True Crime

Laken Riley -- the nursing student prosecutors claim was killed by an undocumented immigrant back in February -- may have used her phone to call 911 before she died ... and, the audio is harrowing.

Special Prosecutor Sheila Ross played the call in court in Athens, Georgia Friday ... saying it came in about 8 minutes after Riley began her morning run -- and, captures the sound of her final moments.

There's not much to hear in the actual audio ... just what sounds like heavy breathing and the sound of nature, then some thumping -- before prosecutors say someone on the other end hung up.

Erik and Lyle Menendez and their legal team are making a full court press for freedom at next month's hearing ... and we've learned their star witnesses are people inside the prison.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Menendez Brothers lawyer, Mark Geragos, will call six key witnesses to the stand at their Dec. 11 resentencing hearing ... and they all work for the California Department of Corrections.

The witnesses are two correctional officers, one education officer, a prison guard, a correctional lieutenant and another employee from the Dept. of Corrections ... all of whom have crossed paths with Erik and Lyle during their three-plus decades behind bars.

Incoming Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman says one of his first orders of business is tackling Erik and Lyle Melendez's bid for freedom ... and the clock's ticking.

Hochman, who just defeated incumbent George Gascón at the ballot box, tells TMZ ... if the Menendez brothers' resentencing case lands on his desk on his first day as D.A., on December 2, he will hit the ground running, poring over documents and talking to all parties involved.

While Gascon has recommended resentencing, Hochman says he's got to review the case and the law before coming to a decision ... but time is of the essence because the resentencing hearing is set for Dec. 11 ... giving Hochman a little over a week to work with.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard had a point to make -- and she made it loud and clear by posting the results of her paternity test.

In an IG post Tuesday, GRB shared a screenshot of her results, confirming with 99.9% certainty that her BF, Ken Urker, is the father of her unborn child -- something she explains in her caption she knew right from the beginning, despite public speculation that her estranged ex, Ryan Anderson, might be the baby's father.

Gypsy explained, "There's been a lot of chatter around the paternity of our baby and while we've known for sure from the beginning, I feel that it's finally time to put all these theories to rest."

Los Angeles County D.A. George Gascón is setting the record straight, saying his push to recommend resentencing for the Menendez brothers isn’t about public buzz or winning an election -- it’s about doing what he personally believes is right.

On "TMZ Live," Harvey didn’t hold back on grilling Gascón about all the renewed public interest playing into the Menendez brothers’ case -- saying the considerations of their case are purely based on the evidence.

Gascón shot down the hype factor, telling us his decision came down to what he feels is right -- and not because of public opinion, or an effort to win votes.

Judge Mathis says Erik and Lyle Menendez deserve to be free men ... telling us new evidence they were allegedly molested by the father they killed totally changes things.

We got the TV judge Thursday at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, and our photog asked him about the Menendez brothers and their bid to get out of prison after nearly 35 years behind bars.

Judge Mathis says if he was handling their resentencing case, he would reduce the length of their punishment on account of the molestation claims and send them home ASAP.

The Menendez brothers' childhood home isn't known as the "murder house" anymore ... with famed realtor Josh Flagg crediting Ryan Murphy's drama for the successful rebrand.

We caught up with the "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" star outside Craig's in West Hollywood Tuesday, where he shared his 2 cents on the infamous siblings' former abode ... and how its reputation has changed in recent months.

As Josh put it ... he doesn't think it will be hard for the current sellers to offload the mansion for $25 million if they wanted to, given the renewed interest in the case, thanks to Ryan's Netflix series, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

The former home of the Menendez brothers is going to attract a lot of peeps looking for some Halloween creeps -- but another house in Beverly Hills is expected to be a way bigger spooky draw ... as far as cops are concerned.

The house where Erik and Lyle Menendez brutally murdered their parents has been a hot destination for lookie-loos for the last several weeks thanks to wildly popular Netflix specials ... and police have been inundated with calls from angry neighbors.

Cops tell TMZ on the eve of Halloween they expect the affluent block to be a mess with a ton of foot and car traffic ... but they will be keeping a closer eye on The Witch's House, about a mile and a half away, where they assume far more people will visit -- increasing the odds of bonehead antics. Police will have a presence there all day into the night, we're told.

Sharon Osbourne says Erik and Lyle Menendez are right where they deserve to be ... in prison.

We got Sharon and her son Jack Osbourne on Tuesday in Larchmont Village and our photog asked them if they thought the Menendez brothers deserve to be set free after spending nearly 35 years behind bars.

Sharon and Jack say the brothers should remain in lockup ... pointing out they shot their parents to death with shotguns ... and they don't think the molestation allegations against Jose Menendez should be enough to spring Erik and Lyle.

True crime fans have a chance to buy one of Los Angeles' most infamous properties ... the Los Feliz Murder Mansion has officially hit the market.

For those unfamiliar with the macabre estate, the 1920s Spanish Revival -- with 5 bedrooms, 7 baths, and over 9,000 square feet of living space -- sits in the heart of the Hollywood-adjacent neighborhood of Los Feliz ... and has brought in a number of murder-obsessed onlookers over the years.

The grand mansion -- now on the market for $3.649M -- has quite the history thanks to the number of notable deaths tied to the home. First built in 1925 for Harold and Florence Schumacher ... the couple famously passed away within weeks of each other 3 years after purchasing the home.

Big twist for Erik and Lyle Menendez ... a judge who may have been sympathetic to their bid to get out of prison is off the case, and a new judge is coming on board.

The case has been transferred to the Van Nuys Courthouse, which is where the brothers were originally tried for murdering their parents, and the new judge coming into the fold is Michael V. Jesic of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Jesic is a former district attorney who is known as a law and order guy and for being prosecution-oriented ... and he's described as being very smart and fair.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is cutting through the confusion about her unborn child's paternity -- we're told she’s finally set to take a paternity test this week!

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Gypsy isn’t questioning her boyfriend Ken Urker's paternity -- she’s doing this to give the public, and her estranged ex Ryan Anderson, some closure -- so he and everyone else can move on and know once and for all RA is not the baby daddy.

We’re hearing that Ryan hasn’t been clued in about the test because Gypsy doesn’t need his DNA -- she only needs Ken’s to confirm he’s the baby daddy. She’s confident it's him -- but if he's not, the results will clearly show he’s a 0% match.

The Menendez brothers are a step closer to potentially getting out of prison ... because Los Angeles' District Attorney just filed the document officially asking a judge to resentence them.

D.A. George Gascón filed the motion mere minutes ago ... asking a judge to change the brothers' sentences from life without the possibility of parole to life with the possibility of parole. Because of time served, this would allow them to potentially be released from prison immediately.

It's a long document ... but, basically, the D.A.'s office says Erik and Lyle have been upstanding inmates and no longer present a risk to public safety -- so, there's no reason to keep them locked up.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's telling the Menendez brothers to tread carefully ... because while people are currently advocating for them, she knows from personal experience it won't always be like that.

We spoke with Gypsy, and she tells us she hopes all the facts of their case are taken into account, and they have a peaceful transition back into society if they're released following Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón's decision to advocate for resentencing.

That said, GRB says she worries society's building them up only to tear them down just like she says they've done to her.

The Menendez brothers' possible resentencing is music to Lyle’s first wife’s ears ... 'cause she tells TMZ she’s still standing by the pair, despite her own rocky history with her ex-hubby.

Anna Eriksson, who was married to Lyle from 1996 to 2001, tells TMZ that even though Lyle shattered her trust when a misdirected letter revealed he had feelings for someone else, it doesn’t change her stance -- she still believes the brothers should be freed.

Anna gives us more insight into her heartbreak, admitting she actually fainted when she found out Lyle was all in for someone else. Even though he wanted to work things out, she wasn’t having it -- she says she told him he taught her not to put up with things like that -- and she filed for divorce.

Kim Kardashian is thrilled the Menendez bros have a shot at freedom, and she's singling out Ryan Murphy as a judicial influencer who got the D.A. to act.

Fact is ... there was a hearing set for Erik and Lyle Menendez to make their case long before Murphy's 'Monsters' dropped on Netflix. But L.A. County D.A. George Gascón did make a point that he accelerated the process because of public interest in the wake of the documentary -- presumably he's referring to the Paramount doc.

As for Kim, she was effusive ... "Thank you, George Gascon, for revisiting the Menendez brothers' case and righting a significant wrong."