Crime

12:22 PM PT -- Chris Cuomo joined us on "TMZ Live" today to talk about Luigi Mangione's newest defense.

Luigi Mangione wants to mount a seldom-used defense in his murder trial -- Extreme Emotional Disturbance -- and if the jury buys it, Mangione could become a free man one day.

Mangione appeared in court Wednesday with his lawyers, who informed the judge he will use the defense when he goes on trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

What's fascinating ... the defense would allow Mangione and his lawyers to effectively put UnitedHealthCare on trial, showing the company's conduct in denying claims was so egregious it upset Mangione to the point of meltdown. As TMZ has extensively reported, Mangione was extremely upset with the way corporate greed controlled the United States.

Jonathon Cooper's attorney went scorched earth on prosecutors for dropping charges against the Broncos star's girlfriend ... claiming it all comes down to racism.

Cooper and his girlfriend, Jade Fiegen, were arrested earlier this month after an altercation over cell phones and alleged cheating ... and both were booked for criminal mischief and domestic violence.

A judge dismissed the charges against Fiegen on Tuesday ... while Cooper is facing more after being arrested again last week for violating a protective order stemming from the initial incident.

Rapper Mystikal was just sentenced to 20 years behind bars ... after pleading guilty to raping a woman.

The victim in the case described how the musician -- born Michael Lawrence Tyler -- brutally sexually assaulted her in his Louisiana home in 2022 ... and she asked the judge to levy the maximum sentence, according to WBRZ.

As we reported ... the rapper was originally arrested back in 2022 ... and entered a guilty plea to third-degree rape in a Louisiana courtroom last month, under a deal with prosecutors.

After the victim told the court Mystikal choked her, punched her and forcibly raped her, he stood up and said ... "If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence."

A 19-year-old Ohio man arrested for the alleged terror plot against UFC Freedom 250 has been identified ... and authorities say he called out his alleged co-conspirators during an interview with them.

Tycen Proper was collared by federal agents from the Cincinnati division last week ... then snapped a vacant stare mugshot, WXIX reported.

In the federal criminal complaint against Proper, feds say local police received a call on June 10 from Proper's mother expressing concern about her son's actions.

Kendra Duggar is making a major real estate move as husband Joseph Duggar gears up for trial in his child molestation case ... listing the family's Arkansas home for sale amid their growing legal troubles.

The couple's home is in Siloam Springs ... it's 1,738 square feet with three bedrooms and is on the market for $407,900 ... according to real estate records. The estate sits on 1.14 acres.

The listing comes months after Joseph and Kendra discussed unloading the home during a jail phone call.

At the time, the pair weighed whether it made more sense to sell the property or keep it as a rental source of income if Joseph were to serve prison time.

Diddy might be trading a federal prison for a recording studio sooner than expected ... because the music mogul's projected prison release date has been moved up.

The music producer and rapper is now scheduled to be released from federal lockup on February 23, 2028 ... according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.

This is an improvement for Diddy ... his previous prison release date was reportedly in April 2028 ... which had been moved up from June 2028.

Jeffrey Epstein fashioned multiple nooses in jail -- after asking how to make one -- before taking his own life while imprisoned at New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center.

This new information surrounding the late, disgraced financier comes from a new report by The New York Times ... which spoke to over 40 inmates, jail employees, federal officials, and more officers associated with Epstein's controversial death. The report tries to answer some of the biggest questions surrounding his suicide.

Epstein exhibited patterns showing he idealized killing himself, the report shows.

For instance, one of his former cellmates, Nicholas Tartaglione, told the outlet he abruptly asked him one day, "How do you make a noose?" Tartaglione also claimed he once found a noose hidden under Epstein's mattress.

A terrifying terror plot involving explosive drones aimed at this weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C. was foiled by the FBI.

Federal officials told Fox News Digital the plot called for explosive-packed drones to strike buildings near the UFC event, triggering chaos and a mass evacuation. Authorities allege the goal was to funnel panicked crowds into the path of a sniper team that had already been positioned nearby.

"Capitalist elites" and "billionaires" were reportedly targeted, plus politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Rashee Rice is out of the slammer after completing a 30-day sentence for a probation violation ... and by the looks of it, he couldn't wait to get the heck home.

News reporters were camped outside the Dallas County Jail on Tuesday for the Kansas City Chiefs star's exit ... but those hoping for a comment from the 26-year-old were left empty-handed.

Fox 4 captured the scene ... showing Rice walk backwards and only turn around when he reached for the door with a smile on his face.

The bungee jump operators who tossed a woman over a bridge without securing her rope have been arrested in Brazil ... and they're staring down homicide charges.

Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Goncalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, were taken into police custody Saturday after Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas took her fatal plunge from the infamous Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, Brazil, NBC News reports.

The three suspects reportedly tried to flee after the deadly incident, but they didn't get far before they were captured.

The Mexican search group that followed up on an anonymous tip in the Nancy Guthrie case isn't giving up just yet ... 'cause they're heading back out tomorrow into the field in hopes of finally finding answers.

Buscando Corazones Nogales tells TMZ ... a tip led them to a remote search area last week, but despite spending days combing through the terrain, they confirmed again they came up empty-handed when it came to locating Nancy's remains.

That said, the group isn't discouraged. Members tell us they'll resume the search tomorrow, focusing on two new locations within the same general area -- which they describe as vast and difficult to cover.

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit is dealing with a royal-sized family scandal ... because her son, Marius Borg Høiby, has been sentenced to four years behind bars after being convicted in a rape case.

The verdict came down Monday, with Oslo District Court handing 29-year-old Høiby prison time following a six-week trial. Høiby appeared for the proceedings via video link.

According to reports, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad convicted Høiby of assaulting former girlfriend Nora Haukland.

James Harden was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with the unlawful carrying of weapons ... TMZ has learned.

The arrest went down in Texas ... and according to authorities, he was caught with a handgun in his vehicle. It was allegedly in plain sight and not being carried in a holster. His charge is a misdemeanor.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department tells TMZ ... he was pulled over at 1800 Crawford Street for a traffic violation. He identified himself and was was taken into custody.

Austin Metcalf's dad says the effects of that fatal day are still being felt throughout his family ... particularly by Austin's twin brother, Hunter.

Jeff Metcalf opened up about the lasting trauma Hunter has endured during a recent appearance on the "JinxedSip" podcast. Watch the clip -- Jeff shares an emotional glimpse into what his surviving son has been dealing with since witnessing Austin's death, without holding anything back.

Rather than focusing on the trial or the verdict, Jeff's comments center on the human toll left behind ... describing the challenges Hunter has faced and the difficult conversations they've had as a family while trying to move forward.

Austin Metcalf's dad ripped into pretty much everyone on his recent podcast appearance ... this time he's taking aim at the school superintendent, calling him a "bald-headed piece of s***."

Jeff Metcalf went after the Frisco Superintendent on Sarah Fields' "JinxedSip" podcast ... calling him "the most spineless, coward piece of s*** I've ever met in my entire life."

He blasted the superintendent for allowing Karmelo Anthony to graduate high school after stabbing his son to death at a track meet in April 2025. Jeff argued that Karmelo shouldn't have been able to graduate because he says the school handbook allegedly declares murder to be grounds for "mandatory expulsion."

President Trump has taken out another bad actor in the world, blowing up the leader of the vicious transnational crime syndicate, Tren de Aragua.

On Friday, Trump posted a video to Truth Social, which he says shows the exact moment Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores was incinerated during a U.S. strike on a building in Venezuela ... where the cartel leader was holed up.

47 accompanied the stunning clip with his usual blunt banter, writing that our military had killed Flores in a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" in coordination with "our friends in Venezuela." Trump also called Flores "the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua," which is "one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth."