life."

Gabbie Gonzalez, her dad, and her boyfriend wanted proof Jack Avery was dead, prosecutors claim ... and allegedly asked for it in the form of his pinky finger.

The influencer accused of conspiracy to commit murder appeared in court for her arraignment Thursday ... where prosecutors laid out the grisly claim.

As you know ... Gabbie and her father Francisco were arrested earlier this week after cops say they tried to orchestrate the murder of Avery, with whom Gabbie was locked in a nasty custody dispute.

Mackenzie Shirilla can kiss her dreams of having kids goodbye ... at least that's what she told her mom from behind bars.

In undated audio PEOPLE obtained from a phone call -- recorded while she was held at the Cuyahoga County Jail -- with her mom, Natalie, you can hear Mackenzie complain about being locked up ... saying she's going to be too old to have children if she ever gets released.

She told her mom ... "I'm thinking about like how I'm just gonna be like old when I get out of jail and like, I don't know, like I'm not gonna be able to have kids or like a family and s*** like that."

WWE star Ludwig Kaiser landed in a heap of trouble ... after cops say he and his girlfriend couldn't keep their sex drives in check. 

Kaiser (real name Marcel Barthel) was arrested Wednesday for battery after he got physical with his neighbor inside a luxury building in Orlando, Florida, where the two men live, according to a police report obtained by TMZ.

The report says the incident popped off on the night of April 23, when the neighbor stepped inside an elevator along with Kaiser and the woman he was with. 

Newly resurfaced body cam footage shows the tense moments after the infamous crash involving Mackenzie Shirilla -- capturing police officers arriving at the scene and trying to piece together what happened.

The video begins with officers pulling up to the deadly crash site in Strongsville, Ohio ... where the heavily damaged vehicle is seen destroyed near a building.

Watch the clip ... officers quickly move toward the wreckage while surveying debris scattered across the area. As police secure the scene, officers can be heard communicating with dispatch and coordinating with other first responders arriving moments later.

Donald Trump is as corrupt as they come … according to 2 police officers who say they defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection -- who are now suing the Trump administration.

D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Daniel Hodges and ex-U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn are suing the Trump administration for creating a $1.8 billion “slush fund” to reward insurrectionists … on taxpayers’ dimes.

In the suit filed Wednesday, the two men say the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is the “most brazen act of presidential corruption this century."

Parents of a 1-day-old son who died have been charged with criminal homicide in connection with the infant's death.

Prosecutors say the newborn’s parents – Kevin Canaan and Yeniffer Tavarez-Cepeda – physically abused their son while still in the maternity ward of a Pennsylvania hospital, which resulted in the baby's death.

According to a press release, the West Reading Police Department was called to Tower Health Reading Hospital earlier this month for suspected child abuse, and learned Kevin and Yeniffer’s brand-new baby was found in medical distress in their private room.

The health turn apparently came out of nowhere … because prosecutors say the baby had been “seemingly healthy.” The newborn was rushed to Penn State Hershey Medical Center but later died from his injuries.

Kim Scott -- Eminem's ex-wife -- was overcome with emotion after officers slapped handcuffs on her ... breaking down in tears during her DUI arrest.

We've obtained a clip of the interaction between Scott and cops ... which begins with an officer asking Scott what happened -- and she explains she turned a corner and was blinded by the lights of a truck, leading her to crash into another vehicle.

As Kim's grabbing her license and registration, the officer asks her if she's had anything to drink ... and she admits she's imbibed -- but much earlier in the evening.

Sugar Ray Leonard's son left the boxing legend's home in a cop car for violating a restraining order, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us a 911 call was made by Leonard's security team early Wednesday morning ... when Daniel Ray Leonard, 25, allegedly tried to enter the residence in Los Angeles by turning exterior door handles.

We're told when officers arrived and met with security, Daniel was located by the pool house and was promptly arrested.

Gabbie Gonzalez's father, Francisco Gonzalez -- an injury attorney -- may face punishment by the Florida Bar Association ... which opened a disciplinary file after he was charged with conspiring to have singer Jack Avery murdered.

A spokesperson for the Florida Bar tells TMZ ... "We can confirm that a discipline file has been opened on this matter" -- this after Gonzalez was hit with the criminal charge in Los Angeles County.

This begins a process which could lead to potential discipline down the road, including possibly disbarment ... though it could also end without any punishment should the review board decide punishment is unnecessary.

Netflix viewers met a remorseful Mackenzie Shirilla in Netflix's "The Crash" ... but a former inmate says the real person -- behind bars -- is far different.

Mary Katherine Crowder -- who spent over six months locked up with Shirilla at the Ohio Reformatory for Women -- has been blowing up TikTok with claims that the convicted killer acted more like the "queen bee" of prison than someone haunted by the deadly 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend, Davion Flanagan.

Crowder told the NY Post that Mackenzie walked around prison like she was famous ... always glammed up and treating the facility "like a high school popularity contest."

Snoop Dogg's company is asking a judge to throw out the wrongful death lawsuit he's facing ... claiming his company is in no way responsible for the tragedy.

The rapper filed a motion asking for a summary judgment in the case filed by Drakeo the Ruler's brother against his company, Snoop Dogg's LLC ... even submitting a declaration claiming his company had no involvement in the 2021 Once Upon a Time in L.A. festival operations and can't be sued over the death that occurred there.

Snoop says his company never signed a lease or license agreement ... and doesn't hold any ownership or leasehold interest in Exposition Park where the stabbing took place.