True Crime

Three young sisters who went missing while visiting their father were found murdered in Washington state -- and now we know how they were apparently killed, as police search for their dad.

Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, likely died by asphyxiation, according to court documents obtained by Fox 13 Seattle.

Police say the bodies of the sisters were discovered Monday after detectives traced the whereabouts of their father's GMC Sierra pickup truck to an area near a campground in Chelan County, WA.

Luigi Mangione's legal team's working to free their client one body part at a time ... because they're now asking a judge to unshackle his hands in the courtroom for future appearances.

According to a letter sent to the judge in the case, Mangione's side -- led by Karen Friedman Agnifilo -- is requesting Mangione be allowed to wear court-appropriate clothes instead of a prison jumpsuit, and not have to put on a bulletproof vest.

They also want the restraints taken off his hands ... arguing all of the shackles and prison garb unfairly prejudice his ability to get a fair trial.

We're getting a closer look at the alleged plot undertaken by two NYC suspects accused of kidnapping an Italian man and torturing him to obtain a password to his Bitcoin fortune ... prosecutors revealed in court this week the victim was allegedly lured to Manhattan in an attempt to reclaim some of his currency that had already been stolen.

John Woeltz and William Duplessie, two hard-partying "crypto bros" living in an 8-bedroom SoHo townhouse, are in custody after a barefoot and bloody Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan approached a cop on the street last week and said he'd just escaped from being imprisoned and tortured at the residence.

Prosecutors allege Woeltz and Duplessie had previously forced Carturan, a multimillionaire, to send them Bitcoin after they threatened to kill his family. Woeltz and Duplessie allegedly told Carturan he could get his Bitcoin back if he personally showed up in New York, which he did in early May.

Tory Lanez's harrowing stabbing was caught on camera in prison ... and it's clear from the video that he's lucky to be alive.

We've obtained video from prison security cameras showing a man who appears to be Tory getting knocked to the ground by another man -- allegedly Santino Casio. This other man jumps on top of him and brings his arm down on him multiple times.

The "Crypto King of Kentucky" suspected of torturing a man for weeks inside a swanky multimillion-dollar New York City townhouse spent big at a super exclusive erotic night club ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us John Woeltz and his alleged accomplice William Duplessie started going to a club called The Box back in February, and there were nights where they would drop between $80,000 and $100,000 ... and we have photos and videos of them in the club.

The Box bills itself as a unique and exclusive club featuring nightly shows combining music, theater, burlesque and erotica ... and there's supposedly a sexy peep show.

The "Crypto King of Kentucky" suspected of torturing a man for weeks inside a lavish multimillion-dollar townhouse hosted extravagant parties there ... and it seems he didn't raise any red flags when landing the swanky SoHo rental, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... John Woeltz and William Duplessie are currently in custody for allegedly torturing Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan to get access to his crypto fortune ... until the Italian citizen finally made his escape and told police everything.

Multiple sources with knowledge tell TMZ … Woeltz started living in the Manhattan townhouse on March 17 … with a rent amount of $75K - $90K a month.

Erik and Lyle Menendez will have to bite their nails a little longer before finding out whether they'll get released from prison ... because the parole board has kicked their hearing date down the road.

The Menendez brothers were slated to go before the California parole board on June 13 after a judge resentenced them earlier this month to 50 years to life for the infamous 1989 shotgun murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez.

After two trials, Erik and Lyle were finally convicted in 1996 and originally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Donald Trump's making a killer impression among his followers -- even on death row apparently ... 'cause a prominent serial killer used his last words to encourage POTUS.

Glen Rogers was executed in Florida Thursday ... and, after addressing the audience and thanking his wife for visiting him, he addressed the commander-in-chief.

Rogers said, "President Trump, keep making America great. I’m ready to go" ... he was then executed by lethal injection and died within minutes.

What are believed to be human remains have been discovered near Taylor Swift's Rhode Island mansion.

The body part was located Wednesday morning in the ritzy Westerly neighborhood, police confirm to TMZ.

The site of the discovery is just blocks from the home at which Taylor is known to host star-studded gatherings ... though she hasn't been spotted there in quite some time.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman talked about the "L" he took in court during a public meeting just hours after convicted double murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez inched closer to freedom with their big legal victory Tuesday.

TMZ obtained video of Tuesday night's panel discussion hosted by Fox L.A. News anchor Elex Michaelson, who questioned Hochman about his loss at the Menendez Brothers resentencing hearing earlier in the day.

Check out video, obtained by TMZ, which shows Michaelson seated next to Hochman and others onstage at L.A.'s Temple Isaiah — and things get tense right from the get-go in front of the crowd.

Erik and Lyle Menendez can celebrate a new court victory -- the judge gave them a new sentence, which allows for parole ... so now, they can get out of prison after facing the state parole board.

The brothers attended Tuesday's resentencing hearing by video, and they were emotional as the judge changed their sentence to 50 years to life ... instead of the life without possibility of parole sentence they originally got.

Menendez family members -- many of whom testified they wanted Erik and Lyle to be released from prison -- also erupted in joy, hugging each other in court as they celebrated their new sentences.

The Menendez Brothers got good news today in court in their ongoing quest for freedom ... a judge has denied a petition to stop a resentencing hearing from happening, and the brothers will get their day in court next week for the next step.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic rejected the prosecution's motion to stop next week's resentencing hearing, finding there's no new information revealed in a risk assessment report on the brothers that would stop the consideration.

Friday, details from the Compliance Risk Assessment (CRA) were revealed -- Lyle broke prison rules last year for being in possession of a phone. This year, Erik also broke rules, by having a cellphone and communicating with someone outside prison, and by purchasing and trading drugs, and lastly, performing tax fraud.

Bryan Kohberger's alleged search history is pretty eerie ... cops say he was looking up Ted Bundy and nonconsensual pornography in the weeks before and after he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students.

Kohberger used his phone to browse the internet for porn with the key words "forced," "passed out," "drugged" and "sleeping" ... according to NBC News. He also searched for "Ted Bundy" ... a notorious serial killer.

The alleged murderer's search history is featured in an upcoming episode of "Dateline" ... and NBC also says they obtained surveillance footage showing a white car circling the area where the students were stabbed to death in their off-campus house in 2022.

The feds would probably say Luigi Mangione got his just desserts on his birthday -- 'cause he had to nosh on some crappy prison food!!!

TMZ obtained a copy of Luigi's breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for his 27th birthday Tuesday, while locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

And while much of the food is the type of stuff we all eat ...it all seems kind of nasty when you factor in the whole jailhouse aspect.

Buster Murdaugh, the only surviving son of disgraced former attorney and convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh, is officially off the market -- tying the knot with his fiancée ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Buster and his longtime fiancée, Brooklyn White, exchanged vows during a ceremony in Beaufort, South Carolina, surrounded by family and friends Saturday.

Notably absent from Buster’s special day were his parents and younger brother. His mother, Maggie was murdered in 2021 ... and his father, Alex, is currently serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole after being convicted in 2023 for the double homicide of Maggie and Buster’s brother, Paul.

Karen Read looks to be taking her retrial for murder in stride ... appearing relaxed after a recent court appearance -- having a drink and chatting with strangers.

TMZ has obtained photos of Read at SAVR, a bistro in Boston's Seaport District -- not long after she finished up another week of her retrial on Friday.

Eyewitnesses tell us Read was with her legal team -- including powerhouse defense attorney Alan Jackson ... who we're told flattered everyone in the bar, working the room and schmoozing like a pro.