True Crime

The murder trial for alleged Tupac Shakur killer Duane "Keffe D" Davis saw its grueling second day ... and it was wild after yesterday's opening arguments, which were 30 years in the making.

As TMZ reported ... Keefe is accused of planning the murder of the legendary rapper and allegedly produced the gun used to kill Tupac ... though prosecutors say he wasn't the trigger man that fateful night.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

Tupac stuck to street code until the bitter end ... refusing to rat out his murderer to police, while promising his squad would get retribution.

During the first day of Duane "Keffe D" Davis' trial for allegedly murdering Tupac, former Las Vegas Metro Police Department Officer Garry Dale took the stand to answer some questions about his brief encounter with the rapper.

Dale -- who was in the ambulance with Tupac after he was shot on September 7, 1996 -- said he asked Tupac multiple times who shot him ... but the rapper kept his mouth shut.

He said Tupac only responded by saying he and his crew would "take care of it" ... seemingly implying street justice would deal with the shooter.

The Nancy Guthrie investigation was in trouble from the get-go because of the team's shocking lack of experience ... so says a sergeant connected to the case.

We sat down with Sergeant Aaron Cross -- the president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, a union representing sheriff's deputies -- to discuss the problems that have seemingly plagued the investigation.

Sgt. Cross notes the relative lack of experience among investigators who jumped on the case shortly after Nancy went missing ... noting many of them had just 3 years' experience -- which isn't much when it comes to homicide.

Luigi Mangione just pled guilty to stalking in his federal case in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... a stunning move that could torpedo his upcoming New York state murder trial.

Mangione spoke to the judge, saying ... "After years of enduring pain from a broken back, I shot Mr. Thompson, and he died. I knew what I was doing was illegal." His lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said during a news conference, "He endured years of severe, debilitating pain, following a broken back, while struggling to navigate our health care and health insurance systems," adding, "He believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life."

Agnifilo is previewing what she will argue before the judge when it comes time for sentencing ... that Luigi was so overwrought with pain and anger he was not fully in his right mind when he fired the shots that killed Brian Thompson.

Mangione said he tracked Thompson to a UnitedHealthCare conference, where he posed as an investor to get more info on who was attending. He said he used a gun he printed on a 3-D printer and affixed it with a silencer.

Mangione pled guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death.

Thompson's family was in court to watch the dramatic turn of events. Afterward, the family said they are happy Mangione has been held accountable for "this heinous act," adding, "Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime."

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.

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.

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.

Emotional outburst from Lindsay Clancy ... she broke down sobbing in court while the medical examiner testified in her triple-murder trial.

When Dr. Barbara Olson took the stand on Wednesday, Lindsay started crying so hard that the judge had to call a break and get the jury out of the room.

Dr. Olson was describing 5-year-old Cora's autopsy ... mentioning bruising and discussing the pain and damage associated with dying from strangulation.

Christian Obumseli's attorney is explaining why his family approved Courtney Clenney's plea agreement ... and he says it's the first step towards holding her accountable.

Larry R. Handfield tells TMZ ... Christian's family would have liked to see Courtney receive more prison time for pleading guilty to manslaughter -- she was sentenced to 6 years -- but they recognize no amount of prison time could ever bring Christian back.

He says the guilty plea not only makes Courtney a "convicted felon" ... but also "completely undermines the narrative that has been presented over the last four years, that she acted in self-defense when she took Christian's life."

Huge update in the suspected murder-suicide down in Florida ... TMZ has obtained audio of a concerned friend asking police to do a welfare check ... and she told cops alleged killer Ryan Whiten was suicidal.

Listen to the clip -- a distraught friend of Melanie Hyer called police June 2 after she and Melanie's sister hadn't heard from her for at least a day. She says right from the get-go that Ryan has made it clear in the past he's suicidal ... which is why the friend is so worried about Melanie's well-being.

The woman even says she sent a neighbor over to the house to check in on them ... but received no answer and saw no movement despite both Melanie and Ryan's cars being in the driveway. She also notes the oven is open and a light is on, which she feels is strange.

Courtney Clenney appeared in court Monday in the killing of her boyfriend Christian Obumseli ... accepting a deal that will put her back on the street far sooner than a murder conviction could have.

The former OnlyFans star was sentenced to 6 years in prison for pleading guilty to manslaughter ... but she'll receive credit for the 4 years she's already served -- and with additional credits, she could be released in a little over a year and a half.

After the sentencing was announced, Clenney became teary-eyed as she listened to the Obumseli family deliver a statement. They said the plea may close the legal case, but it does nothing to end their grief -- with Christian's mother declaring, "No sentence, no plea can bring back my son to me."

She urged the public not to remember Christian merely as a name tied to a criminal case ... but as a beloved son, brother and friend whose life and future were ripped away.

The man accused of making chilling threats over Nolan Wells' death had a message for the FBI as he was hauled to jail -- justice for Nolan.

According to a newly filed FBI report, obtained by TMZ, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce was arrested July 29 at a West Sacramento, CA library ... and while FBI agents drove him to jail, one agent told him she wouldn't question him about his federal charges -- but Dumarce apparently started talking anyway.

According to the report, Dumarce said he knew "what this was about" and acknowledged his words got him in trouble ... before adding, "I hope they get justice for that boy."

Ian Diaz's best friend Leslie is disgusted by the outcome of "A Toxic Love Story" ... accusing the folks behind the Netflix documentary of pulling a fast one by making her look like a lovesick dope.

Here's the deal ... Leslie became a lightning rod for trolls who say she's blind to Ian's crimes because she's madly in love -- even though he's in the slammer for a cyberstalking plot involving his former wife Angela Connell Diaz and ex-girlfriend Michelle Hadley.

Now, Leslie's slamming filmmakers for making her come off that way ... insisting she never should've trusted them.

Leslie tells TMZ ... "I expected them to do the research on all they heard from all those filmed for this doc. They were given so much information -- and then decided to abort the truth and ignore all the actual evidence."

The leader of a Mexican criminal cartel was swept up by authorities after allegedly ordering the brutal murders of his son's beauty influencer ex-girlfriend and a mayor.

Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala was arrested in late July by military personnel and law enforcement officers during a joint operation ... according to multiple reports.

Mexican officials say Ayala was known as "El R-1" ... he was the main leader of "Los Rs", one of the most violent criminal organizations connected to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel -- a group allegedly involved in murder, extortion and drug trafficking. 

According to authorities, Ayala masterminded and financed the hit on 23-year-old beauty influencer Valeria Marquez -- whose ex-boyfriend is Ayala's son. In May 2025, Marquez was shot and killed by a gunman while livestreaming in her beauty salon in the Mexican city of Zapopan.

Kaylee Goncalves' dad seemingly doesn't mind Bryan Kohberger wanting to change his guilty plea ... because he says he wants to see Kohberger on trial for his daughter's murder.

Steve Goncalves, his wife Kristi, and their youngest daughter, Aubrie appeared on "Today" Tuesday to talk about the case and the new Netflix documentary about the brutal slaying ... "The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare."

Craig Melvin asked Steve if he still wants to see a trial ... especially since Kohberger has filed to take back his guilty plea -- claiming he's innocent and only confessed because of "false promises" and "disinformation."