True Crime

Everyone seems to be reacting to the O.J. Simpson death news -- and the White House was no exception ... but their response to his passing is raising eyebrows, at least to some.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed O.J.'s passing Thursday during a press briefing -- but only when she was asked by a reporter ... at which point KJP directly acknowledged it by saying the administration was thinking of the family ... his brood, specifically.

She says, "Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time. Obviously with his family and loved ones. And I say this, I know that they have asked for some privacy -- and so we're going to respect that."

O.J. Simpson's death might have shocked the world ... but, it didn't come as a surprise to his close friends -- who TMZ has learned came to Las Vegas to say their final farewells.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... those who remained in O.J.'s inner circle flew into Vegas over the last week to see him before he passed. Unclear exactly how many friends, or who showed up, but we're told a handful of people came to Sin City and got to see O.J.

We're told Simpson was communicating just fine and was able to talk with his pals ... but, our sources say they all knew the end was coming, and that this would be their last chance to get some face time.

La muerte de O.J. Simpson puede haber conmocionado al mundo, pero no a sus amigos cercanos, quienes volaron hasta Las Vegas para despedirse, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que los amigos que permanecían en el círculo íntimo de O.J. viajaron a Las Vegas durante la última semana para verlo antes de morir. No está claro cuántos amigos exactamente o quiénes se presentaron, pero nos dicen que un puñado de personas llegó a la ciudad del pecado y logró ver a O.J.

Nos dicen que Simpson se podía comunicar bien y pudo conversar con sus amigos, aunque nuestras fuentes dicen que todos sabían que el final estaba cerca y que esta sería su última oportunidad para estar con él cara a cara.

El Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Americano Profesional reconoció el fallecimiento de O .J. Simpson el jueves con un largo comunicado, pero en él se distanciaron notablemente de sus acciones fuera del campo, recordando al corredor de los Bills solo por su juego.

El establecimiento en Ohio publicó el reconocimiento al ex jugador pocos minutos después de que la familia de Simpson revelara que la ex estrella de la NFL falleció a principios de esta semana tras una batalla contra el cáncer.

La declaración del Salón de la Fama sobre el fallecimiento de Simpson tenía unas 500 palabras y no contenía elogios, solo hechos sobre su carrera futbolística.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame acknowledged O.J. Simpson's passing on Thursday with a lengthy statement ... but in it, the org. notably distanced itself from his actions off the field -- remembering the Bills running back for his play only.

The Canton, Ohio establishment released the eulogy just minutes after Simpson's family revealed the ex-NFL star had died earlier this week following a battle with cancer.

The HOF's statement on Simpson's passing was about 500 words long ... and contained no praise -- just facts about his football career only.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard wants her estranged husband, Ryan Anderson, to pony up some dough as they end their marriage ... asking a judge to sign off on alimony for her.

TMZ has obtained Gypsy's divorce docs, and the big takeaway is the fact that she's requesting spousal support from Ryan ... both in the interim and in the long-term. She's also asking that the court deny Ryan spousal support from her end ... arguing he's not entitled to it.

The reason she feels that way ... Gypsy says Ryan is the one responsible for their dissolution of marriage -- therefore, she doesn't believe he's entitled to any cash payments from her.

The Colorado home where Chris Watts killed his wife has hit the market anew, and it's pretty expensive compared to other homes on the block ... TMZ has learned.

The 5-bedroom residence in Frederick, Colo. -- which was heavily featured in the 2020 Netflix doc "American Murder: The Family Next Door" -- is up for sale right now ... this after it went into bankruptcy following the grisly events of 2018.

As we all know ... Chris confessed to killing his spouse, Shanann, and their 2 little girls Bella and Celeste -- and he's now serving five life sentences behind bars.

La casa de Colorado donde Chris Watts mató a su esposa y a sus hijas ha salido al mercado nuevamente y es bastante cara en comparación con otras del barrio, según ha averiguado TMZ.

La residencia de 5 dormitorios en Frederick, Colorado, que fue muy destacada en el documental de Netflixt "American Murder: The Family Next Door" en 2020, está a la venta después de que entrara en bancarrota tras los trágicos acontecimientos de 2018.

Como todos sabemos, Chris confesó haber matado a su cónyuge Shanann y a sus 2 hijas pequeñas Bella y Celeste, y ahora está cumpliendo cinco cadenas perpetuas tras las rejas.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard recently put pen to paper to make her divorce from Ryan Anderson official -- but there's no prenup in place ... although the consequences of that are a bit hazy.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Gypsy and her now-estranged husband didn't hash out a prenup before they got hitched -- while Gypsy was still incarcerated -- because they thought their marriage was the real deal.

Best laid plans!

El cirujano plástico de celebridades, Dr. Paul Nassif, tiene una advertencia urgente para Gypsy Rose Blanchard tras su reciente operación de nariz... no te dejes llevar.

La estrella de "Botched" le dijo a TMZ... que espera que GRB no se vuelva adicta a la cirugía estética, ya que el doctor afirma que muchas personas tienden a esculpir su rostro después de someterse a su primer procedimiento.

El Dr. Nassif advierte que esto puede dejar a los pacientes, bueno, con un aspecto estropeado... requiriendo de su ayuda y del Dr. Terry Dubrow en el largo plazo. Pero, el Dr. Nassif no parece muy preocupado por Gypsy, que la semana pasada se sometió a una rinoplastia en Luisiana.

El cuento de hadas de Gypsy Rose Blanchard con su marido tras su salida de la cárcel llegó a su fin la semana pasada y ahora sabemos exactamente lo que llevó a la ruptura.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que Gypsy le ha estado diciendo a su familia y amigos que su exmarido Ryan Anderson se había vuelto súper peleador con ella tras salir de la cárcel y la hacía sentir constantemente como si no pudiera hacer nada bien.

Nos dicen que uno de los principales puntos de fricción en la relación de Gypsy y Ryan eran los celos que sentía por el tiempo que pasaba con su padre, o eso es lo que nuestras fuentes dicen que Gypsy le ha estado diciendo a la gente a su alrededor.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's post-prison fairytale with her husband came to an end last week -- and now ... we know exactly what led up to the split.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ...  Gypsy has been telling family and friends that her estranged hubby, Ryan Anderson, had become super argumentative post-prison release and was constantly making her feel like she couldn't do anything right.

We're told one of the major sticking points in Gypsy and Ryan's relationship was his apparent jealousy over her spending time with her dad -- that's what our sources say Gypsy has been telling people anyway.

The home where Erik and Lyle Menendez brutally murdered their parents just sold for big money ... and coincidentally, the transaction closed on a case-related anniversary.

According to the Los Angeles Times ... the mansion sold for $17 million on Wednesday just a couple months after being put on the market in December.

The home contains seven bedrooms, a pool, a tennis court, and a two-story guest house. It was purchased for $3.7 million in 2001 -- a pretty impressive ROI for the previous owner. Realtor.com reports the house sold for under its prevailing market value -- perhaps unsurprising given the grisly events that took place there.

As we said -- the sale of the house just so happened to fall exactly 28 years after Erik and Lyle were convicted of first-degree murder for killing their parents, Jose and Kitty, with a shotgun. They were convicted on March 20, 1996.

Of course, the Menendez case received a whole bunch of media attention last year after the release of the docuseries "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed" in which a member of the band Menudo claimed Jose Menendez had raped him while he was a teen.

Erik and Lyle's attorney Mark Geragos was pushing for a new trial based on the claim ... and, though that hasn't happened yet, it definitely renewed interest in the case.

Ethan Crumbley's parents have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the crime committed by their son ... an outcome at least one criminal defense attorney sees as both a troubling sign and a great lesson for parents.

We spoke with attorney Mike Cavalluzzi -- a Los Angeles-based lawyer -- about the verdicts on "TMZ Live" Friday, and, while he said he's concerned about the expanding criminal liability ... he's also seeing it as a wake-up call for parents.

As Mike explains it, school shootings in the United States have become far too commonplace, and he says he views verdicts like this as a way to stop people from buying weapons these shooters end up using to harm others.

Mike also called the potential changes parents will make from Thursday's verdict opportunities rather than consequences -- as in, giving people the opportunity to make good parenting decisions.

Basically, MC says the verdicts will likely keep parents on high alert ... and, hopefully, that will help parents see the warning signs before it's too late.

As you know ... Ethan Crumbley -- who killed four students during a 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan -- received life without the possibility of parole back in December, but his parents were also charged in connection with the crime.

Ethan's parents -- James and Jennifer Cumbley -- were both found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for being criminally negligent in the lead-up to their son's shooting ... with prosecutors even claiming James bought Ethan the gun he used days prior.

Jennifer was found guilty in early February while James got his guilty verdict Thursday ... but both are scheduled to be sentenced April 9.

A Campbellsville University wrestler was been tragically killed after his teammate allegedly strangled him to death in their dorm, according to police.

The fatal incident happened over the weekend at the central Kentucky campus when Campbellsville Police say they responded to a call for an unresponsive male in the school's living quarters.

The call was for 18-year-old freshman wrestler Josiah Kilman ... who despite rescuers' efforts, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Shortly after Kilman passed away, officials got an arrest warrant for Charles Escalera ... for murder. Escalera was also a wrestler on the Tigers team.

The 21-year-old Oklahoma native wasn't on the loose for long ... he was captured after police received a call of a suspicious male inside a barn near the Taylor County line several hours later.

"Escalera was taken into custody by Kentucky State Police without incident," CPD said.

Escalera, who is being charged with second-degree murder and burglary, is currently being held at Taylor County Detention Center. His bond was set at $2 million.

Kilman's family set up a GoFundMe to raise money to help transport the wrestler back to his home state of Montana for a proper burial which they say will cost over $10K.

People have responded with generous donations for the hurting family ... they've already amassed over $68K.

"Our family will be eternally grateful for any assistance that you may be able to provide," a Kilman family spokesperson said.

Two men have now been convicted of murdering Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay ... bringing an end to one of hip hop's longest-running cold cases.

The jury in Brooklyn Federal Court found both defendants Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. guilty Tuesday, just a little under a month after the trial began.

Jay was gunned down more than 21 years ago on the evening of October 30, 2002 ... where prosecutors argued Washington and Jordan both ambushed him at his studio over a failed drug deal, with Jordan executing him at close range with multiple shots to the head.

A third defendant, Jay Bryant, will be tried at a later date after he was implicated in the murder.

Investigators say Bryant left an article containing his DNA at the scene as he's said to have been the point man allowing Washington and Jordan access to the studio to murder the hip hop icon.