True Crime

Lyle and Erik Menendez's uncle who opposed their release from prison has died.

Their cousin Anamaria Baralt confirmed Milton Andersen's death on TikTok Sunday evening, saying he passed from cancer. Furthermore, an obituary was shared by the Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home in Illinois on March 4.

Anamaria -- who recently spoke to TMZ in favor of Lyle and Erik's release -- told fans that no one should celebrate Milton's death despite him being the only living family member advocating for their continued imprisonment.

The brutal murders of four University of Idaho students just got even more horrifying ... On Thursday, prosecutors released new documents, containing text messages between the two surviving roommates in the death house -- and their exchange is downright freaky!

The roommates, identified as "D.M." and "B.F.," began trading texts while they were in separate rooms as the killer was going on his rampage with a knife through the off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho ... according to court records.

As we reported ... prosecutors have charged Bryan Kohberger with fatally stabbing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves as the victims were sleeping in their rooms in the early hours of November 13, 2022. The two other roommates, identified only as D.M. and B.F., were not attacked.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says all of the letters Luigi Mangione is getting in jail will serve as a boost for the alleged murderer ... but, be warned, she adds -- 'cause there are lots of weirdos out there.

We caught up with Blanchard -- who served seven years after she was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of her mother -- at LAX Thursday ... and, we asked her what it's like to receive so much fan mail while locked up.

GRB says it's good to buoy your spirits ... but, it's important to distinguish between people who are genuinely reaching out versus the ones who are sending letters in an attempt to get something out of you.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is weighing in on Casey Anthony’s new self-anointed legal advocacy gig -- and it’s a take worth considering, given that she, too, knows the ins and outs of the justice system firsthand.

We caught up with GRB Wednesday night in L.A., and she didn’t hold back, saying Casey -- who stood trial in 2011 for the murder of her daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, before being found not guilty -- has no business charging people for legal advice.

The Casey backlash has been brewing ever since the acquitted Florida woman dropped a video earlier this week detailing her so-called advocacy plans via Substack, explaining she's turning a curse into a blessing after being thrust into the national spotlight for so many years.

Nancy Grace is scoffing at Casey Anthony's new career pursuit -- slamming her new legal advocacy gig as a shameless cash grab and insisting the focus should remain on Casey's murdered daughter, Caylee.

TMZ spoke with Nancy, and she didn’t sugarcoat it -- telling us Casey’s just looking for a payday, reaching into everyone else’s pockets. But what stunned her the most is the fact so many people have already signed up for Casey’s Substack to take advice from her.

Watch the video -- Nancy goes in on Casey, reminding everyone her so-called "legal expertise" comes from being tried for murder. She also makes it crystal clear -- pretending to be a lawyer and dishing out legal advice for money is illegal. Casey announced her new Substack in a TikTok video this week.

Bryan Kohberger's attorney is arguing her client's autism diagnosis should prevent a death penalty sentence in the event he's found guilty of murdering four college students ... stating capital punishment would constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" due to his inability to fully understand the consequences.

Attorney Anne Taylor filed a motion last week stating if her client were to be found guilty and sentenced to death, that would violate his Eighth Amendment constitutional rights. Kohberger, accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in the dead of night in 2022, was formally diagnosed by a neuropsychologist last month.

A neuropsychologist evaluated Kohberger and found he "continues to exhibit all the core diagnostic features of ASD currently, with significant impact on his daily life.”

Casey Anthony is only embarking on her new career as a legal advocate for two reasons -- money and fame ... so says the judge from her notorious 2011 murder trial.

Retired Judge Belvin Perry Jr., who presided over Casey's child-murder trial, tells TMZ ... Casey, for starters, is craving attention after being out of the spotlight for a while.

Perry also says Casey wants to make some cold hard cash ... that's why she's asking her fans to pay $10 a month or $100 a year to subscribe to her Substack, which offers to help people with legal issues.

Erik and Lyle Menendez will NOT have their day in court this month ... because their upcoming resentencing hearing has been postponed, and it's all because of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The Menendez Brothers were set to enter a courtroom March 20 and 21 for the first time since their 1990s murder trials ... but now their resentencing hearing is delayed because Newsom ordered an investigation into whether they are fit to return to public life.

Resentencing is now irrelevant for Erik and Lyle, with Newsom short-circuiting the whole process by directing the state's Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" on the brothers.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says the Menendez Brothers should pump the brakes before going full Hollywood if they are released from prison ... advising them to enjoy their freedom first.

Gypsy was at LAX Monday night when a photog asked what advice she would give Erik and Lyle if they become free men.

The Menendez Bros are pretty famous and Hollywood is waiting with tons of opportunities, but Gypsy says Erik and Lyle would be wise to take some time to themselves to adjust to life on the outside before getting in front of cameras.

Casey Anthony has a new gig -- she’s now a self-proclaimed "legal advocate" and is promoting her role on her brand-new TikTok account.

The formerly acquitted defendant -- who was on trial for murder in 2011 for her daughter Caylee Marie Anthony's death -- explained that after being thrust into the legal spotlight, she’s turned what many saw as a curse into a blessing. She says her new goal is to give people a voice and the right tools when they find themselves in a sticky legal situation.

Casey used the video to reintroduce herself, saying she’d only be posting professionally, limited to legal matters, and that her drive to be a legal warrior really kicked off after seeing people she knows personally who were targeted and attacked recently. She doesn't specify, but she mentions being a proponent for the LGBTQ community and for women's rights.

The Menendez brothers' family has a lot of hope after Governor Gavin Newsom spoke about the brothers' case ... though they're still disappointed after L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman's recent comments on Erik and Lyle's case.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition -- a group led by Menendez family members pushing for their release -- held a virtual press conference Thursday where they addressed key facts about Erik and Lyle's case and responded to statements made by L.A.'s top prosecutor.

Anamaria Baralt -- Erik and Lyle's cousin -- kicked off the comments ... saying Governor Newsom calling on the Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" is a huge sigh of relief for the family, which is excited to hear someone in power is paying attention to Erik and Lyle's plight.

Connecticut cannibal Tyree Smith is scaring the family of his murder victim, Angel Gonzalez, after Smith was granted a conditional release from a high-security hospital -- and Gonzalez's relatives are so freaked out they're applying for a protective order.

TMZ just interviewed Angel's sister-in-law Talitha Frazier, who says Gonzalez's daughter is so terrified of her father's killer, she's hoping a judge will quickly sign off on the restraining order, barring Smith from returning to Bridgeport, CT -- where the brutal slaying occurred in 2011.

As we reported, Smith was accused of hacking Gonzalez to death in a vacant building and eating a portion of his brain, along with his eyeball. Smith was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to 60 years in a maximum-security forensic hospital.

Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to ask the California Board of Parole to review the Erik and Lyle Menendez matter could make next month's up-to-now critical resentencing hearing all but irrelevant.

As we reported, Newsom has asked the Parole Board to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" ... this on the heels of TMZ's "2 Angry Men" podcast in which Erik and Lyle appeared by phone to talk about what they've done with their lives behind bars for 35 years.

The Board will effectively conduct a parole hearing, in which they will assess whether the Menendez brothers pose an unreasonable risk to public safety. By doing so, the Board will necessarily review how Erik and Lyle have conducted themselves in prison.

Governor Gavin Newsom is ordering an investigation into whether Erik and Lyle Menendez are fit to return to public life ... TMZ has learned, and he says it's a critical first step before he, or anyone else, can decide if they get out of prison.

This is a major, unexpected development in the Menendez brothers' fight for freedom. It seemed the Governor was going to take a back seat until the courts ruled on Erik and Lyle's fate, but all that has now changed.

The CA Gov. tells us, he's directing the Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" on the Menendez bros., which he says is their version of a "parole hearing" -- but before the Board weighs in, a "Comprehensive Risk Assessment" must be done.

The lead detective in the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer case is issuing a warning to a psychiatric review board that granted conditional release to a Connecticut cannibal killer -- Don't let him out!

Retired Milwaukee detective Dennis Murphy -- who took Dahmer's 1991 confession in which he discussed eating a human heart, bicep and thigh -- says Bridgeport, CT, killer cannibal Tyree Smith should stay locked away at a maximum-security forensic hospital.

Murphy says after Dahmer was convicted for his serial murders in 1992 and sentenced to multiple life terms, the detective went to visit him in a Wisconsin prison.

L.A. County D.A. Nathan Hochman says he will consider evidence of sexual abuse at the hands of Jose Menendez when Erik and Lyle Menendez make their case for resentencing.

Hochman appeared Monday on "TMZ Live," and acknowledged the laws of government resentencing allow a judge to consider "psychological, physical, or childhood trauma, including ... abuse, neglect, exploitation, or sexual violence."

Hochman was adamant ... sexual abuse in no way calls Erik and Lyle's conviction into question, but it will come into play next month when the brothers ask a judge to resentence them to something less than life without parole -- which opens the door to a parole board freeing them.