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Luigi Mangione's lawyers are asking the judge in his state case to toss it out on double jeopardy grounds, now that he's pleaded guilty in his federal case ... and they say prosecutors are using him as a "pawn" in a sick game.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, Mangione's lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss the eight charges still pending in his state case -- second-degree murder and seven weapons charges -- stemming from the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione's defense argues his federal guilty pleas now bar the state case from moving forward under the federal Constitution and New York's double jeopardy law ... while accusing state and federal prosecutors of using him as a "pawn" in a coordinated push to punish him twice.

Luigi Mangione's lawyer says his federal guilty pleas should knock out the state murder case against him ... arguing he can't be prosecuted twice over the same killing.

Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo spoke outside the courthouse Friday after Mangione pleaded guilty to federal charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... saying her client has now accepted "full responsibility" for Thompson's death.

Agnifilo says Mangione suffered years of severe pain from a broken back and believed the healthcare and insurance systems had failed him ... but her big argument Friday was that the killing was one event, and Mangione shouldn't be prosecuted twice for it.

In fact, his lawyers aren't wasting any time ... Agnifilo has filed a motion, obtained by TMZ, asking a judge to toss the state case under New York's double jeopardy protections.

A 13-year-old boy in Arizona is fighting an assault charge over a gym class dodgeball game ... after authorities say he targeted and brutalized his ex-girlfriend with dodgeballs ... peppering her so badly that she needed a hospital trip.

The case centers on 13-year-old Abel Schipper, who is charged with misdemeanor assault over a December 2025 dodgeball game at Mayer High School in Yavapai County.

Abel admits he and two friends threw foam dodgeballs at the girl when she walked out of the bathroom for warm-ups ... saying he hit her, one friend missed, and another connected ... according to AZFamily.

Life aboard some U.S. warships doesn't sound like smooth sailing ... with sailors and their families sounding off about alleged broken toilets, undercooked food and marathon stretches at sea.

The complaints come as families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln raise concerns over conditions during its lengthy deployment in the Middle East ... with publicly shared messages describing shortages, plumbing problems and trouble getting mail.

Journalist Aaron Parnas says his inbox is now flooded with messages from people who have family members aboard the Lincoln ... and he posted images of one note claiming sailors have no "workable toilets around us," are being served "undercooked chicken" and aren't getting mail regularly.

9:28 AM PT -- Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges related to Thompson's shooting death ... one count of interstate stalking resulting in death and one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.

He admitted to stalking Thompson to a healthcare conference and shooting him with a gun he printed on a 3-D printer. As Luigi pled guilty, Thompson's widow Paulette was visibly emotional and other members of his family were seen fighting back tears.

Mangione said ... "I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan. I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal."

After Friday's court hearing, Thompson's family issued a statement saying ... "Today's guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family. While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable. Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime."

Luigi Mangione will have Brian Thompson's family looking on as he faces a federal judge Friday ... with the slain UnitedHealthcare CEO's loved ones sitting front row.

Thompson's mother, widow and several other family members entered the Manhattan federal courtroom ahead of Mangione's highly anticipated hearing ... taking their seats together in the first row.

McKenna West -- the surrogate who ran off to Texas to have a California couple's baby without their consent -- will have absolutely no authority over the baby to whom she gave birth, this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

We've obtained a copy of the temporary restraining order obtained by the biological parents of baby Gabriel -- the name which West gave the baby -- and it strips her of any decision-making with respect to the child's care.

The TRO states she cannot make any medical decision on behalf of Gabriel, exercise any possession of him, represent herself as his parent, guardian or medical decision maker, or sign any document on behalf of him.

Lindsay Clancy's toxicology report identifies four prescription medications in a blood specimen collected from her on the day she allegedly murdered her three kids ... and now you can read through the findings.

The report, obtained by TMZ, was admitted as evidence in court during her murder trial in Massachusetts.

It says blood taken from Clancy identified lamotrigine, mirtazapine, quetiapine, and trazodone -- prescription medications used to treat mental health conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and sleep issues.

Alleged Tupac Shakur killer Duane "Keffe D" Davis is doing "pretty good" in jail as his murder trial kicks off in Las Vegas ... and he's not nervous about going to state prison for life if he's convicted ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Keffe D's trial began Monday with jury selection ... after he pleaded not guilty to Tupac's 1996 murder. Prosecutors say Keefe plotted the murder in Vegas and produced the gun used to assassinate the rapper ... but someone else fired the kill shot.

In 2023, Keefe was finally arrested for Tupac's murder after years of bragging about his alleged involvement during media interviews and under police questioning, where he had immunity. Following his arrest, Keefe was transferred to the Clark County Detention Center, where he has been locked up ever since, awaiting trial.  

Our sources say Keefe isn't scared of prison because he's been in and out of the slammer over the years ... but he still doesn't want to spend the rest of his days there.

Kyrsten Sinema spilled some details about when she first had sex with her boyfriend Matthew Ammel ... this while being questioned by his ex-wife's lawyers during her deposition in their ongoing legal battle ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the former politician testified during her deposition that her romance with Matthew, who was married and working as her bodyguard, started in late May 2024 when they were in California.

Kyrsten said, "We were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California. We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex."

She said under oath this was the first time they had sex or kissed.

Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have been pissed off at Luigi Mangione's team for trying to sabotage its case by striking a plea bargain with the feds.

The judge in the state case just unsealed docs, one of which was a letter to the court, dated July 2, 2026, in which Assistant D.A. Joel Seidemann wrote that his office had heard rumblings of a plea bargain in the federal case.

As TMZ reported, if Luigi were to plead guilty to stalking in the federal case, the state case would be dismissed based on double jeopardy.

Lindsay Clancy exchanged loving texts with her then-husband just hours before she allegedly murdered their 3 children ... with Patrick Clancy even calling her a good mom ... at least according to text messages shown in court.

Lindsay's defense highlighted the messages Thursday while questioning Massachusetts State Police cell forensics expert Timothy Chiappini during her murder trial.

Chiappini testified Patrick started texting Lindsay around 8:42 AM the morning of the alleged murders ... asking how things were going. After she sent Patrick a photo of Dawson and Cora with a snowman that morning, Patrick called her a "good mama" ... prompting Lindsay to respond with a smiling face and heart emojis.

Here are the crime scene photographs shown in court during Lindsay Clancy's murder trial ... and they're disturbing.

The pics were taken inside and outside Lindsay's Massachusetts home -- where she allegedly murdered her three kids -- and they show a bloody knife, the exercise bands prosecutors allege were used to kill the kids, various medications Clancy was prescribed, and the second-story bedroom window where she allegedly attempted to take her own life.

A Massachusetts State Police crime scene supervisor testified investigators documented blood evidence in several locations inside the home ... including the bedroom, a nightstand where the knife was photographed, a mirror and the windowsill. He said investigators also examined evidence outside the home, including stains near the window.

The biological parents of the baby born to a surrogate who refused to have an abortion against their wishes have custody of the child for now ... at least according to their lawyer, who says the political theater surrounding the birth "devastated" them.

Lee Budner of Calabrese Budner, counsel to the baby's biological parents, tells TMZ ... their son -- named Gabriel by surrogate McKenna West -- was born Wednesday morning and is now in their physical custody while he receives medical care.

The couple's lawyer adds ... his clients are placing the baby's health first and following the advice of his medical team.

1:12 PM PT -- McKenna West will have no authority over the baby according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

10:33 AM PT -- The biological parents of the newborn baby born into surrogacy who refused to have an abortion against their wishes, now have temporary custody of their child.

A surrogate who refused to abort the baby she was carrying -- despite the wishes of the boy’s biological parents -- reportedly gave birth early Wednesday amid a bitter legal battle with the intended parents.

Here's the sitch -- McKenna West, a surrogate from Alaska, was carrying a baby for a California couple. At the fetus' 20-week scan, doctors discovered it had hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare birth defect where the left side of the heart does not grow correctly ... and it needs 3 surgeries to correct when the child is born, per Boston Children's Hospital.

The surrogacy agreement had a clause that allowed the couple to choose to terminate the pregnancy if there was an "anomaly" found ... but McKenna refused and fled to Texas, where she would be seen as the birth mother, The Dallas Morning News reports.

An attorney for Nolan Wells' family says they're ready to examine his phone ... but they're waiting on the Jackson County DA's Office to set the date.

Liza Park -- a member of Ben Crump's team -- said Thursday the DA's office, the family's forensic team and possibly the FBI have agreed to jointly download and examine the device.

The plan, according to Park, is to examine the phone one time with everyone present ... but they're still waiting for prosecutors to provide the time and place.

Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler Boebert accepted a plea deal from prosecutors in his child abuse case that could end up with him serving some jail time ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the Weld County District Attorney’s Office offered a deal in which Tyler would plead guilty to the charges of child abuse/negligence without injury.

The District Attorney said it suggested the court sentence Tyler to a cap of 30 days in jail and 12-month supervised probation.

The prosecutors also want him to complete a parenting program.