True Crime

The Vanity Fair reporter who went viral for her unsettling grin and wink during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has an explanation for her expressions ... and it's unusual.

Here's the deal ... Brittany Romano stole the show Monday, when a camera panning the courtroom caught her in the front row of the gallery ... she mugged for the camera, with a smile meant for a horror flick ... and she added a wink for good measure.

A streamer caught up with Brittany in the parking lot and asked her why the heck she was grinning ear-to-ear in a setting that was anything but joyful.

Her answer ... she "grew up with Lindsay" ... and also she was mugging for her dad.

The manhunt for a Massachusetts woman suspected in the death of her cop husband is over ... after she was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Karen Solomon went on the run after her veteran officer husband Kurt was found slain in their Worcester home on August 18 ... and it seems all the clues pointed to her.

Karen's body was found Monday in a wooded area with a gun next to it, per reports ... and the manhunt for her was underway after surveillance showed her walking away from the crime scene.

Lindsay Clancy will not be getting a mistrial ... after the judge shot down her defense team's request Monday following controversial testimony about religion.

The drama unfolded during testimony from forensic psychologist Dr. Kirk Heilbrun, who brought up Clancy's belief that she and her children would be together in heaven ... and referenced Catholic teachings on suicide being a "mortal sin."

Clancy's attorney immediately objected and asked for a mistrial, calling the testimony "over the top ... talking about religion, talking about heaven, talking about killing people and the impact it would have on Lindsay as well as her children."

But Judge William Sullivan said no dice.

Sonya Massey's family is speaking out after Sean Grayson's death ... they feel justice wasn't served and wish Sonya's killer had spent a lot more time behind bars.

Sonya's cousin, Sontae Massey, tells TMZ ... the family was devastated and frustrated they weren't notified directly and had to learn about Grayson's death online.

Grayson is the former Illinois sheriff's deputy who shot and killed her after she called 911 in July 2024 to report someone lurking outside her home.

Sontae says he gathered Sonya's mother, son, and daughter to tell them ... but they initially didn't believe him, telling us "they want to see his body."

One of Lindsay Clancy's supporters says the Massachusetts mom shouldn't be on trial for murdering her 3 children ... she says the mental healthcare system failed Lindsay.

Renee Kimball joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and we asked her what justice looks like for her.

She says Lindsay deserves to get the help she begged for and to be able to move on with her life and help others who are going through postpartum psychosis.

Renee organized Thursday's rally at the Massachusetts courthouse where Lindsay is on trial, and tells us her group's support for Lindsay is not meant to justify the deaths of her children.

Princess Diana died because a drunk driver careened into a pillar -- so the official story goes, but a new show casts doubt on that ... and even raises the specter of foul play.

"Celebrity Crime Scene: Princess Diana" takes a hard look at the evidence and raises serious questions about driver Henri Paul's condition at the time of the crash. Fact is, Paul may not have been drunk at all.

Using state-of-the-art A.I. technology, the show recreates the crash from angles never before seen, and 2 mysterious cars -- one inside the tunnel and one outside -- raise questions about whether this was really an accident or something far more sinister.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is trying to make amends after resurfaced prison calls featured her using the n-word.

Here's the deal ... while doing hard time for her role in the 2015 murder of her mother Dee Dee, Gypsy made a few calls to her family and her ex, Ryan Anderson ... and in some of those conversations she used the racial slur.

GRB attempted to apologize and take accountability for the racist language and "cruel, disrespectful comments" in a post on her since-deleted TikTok account, writing ... "I was wrong. The words were racist, and I take full responsibility for saying them. There is no excuse for the language or the pain it's caused."

John Wayne Bobbitt says Hulu is about to tell his infamous story without hearing his side ... and he's already calling BS on the narrative.

John tells TMZ ... no one from "Good American Family" has contacted him about its newly announced second season, which will revisit the 1993 case that made him and Lorena Bobbitt household names.

In 1993, Lorena famously cut off John's penis with a kitchen knife while he was sleeping, then drove away and tossed it from her car ... it was later recovered and surgically reattached.

John says he'd gladly sit down with producers to "go over the details of what happened in our relationship" ... but fears the show will instead lean on Lorena's version of events.

Courtney Clenney is officially out of the Miami-Dade jail where she spent years awaiting the outcome of her murder case ... and now she's got a new lockup to navigate.

TMZ noticed Courtney was no longer appearing Wednesday morning in Miami-Dade County's inmate search portal ... and the Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department tells us she left its custody around 1 AM.

A department rep tells TMZ ... Courtney is now in the custody of Florida's Department of Corrections ... meaning she's made the expected move from county jail to the state prison system.

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.