Crime & Arrests

Brandon Miller just received top honors in his conference -- despite his connection to a murder case -- with the Alabama Crimson Tide star being named Player of the Year.

The Southeastern Conference unveiled the winners of the men's basketball postseason awards on Monday ... which are selected by the 14 head coaches.

The Tide forward -- who leads the SEC this season with 19.6 points per game -- received two of the awards: Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year ... weeks after Miller's name was mentioned in a murder case.

As we previously reported, law enforcement testified that Miller was the one who brought his former teammate, Darius Miles, the gun that killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris. The mother of one was gunned down on Jan. 15 in Tuscaloosa.

Miles' friend, Michael Davis, is the alleged shooter.

Both Miles and Davis are facing capital murder charges ... but Miller isn't in any trouble with the law or his school.

This, of course, has upset some college hoops fans ... who recently chanted "lock him up" at the Bama-South Carolina game last month.

The victim's parents are also furious the university continued to let him play despite the allegations.

"He took a brief pause and it didn’t stop. It’s like, OK, slap on the wrist and go play ball," Harris' mother, DeCarla Cotton, told USA Today.

"They're worried about his career, but what about this 5-year-old boy (Harris’ son, Kaine). He’s the true victim in all this. He won’t have a mother anymore to influence his growing up and who he’s going to be."

Ryan McKenna, once famous for snapping a pic with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl, stands accused of striking a cop during his allegedly drunken arrest ... but new video shows cops tossing him to the ground pretty hard.

The clip, obtained by TMZ, shows 18-year-old Ryan with multiple cops around him as they try to detain him -- they're struggling to get his arms behind his back.

After the attempts to cuff him don't work ... you can see one of the deputies yank him by the leg, flipping him down on a concrete floor. Even after the brutal takedown, Ryan kept his arms tucked to his chest, instead of putting them behind his back.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement was called on the eve of this year's Super Bowl to a CPK in Naples, FL for a report of a man who was drunk and hitting his friend.

According to cops, Ryan and a 15-year-old boy got into an argument, and things escalated to the point where Ryan aggressively pushed their table and started shouting obscenities at the boy's GF.

In their report, cops admit putting hands on Ryan to calm him down, but claim he yanked their hands off his chest. Deputies then tried to detain Ryan, which is apparently when the video begins.

Cops said Ryan was taken to jail and booked for felony battery on a law enforcement officer and 2 misdemeanors -- resisting arrest and obstruction of an officer.

BTW, Ryan's mom Tracy told us her son was NOT drunk during the incident ... and instead was just joking around with his friends, trying to be funny by pushing the table.

Kodak Black lit up the stage at Rolling Loud California ... but we've learned it took a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure he stayed sober leading up to his performance.

Kodak's performance at the 3-day music festival was his last hoorah before he enters in-patient rehab next week. His lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the artist was in L.A. with a full team of folks making sure they steered him clear of any bad influences.

We're told that team included a physician to look after his eating habits, and another person was designated to be by his side at all times and ensure he stayed on the straight and narrow.

Cohen says the "Super Gremlin" rapper doesn't usually do the after-party scene, so that was one less thing to worry about while he was in La-La Land.

ICYMI, a Florida judge ordered KB to 30 days of inpatient rehab after authorities claimed he violated his bail conditions by testing positive for fentanyl.

You'll recall, Kodak was busted in Ft. Lauderdale back in July for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and drug trafficking ... after cops say they found upwards of 31 oxycodone pills in his car.

Andrew Tate is getting dragged after claiming he's grown a "full head of hair" while behind bars ... but his rep says people should focus on him getting justice instead of hair issues.

A rep for Tate tells TMZ ... "The peculiar online fascination with Andrew's hair has proven, as a society, we care less about the potential dangers of false accusations and more about how people look."

You'll recall, Tate's been spending the last few months in a Romanian jail after being accused of rape and running a human trafficking ring ... and his recent tweet at the end of February has been picking up steam.

He wrote about being shocked by his reflection, adding "I barely recognized myself A long beard, a full head of hair" ... but a recent pic of him overseas with thinning hair had people going hard on his claims.

One Twitter troll says he's stretching the truth, while another jokes Andrew might've seen the reflection of his brother Tristan, who's also been arrested, and just got confused.

He's been in his feelings a lot lately online, even tweeting about when he "almost cried" while behind bars.

Two teens led police on a wild high-speed car chase through Minneapolis that ended with them crashing through an overpass railing and tumbling down an embankment ... and it was all caught on video.

Check out this surveillance footage showing the 14-year-old driver and 15-year-old passenger in a Kia ... racing along Interstate 94 as police gave chase. The Minnesota state trooper tried to pull over the stolen Kia, but the driver kept going, reaching speeds of 94 MPH.

At some point, the Kia lost control during the pursuit and crashed through the fence of the overpass, flipping over on the embankment. The teens ran across the busy highway from the wreckage, but police soon captured them. It's unclear what charges they may face.

Alex Murdaugh, who was sentenced to life Friday morning, already has a different look as he heads to prison ... with a completely shaved head.

The new mug shot was taken just a few hours after he was in a South Carolina courthouse to hear his sentence for murdering his wife and son.

Murdaugh had a full head of hair as the judge gave him 2 life sentences ... so they clearly put the razor to him shortly after he was walked out of court in handcuffs. We're told that's S.O.P., so it's not like he had a choice in the matter.

As we reported, a jury convicted him Thursday of 2 counts of murder and 2 counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. They reached the verdict after less than 3 hours of deliberations.

As you know, Murdaugh's wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul were found dead back in 2021 on the family property in Islandton, SC -- they'd been shot with 2 different guns.

Murdaugh was indicted last summer for their murders, but always maintained he was innocent and had an alibi ... but that was blown up when prosecutors presented video and audio proving he was on the property moments -- within earshot of Maggie and Paul -- before the murders.

Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murders of his wife and son ... and the judge seemed to say the death penalty might have been more appropriate.

The life sentence was handed down Friday in a South Carolina courthouse ... the sentencing comes a day after the jury convicted him of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime -- a verdict reached by the jury after less than three hours of deliberations.

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Murdaugh maintained he did not commit the murders. The judge said it was heartbreaking for him to see Murdaugh going from a grieving husband and father to a killer. The judge noted prosecutors could have sought the death penalty, and seemed to say the death penalty may have been the right punishment.

After Murdaugh said he didn't commit the crime, the judge said he agreed it might have been an alter ego ... the monster within.

Murdaugh’s legal team told TMZ ... "We are disappointed in the jury’s verdict but we will not have any further comment until after sentencing."

Murdaugh's 22-year-old son Paul and his wife Maggie were found dead back in 2021 at their hunting property in Islandton, South Carolina. Murdaugh was originally described by authorities as only a "person of interest," largely because he claimed to have an airtight alibi.

During the trial, however, prosecutors introduced video and audio evidence showing that Alex’s alibi evidence was not credible, and placed him at the scene of the crime at about the time of the killings

Murdaugh later admitted on the stand that he had lied to authorities about not being at the property, but nevertheless insisted he had not killed his wife and son.

Oscar Pistorius could be released from prison at the end of this month ... the ex-Olympic sprinter is now up for parole in South Africa -- 10 years after he killed his girlfriend.

A hearing will go down on March 31, according to Pistorius' attorney, Julian Knight ... who added that if parole is granted during the proceedings, the convicted killer could be out from behind bars that same day.

Pistorius has completed more than half of the 13-year, 5-month sentence that he was given for shooting and killing 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in Feb. 2013.

You'll recall, Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed "Blade Runner," admitted to shooting her in his South African home -- though he claimed it wasn't on purpose ... saying he thought she was an intruder. He was eventually convicted of manslaughter, which was later upgraded to murder.

According to The Independent, Steenkamp's family is against Pistorius' early release ... though South African law will allow Pistorius to seek it nonetheless, as offenders in the country can apply for parole once they've served at least half of their sentences.

Frank Gore just cut a deal with prosecutors, TMZ Sports has learned ... agreeing to plead guilty to an ordinance violation to close out his domestic violence case.

The San Francisco 49ers legend pled guilty to violating the public health nuisance code in New Jersey on Monday -- a downgrade from his initial charge of simple assault. He was ordered to pay fines and fees, which, according to court records, totaled around $2,000.

His other false imprisonment charge in the case was dismissed.

It's somewhat surprising, considering the heinous allegations against him. You'll recall, the former NFL running back was accused of grabbing a naked 28-year-old woman by her hair on July 31, 2022 and dragging her across the 59th floor of the Tropicana Casino's Havana Tower in Atlantic City.

At the time, police who spoke with the woman said she "did not exhibit signs of injury" following the incident. But, Gore was ultimately charged after cops said they further investigated the claims.

Frank, 39, never publicly commented on the matter.

Ron Jeremy is unable to make serious legal decisions on his own, so his sister is stepping in, asking a judge to get him a conservator STAT.

Ron’s sister, Susan Billotte, filed a petition — obtained by TMZ — to appoint attorney Ellen Finkelberg as his conservator, requesting Ellen be given authority to make decisions regarding the former porn star’s finances and health care.

The docs state, Ron is “concurrently incarcerated at the Twin Towers-Mens Central Jail. He has been found incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case due to a diagnosis with symptoms of Lewy body dementia and has a pending transfer to a state hospital.”

According to the docs, there is urgency to get a conservator now so Jeremy can get to a “private secured perimeter facility specializing in treatment of dementia.”

In other words, his sister says he’s in desperate need of a conservator but is unable to make the call due to his deteriorating health.

Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty in the double murder trial of his son and wife.

The jury took less than 3 hours to reach a verdict Thursday, announcing it in a South Carolina courthouse.

As we reported, Murdaugh's wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul were found dead in 2021 at their hunting property, and investigators say they were shot with 2 different guns.

Murdaugh was originally a person of interest for more than a year but claimed he had an alibi. Still, a grand jury heard enough evidence last July to indict him for the murders of Maggie and Paul.

During the trial, which started back in January, Murdaugh's supposed alibi was blown up when prosecutors introduced a bombshell piece of evidence -- video from Paul's phone recorded at 8:44 PM in the family's dog kennel ... minutes before the murders.

In the video, Paul's father is heard in the background, meaning he actually was nearby when Paul and Maggie were murdered.

When Murdaugh took the stand last month he broke down as he recalled finding his wife and son dead -- however, due to Paul's video -- he was forced to admit lying to authorities about not being on the property when they were murdered.

Under cross-examination, prosecutors grilled Murdaugh over stealing millions from his law clients, and his decades-long addiction to prescription pills.

The trial hit one procedural snafu on Thursday -- Judge Clifton Newman said one of the jurors discussed her opinion about evidence with 3 people outside court ... so, she was replaced by an alternate juror.

James "Tim" Norman, star of the reality series "Welcome To Sweetie Pie's," has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder-for-hire plot against his nephew.

Norman was handed his sentence Thursday, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ -- this after being found guilty in September of setting up his 21-year-old nephew Andre's slaying back in 2016.

As we reported, Norman was convicted of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors said he tried cashing a life insurance policy on Andre worth $450K after working with a woman named Terica Ellis to pull off the killing.

FYI -- Ellis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and has pled guilty -- getting sentenced in January to 3 years behind bars.

The boyfriend of Alana Thompson -- AKA Honey Boo Boo -- has been arrested for DUI ... following a police chase with Alana riding in the same vehicle.

21-year-old Dralin Carswell was cuffed Tuesday in Monroe County, according to police ... who says 17-year-old Alana was in the car with Dralin when the tags on his Dodge Charger were run by police, which showed the owner of the vehicle had outstanding warrants.

Monroe County Lt. John Thompson says an officer then attempted to do a traffic stop on Dralin, but instead was led on a chase that went about 3 miles -- ending in a pit maneuver, spinning the car out.

Officers say they found marijuana and Dralin was arrested for DUI and fleeing from cops, as well as outstanding warrants out of Wilkinson County. Another passenger, Julian Malik Divon Williams, was also arrested for outstanding warrants.

Alana reportedly wasn't taken into custody, and was later picked up by her sister, Pumpkin. Monroe County Reporter first had the story.

Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial hit a delay Thursday morning when the judge dismissed one of the jurors -- but she refused to leave court without some very valuable belongings.

Judge Clifton Newman announced one of the jurors had discussed her opinion about trial evidence with 3 people -- presumably not other jurors -- and therefore, she's being replaced with an alternate.

The jurors' dismissal also came with an inflationary sign of the times, as she demanded her belongings from the jury room before departing. Those items included her purse, a bottle ... and a dozen eggs!!!

The price of those eggs runs somewhere south of $4, on average, these days in South Carolina ... so ya get it.

Even the judge quipped, "We've had a lot of interesting things. But now a dozen eggs."

Alvin Kamara just pled not guilty to two criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the beatdown of a man outside of a Las Vegas nightclub last year.

The New Orleans Saints superstar appeared in a Vegas courtroom on Thursday morning with his attorneys to enter the plea.

He wore all black, and said very few words during the hearing.

A trial date for the 27-year-old was tentatively set for July 31 -- right around the time the Saints will kick off their 2023 training camp.

Kamara's co-defendants in the case -- which includes Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lammons -- also pled not guilty to the charges at the hearing.

Prosecutors have charged Kamara with one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit battery and one felony count of battery with substantial bodily harm after they say he attacked a man inside The Cromwell Hotel and Casino in February 2022.

According to a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim, Darnell Greene, the altercation happened after he and Kamara got into an argument over the use of an elevator outside of the hotel's popular Drai's Nightclub.

Video of the incident, obtained by TMZ Sports, appears to show Kamara throwing multiple blows at Greene ... while others kicked and punched the man as well.

Kamara was initially arrested over it all after the 2022 Pro Bowl game. He went on to play the entire 2022 season, starting 13 games and rushing for 897 yards.

The FBI recovered a trove of evidence against accused Idaho student killer Bryan Kohberger at his Pennsylvania home, including a gun, knives and black face masks.

Newly unsealed search warrant docs, obtained by TMZ, show the Bureau's itemized list of property belonging to Kohberger that agents found inside his family house after he was arrested for the brutal stabbing murders of four University of Idaho students while wearing a mask.

Among the items listed were a Glock 22 semiautomatic .40 Caliber pistol, three empty Glock .40 Caliber magazines, a Smith & Wesson pocketknife, Taylor cutting knife with a sheath, black masks, black gloves, a black hat and a criminal psychology book.

The docs also say the FBI searched his white Hyundai Elantra, finding a knife. The warrant does not address whether the knife is the murder weapon. Authorities also found tire irons, a shovel, goggles, a Ziploc bag and other items in the car.