The full autopsy report for George Floyd has been completed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and it reveals he tested positive for COVID-19 in early April ... though he was likely asymptomatic at the time of his death.
The 20-page analysis details most of what we already know, Floyd became unresponsive and died while pinned to the ground by 3 police officers. However, a section of the report says George tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3.
The coroner says, "positivity for 2019-nCoV can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection." Meaning George was likely walking around without issues or active symptoms, but the virus was still in his body.
As we reported, George's family hired Dr. Michael Baden to complete a private autopsy. Baden's report found Floyd's cause of death to be "death from asphyxia" after the Hennepin County concluded he had a heart attack while being restrained by cops, with underlying medical conditions including hypertension and possible drugs or alcohol.
The final report from Hennepin on Wednesday says Floyd had, “no injuries of anterior muscles of neck or laryngeal structures.”
On Wednesday, ex-cop Derek Chauvin was hit with an additional charge of 2nd-degree murder. The other 3 officers involved, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, were all charged with felonies -- aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Peaceful protesters have been under attack by the Minneapolis PD, often in violation of their First Amendment rights ... according to a new class-action lawsuit.
A woman named Annette Williams is suing the city on behalf of all other peaceful protesters like herself ... who she claims got sprayed by cops with a chemical irritant "in retaliation" for opposing police tactics in the arrest and killing of George Floyd.
Williams says she and her daughter were peacefully protesting on a public sidewalk on May 28 when the Minneapolis PD drove past and sprayed the crowd, which she claims was presenting no danger to police.
She says the irritant was not being used to clear a path for vehicles either, because it was directed at protesters on or around a sidewalk. Williams says it forced her and others to remove face masks worn for COVID-19, and they began coughing uncontrollably.
She says she's "suffered from labored breathing and chest pain interfering with her daily activities" ever since. She adds that the incident had a "chilling effect" and discouraged protesters from exercising their constitutional right to free speech and peaceful assembly.
On top of all this, Williams claims the arrest of a CNN news crew the following day -- which as we reported, and went down live on the air -- underscores "the city and police force’s open infringement on first amendment rights."
According to the suit ... police have also engaged in a "corral and combat" strategy against protesters in an effort to concentrate them in one location, then gas them and shoot non-lethal projectiles at them. Williams claims this has "no tactical purpose other than injuring otherwise peaceful protestors."
She is seeking damages from the city and wants an order stopping cops from engaging in these practices against peaceful protesters.
2:54 PM PT -- L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he's aware of the video involving he deputies and his department is investigating. Villanueva is also encouraging the person who shot the video to contact the LASD.
A man was wrestled to the ground by cops, and then momentarily got the snot beat out of him ... before a vigilant eyewitness called them out and forced them to stop.
The outrageous scene was shot in Compton, CA, earlier this week, and it shows L.A. County Sheriff's deputies attempting to detain a guy from behind some type of wall, sorta hidden from plain view. Somebody is filming from afar, unbeknownst to the officers.
At first, it looks like the guy's resisting -- but eventually ... they get him on the ground, and he makes it clear that he's not fighting them anymore. Not enough for these deputies though, it seems, 'cause at least one more rushes over and they start to pound on him.
It's crazy too ... before the beating -- which involved fists and knees -- one of the deputies looks around, as if to see if anyone is watching them. A few seconds into the thrashing, somebody else aside from the cameraman calls out, asking why they're whooping on him.
That forces all the deputies to halt immediately, and that's where the video cuts out.
LASD tells us, yes, these are their guys ... and an investigation into the use of force by the deputies is underway. If misconduct is found, we're told a personnel complaint will be filed.
Steven Avery is confined to his prison cell, in isolation, because he has coronavirus ... according to his former criminal defense attorney, Jerome Buting.
Buting says Avery tested positive for COVID-19, so prison officials are keeping him in quarantine, of sorts, in his cell. He adds that according to Sandy Greenman, Avery's girlfriend, Steven "only had short-lived symptoms and is in good spirits."
He asks for prayers for Avery's speedy recovery, adding #FreeStevenAvery.
As you may recall ... Buting was half of Avery's legal team on "Making a Murderer," the wildly popular Netflix docuseries released in 2015 that raised questions about Avery's conviction for killing Teresa Halbach in 2005.
Buting, along with Attorney Dean Strang, made the compelling case that Avery was set up by local law enforcement. They've stated many times they believe Avery -- along with his nephew Brendan Dassey -- are wrongfully incarcerated for Halbach's death.
Buting and Strang no longer represent Avery, but his current attorney Kathleen Zellner is still working on an appeal. She filed for one in October 2019, but just last week the State of Wisconsin responded by asking the court to uphold the decision to deny Avery a new trial.
Despite multiple appeals, Dassey's conviction for aiding in the murder was also upheld by the courts.
Carole Baskin's vanished husband's dying wishes appear to have been concocted by somebody other than him -- so says the local sheriff still investigating the case.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told WTSP where things stood in his investigation of Don Lewis' mysterious disappearance ... which was documented on 'Tiger King.'
He said they actually had some new developments -- namely, that they've confirmed his will was, in fact, a forgery.
Sheriff Chronister doesn't even try to hedge -- he says they had two experts take a look at it, and both concluded the same thing ... it's a fake. He also says that's something his office already knew, going on to say his team was following up on some promising new leads.
Here's why the will is so important ... it has a bizarre clause that says in case of Don's disappearance Carole gets everything. Talk to any estate planning expert and they will tell you ... they've NEVER seen a clause like that -- EVER.
Now, for some bad news for folks who want justice for Don ... Sheriff Chronister says despite what he and his detectives found -- including possible malfeasance on the part of Carole -- it might end up being moot by the end of it ... 'cause there's not much they can do to charge her criminally. It's the same that often foils cases like these ... too much time.
Even on the civil end of things, the Sheriff says a judge has already deemed the will valid ... which is what allowed Carole to inherit pretty much all of Don's assets and wealth. So, not much can be done there either. Still, dude sounds determined to get to the truth.
A housekeeping employee who used to work for the Trump Hotel in Vegas claims she was kept out of church (and on the clock) for years, despite being a devout Christian ... now, she's suing.
The woman's name is Sonia Torres, and according to a lawsuit she just filed against her former bosses in Sin City ... she'd been working in the hotel's housekeeping division without issue for years. That's until a new housekeeping regime came in, and allegedly screwed up her Sunday appointments with God by switching up her schedule.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Torres claims she was hired in 2010 with an explicit understanding she would not work Sundays, so she could observe her faith. Torres says management, at the time, said no problemo ... and hired her.
Fast-forward to 2015, and Ms. Torres alleges a new boss started giving her Sundays off to a dude who had less seniority than her. Torres says she complained to her superiors and HR, but nothing changed.
Eventually, she says the issue came to a head, and after talking it out with union reps ... they suggested she go on call for Sundays, but she refused. Torres says she just stopped showing up on Sundays, which got her fired in 2018.
Now, she's suing for religious discrimination and hostile work environment, demanding damages and back pay.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has filed a complaint against the Minneapolis PD in the wake of George Floyd's killing.
Governor Tim Walz announced the launch of the civil rights investigation, which will look into last week's incident involving the 4 officers who arrested Floyd ... in which one of them, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on George's neck for nearly 9 minutes, and long after he became unresponsive.
All 4 officers have been fired and Chauvin's been arrested and charged with third-degree murder ... but the other ex-cops have not been charged yet.
The investigation will not only focus on the Floyd incident, though. Gov. Walz says it will examine the practices, policies and patterns of the department over the past 10 years to determine if police have engaged in systemic violations of human and civil rights.
The Minneapolis PD has faced allegations of brutality, discrimination and unfair treatment of minorities for years, but clearly ... Floyd's death could be the catalyst to finally do something about it.
The Weeknd just stepped up BIG for Colin Kaepernick -- shelling out $200,000 to the QB's campaign to cover legal costs for people who get arrested while protesting for George Floyd.
Just last week, Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp launched a "legal defense initiative" aiming to cover legal bills for the "freedom fighters" on the ground in Minnesota.
Kap says he's already put together a team of "top" defense attorneys to help out -- but they also asked for donations from outside supporters.
Well, Weeknd -- real name Abel Tesfaye -- has answered the call with a HUGE donation ... and Team Kap couldn't be happier.
"A HUGE thank you to @theweeknd for donating $200,000 to our Legal Defense Initiative to support Freedom Fighters on the ground!"
"This is amazing."
The donation to Kap's initiative is part of The Weekend's $500k contribution to several Black Lives Matter campaigns ... including the BLM Global Network and National Bail Out.
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"Keep supporting our brothers and sisters out there risking everything to push for actual change for our black lives," Abel said when announcing his donation.
"Urging everyone with big pockets to give and give big and if you have less please give what you can even if it's a small amount."
76ers star Tobias Harrisis calling for an elected official in Pennsylvania to resign for labeling Black Lives Matter as a "radical left-wing hate group."
The man behind the comment is Joe Gale -- a County Commissioner for Montgomery County, the 3rd largest county in PA.
The Board of Commissioners is a powerful group -- comprised of only 3 members and they control the legislative and executive functions for the entire county.
Fast forward to Monday ... when Gale issued a strong written statement slamming the protests in Philadelphia as an act of "urban domestic terror."
Gale says the people responsible are "radical left-wing hate groups like Black Lives Matter."
I honestly can’t believe what I’m reading. @JoeGalePA Black Lives Matter a hate group?! This statement and your whole press release at that is disgusting to read. RESIGN! pic.twitter.com/Zm8PusSeGF
He continued, "This organization, in particular, screams racism not to expose bigotry and injustice, but to justify the lawless destruction of our cities and surrounding communities."
"Their objective is to unleash chaos and mayhem without consequence by falsely claiming they, in fact, are victims."
Now, 27-year-old Harris is lashing out at the statement ... saying, "I honestly can’t believe what I’m reading."
"Black Lives Matter a hate group?! This statement and your whole press release at that is disgusting to read. RESIGN!"
Crump and Merritt just spoke and briefly offered some opinions and updates regarding Floyd and Arbery's cases. Crump talked about both autopsies and compared each one's findings. He also said the Minnesota AG confirmed he'll look at the independent autopsy as part of his case building. What's more ... Crump said, "What [Floyd] needed was a breath. The family's [now] asking for everyone to take a breath for peace, take a break for justice, take a breath to heal our country and take a breath for George."
Crump also offered some details about Floyd's upcoming memorial and funeral services slated to begin Thursday in Minneapolis and culminate with his burial in Houston. Crump said former VP Joe Biden plans to attend.
Merritt announced the three suspects charged with Arbery's murder will have a bond hearing Thursday morning in Georgia. Merritt said it's appalling that a bond hearing will take place, adding, "We don’t think any bond is reasonable for these brutal suspects." He says he's assured the family "we're confident they will not get bond. We believe in the rule of law." Merritt confirmed the family will attend Thursday's hearing.
The attorneys representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery are holding a news conference to discuss getting justice in the courts AND the United Nations ... and TMZ's streaming live.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt will speak Tuesday morning -- along with criminal justice advocate and CNN analyst, Van Jones -- in an online forum set up by Team Roc.
We're told Crump and Merritt will take questions from reporters and hit topics including the upcoming bond hearing for Ahmaud's alleged murderers, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison taking on George Floyd's case and the next steps for bringing the 3 cases to the United Nations. Presumably, they want the U.N. to deem all three killings human rights violations.
As we previously reported ... the attorneys held a similar virtual news conference last week and not only touched on Floyd and Arbery's murders, but also discussed the tragic killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Merritt also suggested it was time for economic boycotts and sanctions in the communities where these events had unfolded in hopes of conveying their message that racism and police brutality will no longer be tolerated.
The lawyers are also representing Taylor's family and pursuing justice after police killed her in a case of mistaken identity. The virtual news conference begins at 9 AM PT.
Joe Exotic isn't gonna sleep well tonight -- his nemesis, Carole Baskin, now has control of the Oklahoma zoo that used to be his, thanks to a judge's ruling.
The short story is Carole won a $1 million judgment against Joe and his mom many years ago, but she never got the dough. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge said Joe's transfer of the zoo land to his mother and Jeff Lowe was fraudulent. So, now the judge is granting Carole control of the land to help satisfy that $1 mil judgment from the old trademark lawsuit.
The federal judge's ruling says Jeff has 120 days to get himself and all of the animals off the property. You'll recall, he had just re-opened last month and renamed the zoo, Tiger King Park.
Doesn't sound like Jeff is too busted up about the loss of land. He and his wife, Lauren, tell TMZ, "We have long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer. We are thankful that he dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville Oklahoma, behind the World’s largest casino."
If you hadn't heard, Jeff was already planning to ditch Joe's old Tiger King Park property in Wynnewood, OK.
Jeff and Lauren continued, "Considering [Carole] spent approximately 2.5M chasing her 1M judgment, we congratulate her on her new acquisition of 16 acres in rural Oklahoma."
They took one parting shot, saying, "The possibility of human remains being buried on this land should make her feel right at home."
Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin's wife has filed for divorce, and the only thing she wants from him is her name back.
Kellie May Chauvin says she doesn't want a dime from Derek, citing "irretrievable breakdown" of the marriage, which "cannot be saved" ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.
In docs, Kellie -- who works as a realtor and is the former Mrs. Minnesota -- says she doesn't want spousal support and she doesn't want him to get spousal support either. She also wants an even split on their assets and she wants her maiden name restored. Kellie also wants the title to their home in Windermere, Florida.
As far as the date of separation goes ... she lists May 28, three days after Floyd's killing. They got married on June 12, 2010. Kellie says she's currently unemployed but was a realtor with ReMax.
As we reported ... Kellie announced Saturday she was ending their marriage after 10 years ... one day after Derek was arrested for killing Floyd.
Kellie's rep said, "Her utmost sympathy lies with [Floyd's] family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy" ... "While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time."
Faith Evans has found herself in some legal trouble ... 'cause we've learned the singer was arrested after allegedly attacking Stevie J.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Faith was arrested earlier this week at around 1 AM after cops got called to their L.A.-area home. We're told Faith and Stevie got into a heated argument, and at some point, it turned violent.
Our sources say when cops showed up they noticed visible marks and scratches on Stevie's face. It's unclear what triggered the argument. But, in any event ... cops arrested Faith and booked her for felony domestic violence. Faith bonded out later that day.
The arrest comes nearly a year after the couple desperately tried to downplay rumors their marriage was in trouble. As we first reported ... there was palpable tension after our camera guy got the couple leaving the Essence Festival in New Orleans.
Our guy asked them if there's trouble in paradise after Faith and Stevie unfollowed each other on social media ... not to mention Stevie's cryptic string of tweets from, "Drunk people always speak their truth," and "Ones insecurities can damage them" to "All that glitters ain't gold" and "Cherish what you love just know nothing will last forever."
We've reached out to Faith and Stevie for comment, so far ... no word back.
The wife of the former cop who was arrested for killingGeorge Floyd has filed for divorce.
Derek Chauvin's wife, Kellie, announced Friday night she's ending their marriage after 10 years.
Her rep says, "Her utmost sympathy lies with [Floyd's] family, with his loved ones and with everyone who is grieving this tragedy" ... "While Ms. Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she respectfully requests that her children, her elder parents, and her extended family be given safety and privacy during this difficult time."
Kellie, who was born in Laos and was crowned Mrs. Minnesota back in 2018, says she's devastated by George Floyd's death.
Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter, and according to the complaint he created "an unreasonable risk and taking a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to George Floyd."
The D.A. announced the charges Friday and said Chauvin is in custody, but the other 3 officers are still under investigation and no charges have been filed ... at least not yet.
According to the complaint, an officer approached George Floyd's car and ordered him out at gunpoint, claiming he passed counterfeit currency. Once Floyd put his hands on the steering wheel, the cop holstered his gun.
The complaint says George "actively resisted being handcuffed." Once in cuffs, however, he became compliant, according to the complaint.
The complaint is based, in part, on the various body cam videos the D.A. reviewed. Cops told George he was being arrested for passing bogus money, and then walked him across the street to a squad car, where George "stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic."
At that point, according to the complaint, Chauvin arrives on scene in his squad car. According to the complaint, cops made several attempts to get George in the back of the squad car, but he would not voluntarily go and struggled.
While standing outside the car, George repeatedly said he could not breathe. This is before Chauvin put his knee on George's neck.
At 8:19 PM, Chauvin pulled George out of the squad car and Floyd went to the ground, handcuffed. There are 2 other officers on George's back and legs -- you can't see them in the video, but this is the moment when Chauvin placed his left knee on George's neck.
George keeps saying, "I can't breathe" and "Mama" and "please." The officers said to George, "You are talking fine." One of the other officers said, "Should we roll him on his side?" and Chauvin replied, "No, staying put where we got him."
Another officer said, "I am worried about excited delirium or whatever." Chauvin said, "That's why we have him on his stomach."
At 8:24 PM, George stopped moving, and at 8:25 PM video appears to show him cease breathing or speaking.
At this point, another officer checks George's wrist for a pulse and says, "I couldn't find one." None of the officers moved from their position. At 8:27 Chauvin finally removed his knee. In all, Chauvin had his knee on George's neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds ... 2 minutes, 53 seconds of that was AFTER GEORGE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE.
According to the complaint, "Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous."
The autopsy says George had underlying medical conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The M.E. said, "The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death." These are preliminary findings pending toxicology tests.
The M.E. does say there were no "physical findings to support diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation."
The 3rd-degree murder charge carries a max sentence of 25 years.
Music producer David Jassy says a magical thing happened while producing a mixtape inside San Quentin State Prison -- rival gang members found common ground in their love for music.
The award-winning producer, and formerly incarcerated man at San Quentin, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to download us on his groundbreaking achievement, a 17-track mixtape written, recorded and produced inside one of America's most notorious prisons.
David says the project, dubbed "San Quentin Mixtape, Vol. 1," quickly brought together members from rival sets within the highly-segregated prison.
When he started making beats on a keyboard inside his cell, David says he noticed inmates from different gangs congregating outside -- a super rare occurrence for any prison, let alone San Quentin.
David seized on the opportunity and ran with it ... pairing rival gang members on the same tracks to further boost camaraderie and ease years of tensions.
In the end, David managed to get 17 different inmates to rap about their struggles behind bars without using profanity, while teaching them the ins and outs of the music industry, production and artistry.
The end result goes way beyond creating a record -- as David told us the inmates learned valuable skills they can use in the future. In other words ... true prison reform.
The mixtape dropped Friday on all streaming platforms ... and as we first reported, David already got a huge shout-out from Kim Kardashian, who had visited him at San Quentin before Governor Gavin Newsom commuted his sentence just a couple months ago.
It's a pretty cool look behind the music ... and David tells us how the inmates are paying it forward since, legally, they can't get paid for their work on the record.
