True Crime

Erik Menendez's dream of walking free after spending decades behind bars for the shotgun murders of his parents just went up in smoke ... he's been denied parole!

The California parole board's decision was handed down Thursday night after a marathon hearing in which Erik told what happened that fateful night and gave a window into his life behind bars. Eighteen members of Erik's family also gave statements on his behalf, but none of it could convince the board to release him.

Board of Parole Commissioner Robert Barton said he believes Erik still poses an unreasonable risk to public safety. Barton cited Erik's criminal behavior at the time of the 1989 murders and his past burglaries, as well as his cover up of the slayings with his brother, Lyle, who was also convicted of killing their parents.

The attorney representing Jaylen Brown's father, Marselles Brown, said in a courtroom minutes ago his client was acting in self-defense during that violent parking lot dispute in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The lawyer, Arnold Weinstock, told News3LV Marselles only got physical with Cross Tupuola after the youth football coach had pistol-whipped him.

"Everything I know," the attorney said, "and I've known Mr. Brown for quite some time, I do not believe that he initiated anything, and he is telling me that everything that occurred was him trying to defend himself after he was struck."

Erik Menendez's stepdaughter Talia is speaking out amid his marathon parole hearing Thursday in California.

Talia -- who's the daughter of Erik's wife Tammi -- hopped on Instagram this afternoon to tell fans she has no update yet other than to say she's "just as anxious" as everyone else about the hearing's outcome. As you know, Erik and his brother Lyle were convicted decades ago for the shotgun murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez.

Talia is a huge advocate for Erik and Lyle and constantly writes in support of them on her Instagram account. In July, she posted about Erik's kidney stones, saying he was recovering from a 2nd surgery related to his health issue.

Hernandez Govan, the man accused of helping facilitate Young Dolph's November 2021 murder -- was just found not guilty in court!!!

On Thursday, a jury reached a verdict nearly four years after the superstar rapper was gunned down in his Memphis hometown, finding Govan not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

We also obtained the court docs dismissing Govan from the case.

The trial included testimonies from multiple law enforcement agency witnesses as prosecutors attempted to prove text messages showed Govan orchestrated the murder, although he did not actually fire the deadly shots.

Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown's dad -- former boxer Marselles Brown -- was arrested for attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a youth football coach in parking lot dispute, TMZ Sports has learned.

Las Vegas Metro Police is investigating a stabbing that went down at All American Park on Wednesday ... stating two men were in a verbal altercation over a parking space when the suspect stabbed the victim multiple times in the stomach.

According to the arrest report we obtained ... the alleged victim's girlfriend actually told cops it was over Brown dinging their vehicle with the door of a Lincoln Navigator as he got out of the passenger side.

Bryan Kohberger says prison life’s already a nightmare -- claiming inmates won’t stop hurling threats and crude sexual taunts his way ... and now he’s begging for a transfer.

In a handwritten note, the convicted killer pleaded with officials to get him out of Idaho Maximum Security Institution's J-Block -- just a day after being transferred there on July 29. People was first to report on the July 30 note.

Kohberger insists in the note he's not part of any recent chaos -- citing "flooding/striking" -- but claims he's getting slammed with "minute-by-minute" threats and harassment, saying he wants out of J-Block ASAP.

The Menendez brothers' family is optimistic about their parole hearings this week ... but, they're not counting Erik and Lyle before they're released.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition -- a group made up of their family members who have advocated on their behalf publicly over the last year -- released a statement Wednesday ahead of Erik's Thursday parole hearing and Lyle's Friday hearing.

The family says they remain "cautiously optimistic" ... but, they add they know the parole process in California is grueling -- so, they aren't letting their hopes get too high. They say Erik and Lyle are ready for the scrutiny of their respective parole hearings.

Bryan Kohberger allegedly bragged to a classmate that whoever pulled off the Idaho quadruple murders must have been a "pretty good" killer -- and even commented on the timing of the killing being perfect ... this according to recently released police documents.

The reports detail how Kohberger -- the confessed murderer of 4 University of Idaho students -- met another female student at Washington State University, in Pullman -- and had a conversation with her three weeks after the savage killings in November 2022.

The female student told cops Kohberger started talking about the quadruple homicide, saying that whoever did the dirty deed "must have been pretty good."

DNA testing confirms Travis Decker is the only suspect in the murders of his three young daughters, according to new information from investigators ... as the manhunt for the fugitive continues.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in Washington shared the update in the riveting case Tuesday, saying testing shows only DNA from Travis and his daughters -- Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5 -- was found on the plastic bags covering the corpses' heads when they were discovered in a wooded area near a state campground in early June.

Police also say testing done by the Washington State Crime Lab linked Decker's DNA profile to cable ties collected at the scene as well.

Courtney Clenney killed her boyfriend Christian Obumseli in Miami back in 2022 ... but whether she murdered him or killed him in self-defense will be the subject of her trial -- and, we examine the case in a documentary now available to stream on YouTube.

We've put our doc "TMZ Investigates: Killer OnlyFans Model: Deadly Love Story" on the video streaming site ... which takes viewers through all the beats of Clenney and Obumseli's toxic relationship.

Clenney -- who was seen hitting Christian during a trip to Aspen, Colorado -- has claimed self-defense. She's facing a second-degree murder charge in Florida.

6:00 PM PT -- Steve Gonclaves -- Kaylee's father -- tells TMZ … "The only thing more disturbing than the murder of your child is hearing that the killer called out her name while committing this heinous act -- and then discovering the prosecutor deliberately hid this fact from the families."

He calls the court system in Latah County corrupt and calls for an immediate audit of it. Steve asks how anyone can justify "protecting such savagery in the name of justice" and calls on Idaho to do better in the future.

Steve also tells us ... "Kaylee knew she was being hunted—yet no one in that town lifted a finger to stop it."

Chilling new docs show Bryan Kohberger called out Kaylee Goncalves by name moments before the brutal Idaho student murders.

According to a surviving roommate's interview with Idaho State Police, she woke up around 3 AM on the day of the murders and heard a man say, "It's OK Kaylee. I'm here for you," followed by crying. Minutes later, the roommate saw a masked man dressed in black standing in the kitchen.

Goncalves was killed along with Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in November 2022. The revelation suggests Kohberger not only knew Kaylee but also targeted the victims.

Bryan Kohberger is crying that fellow inmates inside his Idaho prison are taunting him by yelling at him through vents ... but prison officials say that's just how guys in the joint talk to each other.

Here's the deal ... inmates at Idaho's Maximum Security Institution are reportedly taking turns screaming into the vent that leads to the cell where Kohberger is in solitary confinement, and the admitted murderer whined to prison guards that the noise is preventing him from sleeping.

The Idaho Department of Corrections tells TMZ ... "We are aware of Kohberger's complaints about what he considers taunting. Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison."

Bryan Kohberger was on the phone with his mom less than two hours after killing four University of Idaho students and investigators say the timing shreds his alibi.

Digital forensics expert Heather Barnhart told PEOPLE, Kohberger called his mom at 6:17 AM on November 13, 2022 -- shortly after getting back to his Washington State University apartment after carrying out the gruesome murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

According to Barnhart, he tried calling his mom at 6:13 AM, then called his dad when she didn't pick up. Kohberger and his mom talked for 36 minutes, and at 8:03 AM, Kohberger rang her again for 54 minutes right around when prosecutors say he drove back toward the crime scene.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian are stepping in on a real-life mystery -- TMZ has learned they called Amy Bradley’s family to help track her down.

Sources tell TMZ Kim and Khloe personally called Amy’s mom, Iva, last Thursday -- chatting for about an hour as Iva filled them in on the case and where things stand now.

ICYDK, Amy’s family reached out after Kim posted about the new Netflix doc "Amy Bradley Is Missing" -- and we’re told Kim and Khloe were especially intrigued by the detail about an IP address in Barbados that kept checking the Amy Bradley Is Missing website.

Kaylee Goncalves' father is talking to politicians about taking away commissary funds for murderers like Bryan Kohberger ... and, in his ideal world, that money would be repurposed to pay for the killer's execution.

We caught up with Steve Goncalves Friday ... and, he tells us he's working with two Idaho legislators to make convicted murderers like Bryan Kohberger reimburse taxpayers for the investigation costs of their crimes through their prison commissary funds.

The Goncalves family is leading the charge ... consulting with Xana Kernodle's family on occasion.

The Menendez brothers are making a last-ditch effort to get a new trial, and none of what they've presented is compelling enough to get them one ... so says the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

The D.A.'s Office filed a 132-page response to the writ of habeas corpus submitted on behalf of Erik and Lyle, in which the office ripped into their attempt to get a new trial based on two pieces of what they call "new evidence" in the case.

The D.A.'s argument is focused on the premeditated nature of the murders ... writing, "There are few murder cases in which the evidence of planning and premeditation is as stark as that presented in this case."