True Crime

Luigi Mangione says the cops who arrested him at a Pennsylvania McDonald's got a DNA sample with a little trickery ... by offering him a snack.

The accused murderer's legal team is now arguing police violated Luigi's rights when they arrested and questioned him ... and he wants the evidence they collected thrown out ... according to new court documents.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Luigi says cops pulled a fast one on him after arresting him at McDonald's in Altoona, PA ...  giving him some food and soda at the police station as a means of getting a sample of his DNA.

Aaron Goodwin's officially filed to divorce his wife ... not exactly a shock since cops arrested her for allegedly trying to hire someone to kill him.

The "Ghost Adventures" star filed the document Wednesday in Nevada ... asking the court not to award anyone alimony in the case while also requesting to be paid back for attorney's fees.

In light of what's going on, there's really no mystery about the divorce filing ... though it does say Aaron and his estranged wife Victoria's "views, tastes, likes and dislikes" have "become incompatible to the extent that it has become impossible for them to live together as husband and wife."

Big update in the Menendez Brothers case ... California governor Gavin Newsom just revealed when Erik and Lyle will appear before the parole board.

Gavin dropped the bombshell news Tuesday on his new podcast, announcing the convicted killers will go in front of the parole board June 13 for a hearing.

The Governor says after the hearing, the parole board will finalize their risk assessment and send it to his desk ... and he'll consider their findings as part of his decision on whether to grant clemency in their case, which would set them free.

Infamous wife-killer Scott Peterson got an ass-whoopin' from another inmate in a California state prison -- in an altercation over pickleball ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell TMZ ... Peterson got into the heated confrontation Sunday in the yard near his housing unit at Mule Creek State Prison, about 40 miles southeast of Sacramento.

Our sources say Peterson hit the ball directly at the other inmate, triggering the assault. We're told Peterson got "beat up" by the other prisoner, but his injuries were not serious enough to land him in the hospital.

The Florida inmate who cops say was communicating with the wife of "Ghost Adventures" star Aaron Goodwin as part of her alleged murder-for-hire plot is a convicted killer himself ... TMZ has learned.

Police say Aaron's wife, Victoria Goodwin, hatched a plan to off her husband to get out of her marriage ... and she allegedly enlisted a prisoner named Grant Amato to help her see the diabolical plan through.

Well, we did some digging and discovered Amato is serving a life sentence for a triple murder involving his family. A former nurse, Amato was found guilty in 2019 of fatally shooting his father, mother and brother in their Florida home.

The Menendez brothers' relatives, who are also victims in their murder case, are ripping L.A. County D.A. Nathan Hochman ... claiming he's being hostile, dismissive and patronizing.

Erik and Lyle's cousin Tamara Goodell laid out the family's issues with Hochman in a formal complaint to the United States Attorney's Office Civil Division ... blasting L.A.'s new top prosecutor for allegedly violating their rights as victims.

In the complaint, obtained by TMZ, Goodell claims Hochman is re-traumatizing the family now that he's sinking his teeth into their case.

12 PM PT -- The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez has hit back after L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he's asking the court to withdraw the previous district attorney's motion to resentence the famed brothers.

In a statement obtained by TMZ they say ... "District Attorney Hochman made it clear today he is holding Erik, Lyle, and our family hostage."

They also claim Hochman has "blinders" on that prevent him from seeing Erik and Lyle were "repeatedly abused" as kids, making them fear for their lives, and that they have apologized multiple times for murdering their parents.

They say the most "alarming" part is the D.A. is sending a message that young boys who are victims of abuse should not come forward.

The L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman just said he wants to withdraw the prior D.A.'s motion to have the Menendez Brothers resentenced, saying what they did in killing their parents was unforgivable and they have not copped to the various lies they told to cover their tracks.

Hochman went through a litany of lies he says were never retracted by Erik and Lyle, and said that's sufficient to turn thumbs down on a resentencing request. He pointed to the jury rejecting any claim of self defense in the second trial. What Hochman ignored, in the first trial, half the jury rejected murder in favor of manslaughter, based on "imperfect self defense." Hochman did not explain the judge in the second trial rejected "imperfect self defense" so the jury never received that instruction.

The bottom line here ... the whole resentencing motion is irrelevant, because if the judge approved it, the case would go to the parole board. Fact is ... the parole board has the case already at the behest of California Governor Gavin Newsom so there is no need for a resentencing hearing anyway.

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.