Robert Durst Life in Prison For Murdering Friend
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Robert Durst will spend the rest of his life in prison ... the judge just sentenced him to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, in the murder of Susan Berman.
The frail-looking 78-year-old's trial began in March 2020, was adjourned for 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... but now it's come to a close with Judge Mark E. Windham sentencing him to life behind bars, ruling Durst's guilt was proven beyond a reasonable doubt in multiple ways.
Before the sentencing, Durst's legal team tossed up a Hail Mary for a new trial alleging several errors by the court ... but the judge shot it down.
After that, there was a round of emotional victim impact statements -- including one family member calling for Durst to reveal the location of Kathy Durst's body -- and Susan's son spoke at length about how her death negatively affected his life.
As we reported ... Durst was found guilty in the murder of his best friend, Susan, and he was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The first-degree murder conviction and sentencing come more than 6 years after Durst arguably confessed to murdering Berman and his wife, Kathy, on a hot mic during the filming of the documentary, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst."
In the HBO doc, you hear Durst muttering to himself, "You're caught ... What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course." He claims he was high on meth when he made the confession.
You'll recall ... Kathy disappeared way back in 1982 and it's widely suspected Durst killed her, though she was never found and he was never charged. Kathy's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Durst, but he scored a legal 'W' in that suit.
Los Angeles County prosecutors set out to prove Durst killed Berman because she knew something about Kathy's death. Berman's body was found on Christmas Eve in 2000, and just 2 days later, the LAPD received a letter from someone telling cops where Susan's body could be found.
Police said they linked the letter to Durst, but the case went cold ... until it was reopened in wake of the HBO doc.
The sentencing comes nearly 2 decades after Durst stood trial for the 2001 murder of a Texas neighbor. In that trial, he claimed he accidentally shot the neighbor in the forehead during a struggle. Durst was acquitted in 2003.
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Agnes Tirop Olympian's Alleged Killer Arrested
3:07 PM PT -- 10/14 -- Authorities in Kenya say they've caught the person suspected of stabbing Tirop, claiming it was the man who she had been in a relationship with.
According to law enforcement, Ibrahim Rotich stabbed Tirop to death and then went into hiding.
Officials say Rotich then attempted to flee the area in a getaway car, but wrecked his ride while trying to escape -- and was eventually caught by authorities.
Police say Rotich is now "being grilled by detectives" at a local station ... and he's later expected to be arraigned on murder charges.
Story developing ...
Agnes Tirop, an elite Kenyan long-distance runner who finished 4th at the Tokyo Olympics, was tragically found stabbed to death in her home, according to a Kenyan athletic commission.
She was only 25 years old.
According to reports, police are actively looking for Agnes' husband who hasn't been seen since her death.
The BBC is reporting Agnes' father called police Tuesday night, worried he could not reach his daughter.
Sadly, when police arrived at her home in Iten, Kenya, they found Tirop laying in bed, surrounded by a pool of blood, according to the UK outlet.
Police say the runner had what looked like a stab wound to her neck ... and that's what they believe caused her death. She also reportedly had a stab wound to her stomach.
Agnes' husband was not at the home when they arrived ... and has not been heard from since authorities arrived on the scene.
Tirop was one of the best long-distance runners in the world. In fact, just last month she set a women's world record at a 10-kilometer race in Germany. Agnes also took home bronze medals at the World Athletic Championships in 2017 and 2019.
"Athletics Kenya are distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Tirop," the country's athletics body said in a statement.
Everyone from Adidas to Kenya's president weighed in on the tragic loss.
"It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we've lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, had brought our country so much glory," Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's president said in a statement.
"The Adidas family is deeply saddened by the tragic news about Agnes Jebet Tirop. Agnes was an incredible person, a record-breaking athlete and a beloved member of our family. She will be greatly missed by us all and her legacy will forever live on in our memory," the sportswear giant tweeted.
Rest in peace.
Originally Published -- 10/13 3:37 PM PT
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Jay-Z Surprise Live Performance at Screening ... Plays Old Kanye Collab!!!
Jay-Z must have been feeling it after showing off his new movie, because he hopped on the mic and threw down ... on a classic track he did with Kanye.
The hip-hop mogul put on an apparently impromptu show Wednesday night at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium following a screening of "The Harder They Fall" ... a Western with a mostly Black cast that he produced.
Jay held a celebration event after the film, and gave a rare live performance with the band ... spitting some lyrics from "Gotta Have It," from his 2011 collab album "Watch the Throne" with Ye.
It's just another sign things are cool again between the legendary rappers ... on the heels of Jay surprisingly featuring on "Jail" from West's "Donda" album.
"The Harder They Fall" party only kept elevating, as Seal also joined the band and showed off his pipes ... and everyone appeared to be loving it.
Some of the other celebs in attendance included Regina King -- who stars in the movie -- Tiffany Haddish and Swizz Beatz.
"The Harder They Fall" comes out next weekend, and a "Watch the Throne" sequel? 🙏🏽
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Barstool's Dave Portnoy Frozen Pizza Business Is Boomin' ... Nearly 250k Sold!!!
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Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has turned his pizza obsession into a money-making machine ... revealing his One Bite frozen pies are flying off the shelves -- with nearly a quarter-million sold in just weeks!!
Of course, Portnoy became an extreme pizza savant about 5 years ago ... after a debate with a coworker over what food they could eat every day for the rest of their lives.
To prove his side of the argument, Portnoy started consuming pizza daily ... which led to making popular videos ranking 'za joints all over the country.
"El Pres" joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to discuss his decision to join the pizza industry himself ... saying Stoolies have been asking him to start his own brand for years.
"When you're doing it organically for 5 years, you start to build trust," Portnoy said Thursday. "I don't want to say it was a logical step, but a lot of people were like, 'Hey, you should do your own frozen pizza.'"
"So, it was a while in the works. We finally got it out, and I don't want to say anything surprises me, but I think last call about a week and a half ago we sold close to a quarter-million of these things throughout Walmart. They're flying."
Dave also shares his favorite flavor of the bunch -- cheese, pepperoni, 3 meat and supreme -- and reveals his honest review of his own work.
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Banksy Shredded Painting Sells For $25 Mil ... Record Price For His Work
The famous Banksy painting that got shredded after someone bought it for $1.4 million just got sold again at auction ... and it set a record price for the mysterious artist.
The gavel went down Thursday at Sotheby's in London and the piece, called "Love is in the Bid," had a winning bid of $25.4 million. It's a record auction price for a Banksy.
The art includes the original spray-painted image of a girl reaching up for a heart-shaped balloon on canvas, which was famously shredded, hanging halfway out of an ornate frame.
As we reported ... the original painting titled "Girl With Balloon" went for $1.4 million at a Sotheby's auction back in 2018, and once the gavel dropped the canvas slid down the frame, which became a shredder, cutting the work in pieces.
The audience at the OG auction was stunned, and while the buyer was "surprised," they didn't back out of the deal.
It's a good thing they didn't ... because they just got a major return on that investment. That's one way to make a quick $24 mil!!!
Gotta love the art world ... it ain't for the faint of heart.
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Tristan Thompson Praises Khloe's Bod ... 'Abs Of Steel!!!'
Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian aren't back together, but that hasn't stopped the NBA player from admiring his ex's bod ... 'cause he gushed over the latest pic of her physique Wednesday.
Khloe posted a sizzling photo of her on the cover of Health mag on her social media page ... and just minutes later, Thompson hopped in the comment section with a sweet compliment.
"Wow!!" Thompson wrote. "You are so motivational Koko! So proud of your hard work and dedication to your healthcare and fitness. Abs of steel!! BRB I need to do some sit ups."
Thompson added two heart emojis at the end of his sentence.
The two officially split back in June -- and while we're told they haven't rekindled a romantic relationship since, they have been spotted together an awful lot in the past few months.
You'll recall, the two were seen at LeBron James' wife's birthday party in late August ... and also photographed taking baby True out for activities several times in the weeks prior.
Still ... doesn't seem the time together or Thompson's praise for Khloe's body is changing anything -- just looks like two humans being good people, and a good Mom and Dad.
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Mohamed Hadid Ordered to Fork Over $2.8M to Neighbors ... In Mega-Mansion Lawsuit
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Mohamed Hadid's pockets could get a lot lighter soon ... he's been ordered to fork over almost three million bucks to neighbors in his mega-mansion lawsuit.
According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a jury came to a verdict and decided Mohamed's neighbors John and Judith Bedrosian and Joseph and Beatriz Horacek suffered serious damage when Mohamed tried to build his doomed Bell-Air mansion dubbed the 'Starship Enterprise.'
The jury awarded the Bedrosians $300k and the Horaceks more than $2.5 million for their mental suffering, anxiety, emotional distress, annoyance, inconvenience, and other damages.
The neighbors sued in 2018 over Hadid's massive project on a hillside ... claiming thousands of cubic yards of soils were removed from the hillside without proper permits, which created a dangerously steep slope.
A third-party was appointed to demolish the property and remedy the soils and hillside stability issues. That order came in January 2020 but the structure's still standing.
A judge has now ordered the demolition to go forward. As we reported ... prosecutors also charged Mohamed over the ordeal. He pled no contest and ultimately got 3 years probation, community service and fines.
Case closed, but damn ... it's an expensive case for Mohamed!
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Dog the Bounty Hunter Ripped by Laundrie Family Attorney ... He Just Wants Publicity!!!
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Dog the Bounty Hunter and John Walsh are getting hammered by the Brian Laundrie family attorney, who says both men are inserting themselves in the Gabby Petito case purely for attention.
Steven Bertolino represents the Laundries and tells TMZ ... "Dusty relics like that Dog and John Walsh need a tragic situation like this so they can clear the cobwebs off their names and give their publicity hungry egos some food."
As we've told you ... Dog joined the manhunt for Brian last month, trekking through some rugged terrain in remote sections of Florida and even injured his ankle in the process.
The search has gotten him a lot of attention, and Dog's seen TV offers start rolling in, with multiple networks showing interest in resurrecting a show with him.
We also asked Bertolino if he feels Dog is impeding the official investigation, by showing up unannounced at Brian's sister's house ... and he said, "That's for law enforcement to determine."
As for John ... the "America's Most Wanted" host has a new TV special about the Petito case and the search for Brian.
The Laundrie family, or at least their lawyer, doesn't seem to be fans of either celeb.
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'Squid Game' North Korea Tees Off ... Netflix Hit is 'Beastly' S. Korea!!!
"Squid Game" is the No. 1 show on Netflix in 90 different countries ... but North Korea's blasting it as a "sad reality of a beastly South Korean society."
The North Korean propaganda website, Arirang Meari, chimed in with its review of the survival-game drama ... claiming the show "gained popularity because it exposes the reality of South Korean capitalist culture."
The site went on to claim the show exposes "a world where only money matters -- a hell-like horror." The site views South Korea's capitalist culture as a place where "corruption and immoral scoundrels are commonplace."
The propaganda site also reportedly cited unnamed South Korean film critics saying the series shows an "unequal society where moneyless people are treated like chess pieces for the rich."
The 9-episode thriller pits cash-strapped contestants playing childhood games with deadly consequences ... and the last person standing taking home a pot worth $38 million.
The propaganda site is pissed about the plotline saying, "It is said that it makes people realize the sad reality of the beastly South Korean society in which human beings are driven into extreme competition and their humanity is being wiped out."
Netflix dropped "Squid Game" in September and it's the streamer's most successful show ever. BTW, North Korea levies stiff fines, and even prison, to anyone caught watching South Korean content. That the outlet's not a fan of the show should be no surprise.
Earlier this year ... the same outlet called K-pop stars corporate "slaves" who live a "miserable life" in South Korea.
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Matthew Mindler Suicide from Sodium Nitrate OD Family Warns of Danger
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Matthew Mindler killed himself with an easily accessible substance he picked up online ... and his mother wants everyone to know about the extreme danger of the compound.
The Lancaster County Medical Examiner's Office tells TMZ ... the former child star's cause of death was sodium nitrate toxicity. According to the M.E., the OD was intentional and as such his death was ruled a suicide.
If you're unfamiliar ... sodium nitrate is an oxidizing agent -- one often used to preserve foods, like meat -- that causes hypotension and limits the flow of oxygen in the body, which can result in death.
While sodium nitrate deaths are often accidental, Matt's was anything but ... this according to his mom, Monica, who says she discovered a harrowing trail Matthew left behind.
Monica tells us she looked up Matt's recent Internet search histories, and it turns out ... he was looking up information on this lethal compound as it pertained to suicide, and ways to obtain it and take it for the ultimate effect of ending one's life painlessly.
We're told she had no clue this was something he'd been exploring prior to his body being found by school officials near his university in Pennsylvania -- but more importantly, she wants this to serve as a cautionary tale for others.
Monica hopes someone else's life can be saved if folks know what warning signs to look for ... as this is a fairly cheap product Matthew seems to have ordered on Amazon with relative ease, at just $15, which Monica says was enough to kill 4 people.
In other words ... awareness is everything, and she hopes Matthew's story serves as a wake-up call.
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Cardi B Here's My $1.5 Mil Bday Gift ... In Tropical Paradise!!!
Cardi B's birthday gift from Offset really shows how $1.5 million goes a lot further in the Caribbean than it does in Hollywood ... check out this pad!!!
As we told you ... Cardi's hubby unveiled his present to her at her 29th birthday bash earlier this week -- a sweet chunk of real estate in the Dominican Republic -- but now we're getting a first look inside, and it has awesome ocean views.
The newly constructed, luxurious villa has 7 beds, 7 baths and 8,000-sq.-ft of living space ... sitting on a 4-acre hillside lot right near the beach.
As you can see ... the 4-story mansion features not one, but 2 main entrances, an Italian kitchen, wine fridge, rooftop pool and a separate studio with a kitchen and living room.
The property's also inside a guarded and gated private community that boasts 3 tennis courts, private beach access, 2 more pools and, of course, a helipad!!! Gotta beat that tourist traffic.
Cardi had previously said she wanted an investment property in the Caribbean, and clearly ... Offset nailed it.
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Joe Rogan to Sanjay Gupta: Get Vaccinated ... Then Hang Around 'Dirty People' And get COVID!!!
Joe Rogan had a super-interesting convo with CNN's Sanjay Gupta ... it was confrontationally civilized.
The good Doc was clearly on a mission to counter Rogan's message about the COVID vaccine. "The Joe Rogan Experience" is a huge platform -- 200 million downloads per month -- so Gupta was clearly there to challenge Joe over not getting the shot.
Rogan made it clear --- he's not anti-vaccine. In fact, he says he made an appointment to get the shot but ended up a no-show. As for why ... Rogan said, "I'm a healthy person, I exercise constantly, I'm always taking vitamins, I take care of myself."
Gupta was gentle, but clear -- asking Rogan if it's better to have the virus than to become infected. Rogan, who got COVID, conceded it was no fun going through it, but added he's been sicker with a bad cold.
That doesn't address the fact more than 700,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID, and Joe agreed certain people -- including the elderly and the overweight -- should get jabbed, but not everyone.
Then Joe dropped a theory that stunned Sanjay ... "I think it would be better to get the vaccine and recover and have amazing immunity ... you know what I think you should do? I think you should get vaccinated and then get sick ... the vaccine protects you from a bad infection and you get COVID so you get robust immunity ... get vaccinated, let it wane and hang around with a bunch of dirty people."
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Gupta made it clear .... the win is for someone not to have the virus at all, and that's what the vaccine does.
And, then Rogan called out CNN for saying he was taking "horse medicine." Joe did say last month he had taken ivermectin, but clearly has issues the way it was reported.
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'Southern Charm' Madison LeCroy She's Engaged!!! Months After A-Rod, Jay Cutler Ties
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"Southern Charm" star Madison LeCroy is ready to walk the aisle ... 'cause TMZ's learned she recently got engaged and, no -- it's not to Alex Rodriguez or Jay Cutler.
Sources tell TMZ ... Madison's boyfriend, Brett, popped the question and Madison didn't hesitate for a second with a "Yes," because, as one source put it, he treats her better than any man has before. She also loves that he's a good father-figure to her 8-year-old son, Hudson.
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Our sources say Madison and Brett didn't meet that long ago and weren't even living in the same state when they first started dating.
We're told the relationship is so mysterious ... a lot of her friends haven't met Brett but she's ALWAYS talking about how much she cares about him. Back in April, Madison, who previously dated co-star Austen Kroll, teased on social media she was dating someone new. And, 2 months later, she and Brett went IG official.
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The engagement comes not long after Madison was rumored to be at the center of A-Rod's split with Jennifer Lopez. Remember, there were claims A-Rod got cozy with Madison, but A-Rod's team said they never even met.
She had also previously been linked to ex-Bears QB Cutler... though that was a brief fling. Nevertheless, Madison now seems more than content to have a new man.
While we don't know much else right now about the relationship, our sources say Madison and Brett's relationship is documented in the upcoming 8th season of "Southern Charm" ... though it's unclear if production cameras captured the proposal.
Either way ... congrats!!!
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NJ Cemetery We Didn't Bury Body Over Another One Denies Viral Video's Claims
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The cemetery accused in a viral video of burying bodies on top of each other insists there's no nefarious tale from the crypt going on, because it's not what it looks like on camera.
Here's the deal ... a woman visiting her sister's plot at Laurel Grove Cemetery in New Jersey posted a video showing what appeared to be a fresh mound of dirt over her loved one's grave. She blasted the cemetery, accusing it of doubling up, and using the plot for someone else too.
Jessica Tawil, who posted the video that's making the rounds on TikTok, says the incident happened Monday, and she claims there was an extremely foul odor coming from the pile of dirt on her family's $12,000 plot, which she believes had been disturbed.
However, Laurel Grove Cemetery tells TMZ ... the video really just shows their process for routine maintenance on plots -- soil gets placed on the area before it's leveled, covered with topsoil, seeded and then covered with hay to protect the seed.
The family isn't buying that, and says they're exploring legal action and want to get the gravesite formally inspected. They claim they filed 2 reports with cops.
Laurel Grove says it's unaware of any police reports. It's also adamant there were no additional burials or disturbances at the plots in the video, and they've explained that all to the family.
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Cher to Sonny's Widow: You Got Sued, Babe Hand Over the Royalties!!!
Cher's going after the widow of her late ex-husband and music partner, and if she and Sonny Bono wrote a song about it ... Cher might have named it, "The Cheat Goes On."
The singer filed suit against Mary Bono Wednesday in a federal court, alleging Sonny's widow's been withholding royalties from Sonny and Cher's 1960s hits ... such as "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On."
According to the legal docs ... Cher claims when she and Sonny divorced in 1975, they agreed to an equal split of their music royalties and inked a deal to that effect when they settled the divorce in 1978.
Cher alleges Mary's been trying to undo her ownership of those rights and royalties in recent years.
If you aren't familiar ... Cher married Sonny in 1964 -- she was his second wife -- and the duo went on to wild success with their songs, as well as "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" in the early '70s before they split.
Cher went on to a successful solo career in showbiz, while Sonny became a California politician. He wed Mary, his fourth wife, in 1986 ... and was married to her when he died in a skiing accident in 1998.
Cher and Mary reportedly got along well after Sonny's death, but things have clearly chilled ... now Cher's suing for at least $1 million in damages and wants a judge to declare the 1978 divorce settlement splitting up the music royalties is still enforceable going forward.
We reached out to Mary ... no word back yet.
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Prince William Blasts Space Tourism ... Save Planet Earth First!!!
Prince William has some harsh words for the Elon Musks, Jeff Bezos' and Richard Bransons of the world ... focus on fixing this planet instead of exploring what else is out there.
The Duke of Cambridge blasted the so-called "billionaire's space race" and space tourism while speaking to BBC Newscast on the same day William Shatner made history by becoming the oldest person ever to go to space.
You can hear the disdain in William's voice while he also pleas with the sharpest minds to allocate their brains and resources to repair planet Earth. He said, "We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live."
It goes without saying ... William, whose Earthshot Prize will award roughly $70m over the next decade to those focused on saving this planet, says he has ZERO interest in taking part in space tourism. In fact ... he tells the interviewer how high he's been as a former pilot himself, and that was good enough for him.
William's shot at space tourism came on the day Captain Kirk and 3 other crew members hopped on Blue Origin's New Shepard capsule and successfully blasted off into space.
The crew experienced 4 minutes of weightlessness before parachuting back down to Earth. Shatner told Bezos it was "the most profound experience" of his life.