4:37 PM PT -- Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Luigi's lawyers will resurrect the Extreme Emotional Distress defense as they get closer to the trial date. We're told the reason they backed off now is that they are doing more psych evaluations with Luigi and don’t want to turn over the records until they are complete. They also don’t want to play their hand until they get closer to trial.
It's a shocker for sure ... Luigi Mangione has backed off his core defense that was just announced in court yesterday, but there may be more to this story than meets the eye.
As we reported, the judge in his New York State murder trial revealed Wednesday ... Luigi's lawyers were mounting a novel defense called Extreme Emotional Disturbance. Short story -- it essentially means he was out of his head when he shot and killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
TMZ has reported extensively on Mangione's obsession with corporate greed ... and the defense planned to argue that obsession created an altered state in which Luigi felt he fired the gun to save humanity. If the jury bought the argument, it would reduce the murder charge to manslaughter.
The Massachusetts mom accused of brutally murdering her three young children was back in court again Thursday ... and she held an unsettling look on her face for most of the appearance.
Lindsay Clancy entered the courtroom in a wheelchair for the final pretrial conference hearing .... where her lawyer told the judge the 35-year-old was "a vegetable practically" due to medications ... claiming she struggled with severe mental health problems before the January 2023 triple murders.
Carlos Mencia has been hit with 12 tax-related criminal charges ... and he could face more than a decade in prison if convicted on all of them -- according to the L.A. district attorney.
The L.A. County District Attorney's Office is set up at Hall of Justice in downtown ... where D.A. Nathan Hochman spoke to the assembled members of the media.
Mencia has been charged with 12 counts ... six connected to his personal tax returns and six to his business tax returns, Hochman said. Prosecutors allege Mencia failed to report $8.7 million in income -- and owes more than $300K in unpaid state taxes.
Comedian Carlos Mencia is in some trouble with the law ... the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says they'll soon be announcing criminal charges against him.
D.A. Nathan J. Hochman says he will announce the charges against Mencia at 2 PM PT in a Thursday press conference outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.
It’s unclear what exactly the charges will be … but the D.A.'s office says they've been filed as the first case by L.A.'s newly created Business Tax Fraud Unit.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were spotted out in L.A. for the first time since their Beverly Hills home was targeted in a terrifying shooting ... and the superstar couple appeared to be in great spirits.
The singer looked effortlessly stylish in a beige belted coat and matching trousers, while Rocky kept it sharp in a suit Wednesday as the pair stepped out of celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica.
The two looked relaxed and happy as they enjoyed a night out together, putting on a united front months after the frightening ordeal.
The alleged killer of Anna Kepner is exactly where he should be -- behind bars -- so he can't hurt anyone anymore ... this according to Anna's family, who say they are now "at peace."
Anna's loved ones issued a statement to ABC News, saying it was painful to see 16-year-old Timothy Hudson out on bail for as long as he was after being charged with killing Kepner, his 18-year-old stepsister.
Recently, the judge in the case ruled that the evidence against Hudson is overwhelming and revoked his bond, sending him to jail.
Chud the Builder was out on bond when he allegedly tried to kill a man outside a Tennessee courthouse ... and that bond has now been revoked.
Here's the deal ... on May 9, Chud -- real name Dalton Eatherly -- was arrested after he allegedly walked out on a restaurant tab of nearly $400. Prosecutors charged him with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest -- but he posted bond and was released.
Less than a week later, Chud allegedly shot another man ... and he was hit with an attempted murder charge -- a violation of his bond agreement in the other case, which required Chud to stay out of trouble.
Judge Melissa Blackburn ruled to revoke the bail ... saying it was "Based on what I've seen on social media and Mr. Eatherly's behavior."
Autumn Dalyis no longer facing criminal charges for violating the terms of her supervised release stemming from a theft case ... because prosecutors decided to drop the case ... TMZ has learned.
Here's the deal ... Autumn pleaded guilty in 2022 to first-degree theft and was ordered to pay $175K in restitution as part of her supervised release. Prosecutors later alleged she failed to make required payments and complete several other court-ordered requirements, leading to her February 2025 arrest.
But according to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a Texas judge has now signed off on dismissing the case after prosecutors said new information came to light regarding the alleged victim.
The Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heuermann, will be spending the rest of his life behind bars.
The judge sentenced Heuermann to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday, calling him a "disgusting and despicable man," according to multiple reports.
The judge addressed Heuermann directly during sentencing, telling him straight up ... "You're a coward." According to PEOPLE, he then ordered the killer be removed from court, saying ... "Get him out of here."
Luigi Mangione wants to mount a seldom-used defense in his murder trial -- Extreme Emotional Disturbance -- and if the jury buys it, Mangione could become a free man one day.
Mangione appeared in court Wednesday with his lawyers, who informed the judge he will use the defense when he goes on trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
What's fascinating ... the defense would allow Mangione and his lawyers to effectively put UnitedHealthCare on trial, showing the company's conduct in denying claims was so egregious it upset Mangione to the point of meltdown. As TMZ has extensively reported, Mangione was extremely upset with the way corporate greed controlled the United States.
Jonathon Cooper's attorney went scorched earth on prosecutors for dropping charges against the Broncos star's girlfriend ... claiming it all comes down to racism.
Cooper and his girlfriend, Jade Fiegen, were arrested earlier this month after an altercation over cell phones and alleged cheating ... and both were booked for criminal mischief and domestic violence.
A judge dismissed the charges against Fiegen on Tuesday ... while Cooper is facing more after being arrested again last week for violating a protective order stemming from the initial incident.
Rapper Mystikal was just sentenced to 20 years behind bars ... after pleading guilty to raping a woman.
The victim in the case described how the musician -- born Michael Lawrence Tyler -- brutally sexually assaulted her in his Louisiana home in 2022 ... and she asked the judge to levy the maximum sentence, according to WBRZ.
As we reported ... the rapper was originally arrested back in 2022 ... and entered a guilty plea to third-degree rape in a Louisiana courtroom last month, under a deal with prosecutors.
After the victim told the court Mystikal choked her, punched her and forcibly raped her, he stood up and said ... "If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence."
A 19-year-old Ohio man arrested for the alleged terror plot against UFC Freedom 250 has been identified ... and authorities say he called out his alleged co-conspirators during an interview with them.
Tycen Proper was collared by federal agents from the Cincinnati division last week ... then snapped a vacant stare mugshot, WXIX reported.
In the federal criminal complaint against Proper, feds say local police received a call on June 10 from Proper's mother expressing concern about her son's actions.
Kendra Duggar is making a major real estate move as husband Joseph Duggar gears up for trial in his child molestation case ... listing the family's Arkansas home for sale amid their growing legal troubles.
The couple's home is in Siloam Springs ... it's 1,738 square feet with three bedrooms and is on the market for $407,900 ... according to real estate records. The estate sits on 1.14 acres.
The listing comes months after Joseph and Kendra discussed unloading the home during a jail phone call.
At the time, the pair weighed whether it made more sense to sell the property or keep it as a rental source of income if Joseph were to serve prison time.
Diddy might be trading a federal prison for a recording studio sooner than expected ... because the music mogul's projected prison release date has been moved up.
The music producer and rapper is now scheduled to be released from federal lockup on February 23, 2028 ... according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
This is an improvement for Diddy ... his previous prison release date was reportedly in April 2028 ... which had been moved up from June 2028.
Jeffrey Epstein fashioned multiple nooses in jail -- after asking how to make one -- before taking his own life while imprisoned at New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center.
This new information surrounding the late, disgraced financier comes from a new report by The New York Times ... which spoke to over 40 inmates, jail employees, federal officials, and more officers associated with Epstein's controversial death. The report tries to answer some of the biggest questions surrounding his suicide.
Epstein exhibited patterns showing he idealized killing himself, the report shows.
For instance, one of his former cellmates, Nicholas Tartaglione, told the outlet he abruptly asked him one day, "How do you make a noose?" Tartaglione also claimed he once found a noose hidden under Epstein's mattress.
