True Crime

The British man who pleaded guilty this week to murdering 3 little girls in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the UK last year has just been sentenced to 52 years in prison.

18-year-old Axel Rudakubana walked into a dance studio last summer and attacked children inside with a knife, killing 3 girls -- a 6-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a 9-year-old -- and injuring 10 others. He was arrested at the scene, still holding the kitchen knife he used.

Rudakubana -- who was 17 at the time of the attack -- was charged with murder and attempted murder, as well as producing poison, and possession of an Al-Qaeda training manual ... the poison and the manual were found in his home after the attack. He pleaded not guilty in December, but changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial Monday.

Erik and Lyle Menendez's relatives aren't saying much about their first meeting with the new L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman ... and he isn't either.

Hochman held a news conference Friday but he didn't get into any specifics of his conversations with Menendez family members ... only saying he felt the meeting was "productive."

While dozens of Erik and Lyle's family members -- who are also victims in the case -- support their release, Hochman says the number of relatives supporting their freedom doesn't matter ... it's more about the content of what they have to say, among other things.

Big day for Erik and Lyle Menendez ... relatives are set to meet with new Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman to discuss resentencing the brothers for the notorious murders of their parents decades ago.

Twenty family members of Jose and Kitty Menendez -- who were shot-gunned to death by their children in 1989 -- will sit down today with Hochman to ask the DA for a reduced sentence for Erik and Lyle.

As you know, the brothers were convicted of the slayings in their second trial in 1996 and sentenced to life without parole. Their first trial ended in a mistrial.

It is going to be quite the New Year for Gypsy Rose Blanchard ... who is now a new momma!

Gypsy and partner Ken Urker tell TMZ ... she gave birth Dec 28 in Louisiana to Aurora Urker ... and that exact date just so happens to be on the one-year anniversary of Gypsy’s prison release date.

Ken added ... "Aurora is healthy and we are so happy."

Luigi Mangione's cultural impact is defying gravity ... he's now the inspiration behind a viral drag performance sparking serious chatter online.

Check it out ... a performer named August Ryder shared footage on X of his set from Sunday's "So You Think You Can Twink" pageant at the Precinct DTLA nightclub in Los Angeles ... where he dressed as the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer and lip-synced to the "Wicked" anthem "Defying Gravity."

Before August even took to the stage, footage of Luigi's high-profile arrest played for the crowd ... which prompted thunderous applause, as well as several hoots and hollers. Yet, it was August's take on the suspected shooter that raised some eyebrows.

A Los Angeles-area home with deep ties to both the Kardashian family and the O.J. Simpson murder trial has hit the market ... TMZ has learned.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... an Encino, Calif. residence, which currently belongs to comedian Russell Peters, is now on the market -- several years after he scooped up the storied property for a notable $5.6 million.

Russell is looking to offload the estate for $5.995 million ... which would give him a decent profit if it's snapped up at this price -- and we're sure the residence will have some takers given its unique history.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says one of her social media pages was hacked ... and she claims the alleged hacker is demanding money to return her account.

GRB says her TikTok was hacked around 1:30 AM Friday ... compromising the account where she has nearly 10 million followers.

Her TikTok bio was changed to read, "Anyone who violates rights becomes a hack freak. rustywrist"

John Bennett Ramsey has plans to meet with local police once again ... in hopes of convincing them to use new DNA-testing technology to solve his daughter's killing.

The father of JonBenét is expected to speak with the Boulder Police Department in Colorado again in January, along with representatives from a leading DNA lab, to push for a new approach to evidence authorities collected nearly three decades ago.

John explains there is new DNA tech that could separate mixed samples ... a major issue with DNA collected at the time, he says. Ramsey's hopeful the police will allow an independent lab to conduct testing on the old crime scene items. JonBenét was killed on Christmas night in 1996, and her body was found hours later, after she had been reported missing.

Suspected Idaho murderer Bryan Kohberger could have had more practice than anyone thought before he allegedly killed 4 University of Idaho students ... turns out he was under investigation for a home invasion that had many of the markings of the savage murders.

The home invasion went down in Pullman, Washington in late 2021, a little more than a year before the Univ. of Idaho murders in a town just a few miles away.

A woman in the house told cops, "I heard my door open and I looked over, and someone was wearing a ski mask and had a knife."

Luigi Mangione says he's not guilty of slaying UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- he entered not guilty pleas Monday morning in New York State court.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to 11 state charges ... including first-degree murder, second-degree murder as crime of terrorism and multiple weapons charges.

The 26-year-old Ivy League grad was dressed like a college preppie -- a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt and khaki pants -- as he stood before the judge with his attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

Luigi Mangione's got hundreds of people donating money to his defense fund ... and a spokesperson for one committee is explaining why they're trying to help him pay his legal fees.

Jamie Peck -- a member of The December 4th Legal Committee -- tells TMZ … part of the reason why they started the fund for Mangione is their belief everyone deserves a fair trial – even someone accused of terrorism.

While Peck makes it clear she isn't co-signing the violence, she hopes the case will have people talking about the broken healthcare system in America.

A TikTok account that potentially belonged to the Wisconsin school shooter is now deleted on the heels of complaints about racist comments on the page ... TMZ has learned.

The account possibly belonging to 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow was first highlighted by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism -- and when we checked it out, we found it only had 2 posts, both related to the movie "Fight Club" ... but they were flooded with comments that were clearly left after the tragedy in Madison, WI.

We confirmed with the ADL the username its people observed was @targetedbloodsport -- and according to them, the account featured the phrase, "Totally nice day," similar to "Totally normal day" ... which the ADL claims is used by racists or white supremacists.

Luigi Mangione's leaving his orange jumpsuit at the courthouse door ... ditching the prison garb for a more fashionable ensemble in federal court Thursday.

According to reports, Mangione entered the Manhattan courtroom wearing "a white button-down shirt, navy three-quarter zip pullover and khaki pants."

Mangione wasn't handcuffed during his court appearance ... though, according to CNN, when court ended for the day Mangione was led from the room between two marshals with his ankles shackled.

An ex-neighbor of the California man accused of plotting a local mass shooting in a coordinated attack with the Wisconsin school shooter is speaking out ... telling TMZ about the chilling, ominous energy he always carried.

The woman, choosing to remain anonymous, talked to us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, revealing that during the 5 to 6 years she lived near 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf, he exhibited seriously creepy behavior -- never talking, avoiding eye contact, always wearing his hood up, and other unsettling anti-social habits.

Catch the video, because she dives into the specific moments when Paffendorf made her feel super uncomfortable around their apartment complex -- and it’s spine-chilling.

Luigi Mangione planned the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson months in advance ... and, he'd clearly been thinking about it longer -- so say federal prosecutors.

In the federal criminal complaint -- filed Thursday -- prosecutors included several diary entries they claim Mangione made over the past few months ... all of which seem to point to Mangione as Thompson's killer.

An entry dated August 15 describes how he's "glad -- in a way -- that I've procrastinated" because it allowed him to learn more about a "Company-1" ... which is how the feds refer to UnitedHealthcare throughout the docs.

Luigi Mangione has arrived in New York to face state and federal charges after being extradited from Pennsylvania.

The suspected killer in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was spotted arriving in New York City Thursday, just hours after appearing in a Pennsylvania court where he formally waived extradition.

Luigi, sporting his fresh shave and new haircut, looked somber as he was led into a secure police vehicle. NYC Mayor Eric Adams was among the dozens of law enforcement personnel who escorted Mangione from a helicopter to the awaiting vehicle.