Crime

Thomas Matthew Crooks left a trail of bread crumbs about his plan to assassinate Donald Trump ... and he even reportedly bragged about it on a gaming platform.

According to Fox News ... a group of U.S. Senators was briefed on the assassination plot Wednesday by FBI officials who told them before the attack on Trump, Crooks logged into the Steam platform where people go to play, discuss, create and purchase video games.

While communicating with other gamers, Crooks allegedly wrote, "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds."

The man convicted of killing rapper Slim 400 was just sentenced to several decades behind bars.

On Wednesday, L.A. native Michael Terry was sentenced to 32 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter for Slim's December 2021 shooting death.

Terry previously admitted to pulling up to a residence in Inglewood where Terry gunned down Slim in his own front yard.

John Hinckley Jr. is speaking on the Donald Trump shooting -- and his position might take some people by surprise ... 'cause he's condemning the attempted assassination.

The ex-con -- who shot Ronald Reagan in the '80s -- took to social media Wednesday to address the fact Thomas Matthew Crooks tried putting a bullet in Trump's head ... the first attempted assassination on a current/former Prez since Hinckley did what he did.

He writes, "Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance."

Cops in South Florida are on the hunt for a man they say attacked and raped a woman who was rollerblading near the beach -- and there's surveillance video that purportedly depicts it.

Miami Beach PD says they're in search of a suspect they claim sexually battered a young woman early Tuesday morning who was cruising down the sidewalk near the beach on skates -- where this man snuck up behind her and pounced.

WSVN 7 News obtained surveillance video that captures the man in the act -- and it's horrifying to see ... as it appears to show exactly what police say happened here.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's unborn baby is already racking up social media engagement, 'cause the mom-to-be posted a clip featuring her kid's heartbeat.

GRB shared the clip Tuesday evening, showing herself placing an at-home Doppler -- which uses soundwaves to amplify the heartbeat -- on her pregnant stomach. Check out the clip to see Gypsy's emotional reaction for yourself.

Blanchard's on her back in the clip, letting the rhythmic beating fill the room ... before squealing out in excitement.

Bhad Bhabie is probably about ready to cash some burglars outside, as her L.A. home was recently burglarized ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the viral sensation's pad was hit by burglars Friday evening just before 10 PM. We're told at least one thief smashed through her back door ... taking items, such as handbags and jewelry.

However, cops say they won't know the total amount taken until Bhad Bhabie returns from being out of town, and does a full inventory of her home.

Savannah Chrisley is all set to speak at the Republican National Convention Tuesday -- now, we have a sense of what she's gonna say ... her speech will touch on her parents.

The reality star tells TMZ ... she's gonna torch the Department of Justice here in a little bit during her spotlight at the RNC in Milwaukee -- specifically, to call them "corrupt" and slam how they handled Todd and Julie Chrisley's criminal tax case a couple years back.

Savannah says she believes, if re-elected, Donald Trump will right these wrongs -- and she's going to tie her parents' conviction to what she characterizes as the weaponization of the DOJ.

Thomas Matthew Crooks was branded a "shooter" by his peers years before his assassination attempt on Donald Trump ... so says a former classmate.

Julianna Grooms -- who attended Bethel Park High School with Trump's would-be assassin -- has shed more light on the bullying Thomas faced before his deadly attack at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

As Julianna told The New York Times ... Thomas was labeled "the school shooter" by his fellow students -- who apparently often teased him for his poor hygiene and body odor.

Senator Bob Menendez has been found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial.

The jury issued their verdict on Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse, with the New Jersey Democrat being convicted on 16 counts -- including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, as well as acting as a foreign agent.

Menendez was indicted in September for his alleged role in a bribery scheme ... accused of using his influence as a U.S. Senator to advance the interests of the Egyptian military. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, allegedly received several bribes ... including gold bars, thousands of dollars in cash, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, among other gifts.

Dashcam video shows a high-speed hit-and-run rollover crash on a Florida freeway -- just outside Disney World -- and cops are looking for the guys who caused an SUV to roll over.

Ya gotta see the footage ... a red Chevy Camaro comes speeding into frame, weaving through traffic, trying to split 2 cars before crashing into a Hyundai Tucson, sending the SUV spinning off I-4.

The Hyundai hits the shoulder and then flips ... rolling over multiple times. Incredibly, the Florida Highway Patrol says the 20-year-old woman behind the wheel was NOT injured.

The alleged Gilgo Beach killer has been charged with the deaths of 6 people -- but many believe the body count is way higher, which begs the question of a possible police coverup.

TMZ Studios' new series, "Strange & Suspicious," dives into weird and unexplained stories -- and here, we’re looking into whether cops may have swept things under the rug in the years-long case ... especially since human remains of 11 different people were found in the area between 1993-2011.

The team dives deep into this ... noting Rex Heuermann also owned places in South Carolina and Las Vegas, the latter being a hot spot for sex workers -- exactly the kind of victims he's accused of killing. So, the fact he allegedly murdered only 6 victims on Long Island doesn't hold up, at least that's how some of the 'S & S' crew feel.

7/16 -- 9:40 AM PT -- Lil Reese is reacting to the charges with denial and in his own words, is "unbothered like an MF" ... and eagerly awaits his chance to vindicate himself.

Lil Reese is facing serious allegations -- he's accused of rape in Los Angeles, where police took him into custody ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to law enforcement sources, Lil Reese went on a date with a woman and following dinner, he and the woman went back to a Downtown L.A. hotel where Reese allegedly insisted they have sex.

Cops say the woman rebuffed Reese's advances, before he allegedly forced himself on her and raped her.

Ex-UFC star and former American sniper Tim Kennedy says many people need to answer for the disaster that was the Trump shooting ... and he thinks folks need to lose their jobs.

Tim -- who was once a U.S. Army Special Forces sniper -- tells TMZ he believes the training of those immediately around Trump during the Pennsylvania rally Saturday was most definitely not up to par for protecting him against the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

He says the site survey team was supposed to identify any locations that could pose a threat to Trump, which he believes they utterly failed to do ... and now, he thinks key people at the Secret Service and beyond should have to pay for it with their careers.

Thomas Matthew Crooks -- the shooter who tried and failed to take out Donald Trump -- clearly had a raunchy, sophomoric sense of humor ... as seen in new video obtained by TMZ.

In the clip we got from a former pal of Crooks, you can see him joking about being endowed with 10 inches, and also claiming he's a 6'4" student at Stanford. In reality, Crooks was just a 10th grader when this was shot, and we're told he was making funny videos with classmates while they were all in a computer tech class.

His buddy tells us the video was shot in Feb. 2020 at Steel Center Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, PA -- which provides career and technical education to students attending several public school districts in PA. We have reached out to the school to confirm Crooks' enrollment ... but haven't heard back.

The Trump rally shooter was laid out on his belly, took aim and fired shots into the crowd before he got met with incoming bullets that killed him ... and TMZ has it all on video.

We've obtained an incredible clip that shows the moment the gunman opened fire at the Butler, PA rally Saturday -- and you can see the guy looking through either a scope or iron sights on a roof ... with people watching down below and freaking out, their panic palpable.

The guy has longer brown hair, and he seems to be wearing a grey shirt/khaki pants -- and as you can see, he's carefully trying pinpoint a target from afar before pulling the trigger.

President Joe Biden's asking Americans not to jump to conclusions about the man who shot Donald Trump ... urging people not to make assumptions about his affiliations.

POTUS addressed reporters Sunday morning ... confirming he did speak with the former president by phone Saturday night following the shooting -- and he's keeping Trump and his family in his prayers.

As for the shooter ... Biden points out the public knows his name, but not his motives -- and, he's cautioning people to avoid speculating on who the shooter may be aligned with politically.