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The student and teacher who were killed earlier this week in a horrific school shooting in Wisconsin have been identified.

According to The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office ... 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin West died in Monday's shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.

The medical examiner says Erin and Rubi "died as a result of homicidal firearm related trauma." The M.E. says their deaths remain under investigation by police and the medical examiner.

The suspect charged with fatally stabbing 3 little girls and injuring 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the UK has pleaded not guilty to all 16 charges against him.

18-year-old Axel Rudakubana stayed silent during his appearance in Liverpool Crown Court via video link from London's Belmarsh prison Wednesday, where Justice Julian Goose directed the clerk to enter not guilty pleas across the board.

Rudakubana is charged with 3 counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and additional charges for allegedly possessing ricin and an Al-Qaeda manual related to the attack on July 29 this year.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Tuesday Luigi Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

It's unusual to be charged with first-degree murder in the state of New York -- the charge is usually reserved for cases involving the killing of law enforcement officers, serial killers, and for acts of terrorism. Mangione had been facing a preliminary charge of second-degree murder after he was arrested last week.

First-degree murder sentences typically involve life without parole due to the element of premeditated intent. In contrast, second-degree murder might result in a 15-year-to-life sentence, where parole might be an eventual possibility.

5:54 PM PT -- In a statement to PEOPLE through her aunt Larie Pidgeon, Hannah says ... "My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity. I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time."

She continues ... "I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing it all. I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family, and my loved ones as I navigate through this challenging time. Thank you for your understanding."

3:22 PM PT -- The LAPD has released an update to the case ... "The Los Angeles Police Department received notification from Customs Border Protection that Hannah Kobayashi had presented herself on December 15, 2024, for entry into the US and appeared in good health.

"This case is now closed. Hannah Kobayashi has been removed from the Missing and Unidentified Persons System (MUPS)."

Hannah Kobayashi -- the Hawaii woman who temporarily went missing back in November -- is back on American soil ... after crossing the border into Mexico.

Our sources tell us Hannah crossed back into California from Mexico over the weekend, and she was questioned by U.S. officials to make sure everything was OK.

We're told Hannah appeared healthy and was not under any duress ... and she met her lawyer at the border and left with him after crossing into the United States.

Hannah Kobayashi -- the Hawaii woman who went temporarily missing back in November -- has finally gotten in contact with her family ... TMZ has learned.

We're told a member of the family spoke to Hannah today, and she reassured them she is safe. The LAPD confirmed Hannah has been found safe, and the investigation has been closed.

We knew Hannah was down in Mexico ... with the LAPD confirming she crossed the border after taking a train from Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.

4:47 PM PT -- Luigi Mangione, who is a top person of interest in the death of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, has been ordered to be held without bail after appearing in court for the first time Monday.

He was charged with forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, and providing false identification to law enforcement.

While he did not enter a plea, Mangione reportedly spoke against 2 claims made against him ... including the suggestion he was criminally sophisticated.

Mangione's next hearing is set for Dec. 23 in Pennsylvania ... though, New York state is expected to issue a warrant.

Luigi Mangione, the person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, received a police escort into court in a perp walk Monday.

The 26-year-old Maryland native, who was picked up in Altoona, Pennsylvania earlier Monday in connection with the NYC murder, arrived at the Blair County Court House in PA ... where he was set to appear for a preliminary arraignment.

Watch the video ... Mangione, who was detained in handcuffs, appeared stone-faced as he was helped out of the back of police SUV. The person of interest wore a dark long-sleeved shirt and jeans as he made his way into the court ... not uttering a word.

Daniel Penny -- the man who choked Jordan Neely to death on a NYC subway -- has avoided a conviction so far this week after a jury of his peers could not come to a unanimous decision Friday in his trial ... and prosecutors decided to drop the top charge in the case as a result.

The prosecution moved to dismiss the second-degree manslaughter charge after the jury twice told the judge today they could not come to a unanimous verdict.

The judge agreed to drop the charge ... and the jury will reconvene Monday to consider the lesser charge in the case -- criminally negligent homicide. If convicted, he could face up to 4 years in state prison.

The gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson arrived in New York City on a bus from Atlanta ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us the suspected shooter arrived in the Big Apple 10 days before the shooting on November 24 ... taking a Greyhound bus to the Port Authority station in Manhattan.

From there, we're told the suspect checked into a hostel.

Police say the suspect who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson can't hide forever in NYC ... 'cause security cameras recorded a person believed to be the shooter riding away from the murder scene.

Check out the new video, obtained by ABC News, showing a person -- who cops say is the suspect -- riding down a Manhattan street just minutes after Thompson was shot to death early Wednesday outside a hotel.

It appears the rider's wearing a mask, riding down the street very quickly ... but, cops say this is the person they're looking for -- blending in with the rest of the concrete jungle.

President Joe Biden is making a controversial decision with less than two months to go in his presidency ... announcing he's pardoned his son Hunter.

The 46th POTUS announced the news just minutes ago ... releasing a statement saying he's stood by while watching his son being "being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."

Biden goes on to say other people convicted of the same crimes -- lying on federal forms and paying their taxes late because of addiction -- are typically given non-criminal resolutions ... but, Hunter was treated differently.

New York City Police made several arrests Thursday morning as a group of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, TMZ confirmed.

Police tell us ... several people have been arrested, but an exact number is unclear as the disturbance just happened. For the moment ... it appears to have been cleared.

The protesters did not make the televised program on NBC ... but social media was flooded with snaps and video of them making their attempt ... and the quick response from NYPD.

Diddy is staying behind bars ... after a judge just ruled his bail is denied because no conditions can assure the safety of the community.

In his decision, filed Wednesday the judge in the case wrote there is a serious risk of witness tampering and direct evidence of Combs' violence ... pointing to the infamous 2016 video of Diddy beating Cassie and subsequent text messages with her.

In the texts, included in the judge's decision, Cassie wrote to Diddy about her injuries ... adding he was "sick for thinking it's OK to do what you've done."

4:02 PM PT -- President-elect Donald Trump is wasting no time finding a new nominee for Attorney General after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration ... and Trump is going with Pam Bondi.

Trump only waited about 6 hours after Gaetz dropped out to announce his new pick. Bondi is the former Attorney General of Florida.

It's back to the drawing board for President-elect Donald Trump ... he's got to nominate someone else for U.S. Attorney General after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name today.

The former Congressman from Florida just announced on X he is pulling out of consideration to become Trump's AG.

Gaetz says ... "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1."

10:05 AM PT -- Special Prosecutor Dan K. Webb has issued a statement, saying he's disappointed with the Illinois Supreme Court decision and respectfully disagrees with overturning Jussie Smollett's criminal conviction. Webb made it clear the court's decision has nothing to do with JS' guilt or innocence and he categorically believes Smollett is guilty of perpetrating a hate crime hoax against the city of Chicago.

He also pointed out the court's ruling had nothing to do with his 2 years of work on the case because he was appointed to his special prosecution role 5 months after Cook County D.A. Kim Foxx made a plea deal with Smollett. And Webb says it was that plea agreement that led to the "unprecedented" resolution initially in the case, which was the driving factor for the Supreme Court's decision today. In other words, Webb says he did nothing wrong.

9:10 AM PT -- Jussie's attorney, Nenye Uche, tells TMZ ... Jussie is "very pleasantly surprised," even "ecstatic." Uche emphasizes the court decision was unanimous.

He points out in the age of social media, courts need to push back and defend the rule of law and due process -- watch the video, he has some suggestions about how to address that.

A deal's a deal, and that means Jussie Smollett's conviction in the hate crime hoax case is now reversed, and he cannot be tried again ... according to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Illinois' high court ruled Thursday that Jussie's deal with Cook County prosecutors -- when they originally dropped the case against him -- had to be honored. State's Attorney Kim Foxx struck a plea deal with the actor, requiring him to forfeit his $10,000 bond, and do 15 hours of volunteer community service.

The court's ruling says because Jussie held up his end of the deal -- he actually did 18 hours of service -- he should not have been subject to a second prosecution. That's when he was convicted of felony disorderly conduct and sent to jail, briefly, until he appealed the decision.

10:44 AM PT -- Jose Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

The judge in the case just issued the sentence ... Ibarra was found guilty on 10 charges, including malice murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault. Both the defense and the prosecution had opted for a bench trial, with a judge deciding Ibarra's fate, forgoing a jury trial.

The prosecution did not seek the death penalty in the case.

Jose Ibarra -- the man standing trial for nursing student Laken Riley's murder -- has been found guilty.

The verdict was announced minutes ago ... with a Georgia judge deciding Ibarra is guilty after the prosecution and defense agreed to a bench trial instead of a trial by jury.

Video and audio evidence played a key role in this trial ... with video of Ibarra unable to tell cops how he ended up with fresh scratches and marks on his arms just hours after Laken's death played in court earlier this week.