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The jury has recommended life in prison for Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 ... and the judge is delaying sentencing until November 1.

In an emotional sentencing hearing Thursday the judge read the jury's verdict of life without parole after they were unable to unanimously decide on the death penalty.

The jury of 7 men and 5 women discussed the 24-year-old's fate Wednesday and came back with their sentence Thursday morning in a Fort Lauderdale courthouse.

Family members of Cruz's 17 victims were very obviously angry sitting inside the courtroom -- many shaking their heads and crying in disbelief. Cruz sat expressionless.

As for the delay, the judge agreed to give surviving victims a chance to be heard before the judge issues the sentence.

Cruz pled guilty last year to 34 counts -- 17 charges of murder and 17 charges of attempted murder.

In the sentencing phase, multiple witnesses took the stand to describe the pain and horror they endured as a result of the massacre. There were cell phone videos jurors saw ... showing students hiding in fear as gunshots rang out.

Attorneys for Cruz highlighted his mental health struggles, and they called witnesses who testified his illness was triggered by his biological mother's drug use while she was pregnant.

During his courtroom appearance, he went on a bizarre rant and begged the families of the victims to give him a second chance ... claiming he wanted to be spared so he could help others.

As you know, Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland in February 2018.

It remains one of the deadliest high school shootings in U.S. history.

In a separate case, Cruz also pled guilty to assault and battery charges for attacking a jail guard in 2018 after the whole thing was caught on camera.

These are NOT Charlie Brown's "Great Pumpkins" -- Customs agents uncovered a huge amount of meth tucked inside a bundle of everyone's fave Halloween gourds.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed their big find in a statement Wednesday ... noting its officers have seen "just about everything and this Tuesday was no exception" -- saying they discovered more than $402K in liquid methamphetamine inside the pumpkins.

The 4 winter squashes, found at Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Texas, held a total of 44 pounds of the drug which was packed into 136 different condoms.

The officers seized the meth and the car that was carrying the pumpkins ... and the driver was turned over to Maverick County Sherriff's Office for further investigation.

The 2 men who seemingly won a fishing contest by stuffing their catch with weights encased in fish filets have been hooked by a grand jury, that just nailed them with multiple felonies.

Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominski were just indicted for attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools ... both felonies. They've also been charged with the misdemeanor of unlawfully owning wild animals.

It's a crazy story ... the 2 guys were in a competition on Lake Erie at the Walleye Trail tourney when they allegedly hooked what seemed to be 2, 7-pound walleyes. Apparently, some of the honchos were suspicious, cut the fish open and found the weights and filets. The fish actually weighed around 4-5 lbs.

Had they been declared the winners, they would have pocketed $28,760.

These guys have been under suspicion for cheating in other tournaments. They were investigated by cops for similar types of cheating, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge them.

Alex Jones has been NAILED for perpetuating a lie about the Sandy Hook massacre, and some of the families of the children who were murdered have just gotten word from the jury ... that Jones must ante up nearly $1 billion.

The Connecticut jury just hit Jones between the eyes ... finding the emotional distress and trauma he caused by his campaign was so enormous ... justice required an enormous damage award.

The total verdict -- divided among the 8 families and 1 first responder -- adds up to $965M.

The families' lawyer, Chris Mattei, told jurors in last week's closing arguments that Jones lies to generate revenue for his site, while the parents in mourning received death threats and harassment from his fans.

Jones was on the air on his radio show when the verdict was read ... telling his listeners, "This must be what hell is like -- they just read out the damages, even though you don't got the money." Jones also said the case was a joke and asked his listeners for donations.

The legal battle started way back in 2018, when the families went after Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.

Prince and Andy Warhol are hot topics at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that has Justice Clarence Thomas making a Bill Clinton-esque confession!! Yeah, it's that kinda day.

Justice Thomas spoke out Wednesday during oral arguments for a case involving a Prince image Warhol created back in 1984. Thomas, who rarely ever speaks during SCOTUS arguments, said, "Let's say I was a Prince fan, which I was in the '80s."

The comment drew light laughter, and then Justice Elena Kagan added a punchline ... "No longer?" The whole court erupted in laughter at that point and Thomas replied, "Only on Thursday nights."

Okay, first of all -- Clarence Thomas ... Mr. conservative, Mr. overturn Roe v. Wade and gay marriage likes Prince??!!

More accurately, he specified he WAS a Prince fan, seemingly disavowing any love of the Purple One since 1990. Sorta like Clinton admitting he tried weed back in the day, but immediately insisting he didn't inhale.

The cop who shot 17-year-old Erik Cantu at a San Antonio McDonald's has surrendered to authorities and has been charged with 2 felonies ... this as Cantu fights for his life.

25-year-old rookie police officer James Brennand has been charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault by a peace officer.

Cantu was eating a burger in the parking lot of Mcdonald's when Brennand spotted him and recognized his car ... Brennand said the driver had evaded police the day before the shooting.

Erik remains unconscious on life support ... according to his family. The family gave an ominous statement Tuesday, "There is no improvement in his condition. The last two days have been difficult, and we expect more difficulty ahead, but we remain hopeful."

Brennand approached Cantu's car, opened the driver's door and ordered Cantu out. Cantu put it in reverse and the cop began shooting multiple rounds, striking him several times.

Comedian Eric Andre certainly isn't in a laughing mood ... taking an entire county to court after allegedly getting racially profiled at an airport last year.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Eric and fellow comedian Clayton English are suing Clayton County, its police chief, and several individual officers ... claiming they both were singled out -- at separate times -- at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport while boarding their flights.

Eric says he was stopped in the jet bridge -- that narrow tunnel that connects a gate to the plane itself -- long after he went through his ticket check and TSA screenings.

Andre and Clayton claim the "target selections are unsupported by any legitimate cause or suspicion. There are no written policies or procedures governing the jet bridge program."

As we previously reported, Eric said he did not consent to the search and says he did not see any other Black passengers boarding with his group in the priority line. He believes the incident was a classic case of racial profiling in the so-called war on drugs.

Clayton County PD responded at the time, calling it a "consensual encounter" ... and saying Eric volunteered his travel plans and also offered officers the chance to search his luggage, but they did not.

Eric was quick to respond to Clayton County PD's statement, saying, "I did NOT volunteer to a search and I did not volunteer to talk. You guys flashed your badge and detained me with no probable cause except for racism. This is JIM CROW RACISM."

Eric and Clayton say the numbers don't lie and insist that people of color are disproportionately subjected to these kinds of screenings, adding the odds of it randomly occurring this way are "significantly less than one in one hundred trillion."

Adnan Syed will stay a free man, after all -- prosecutors in Baltimore are dropping the charges for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend ... after releasing him from prison last month.

Syed, who's case gained national attention on the "Serial" podcast, had served 22 years in prison for the 1999 murder of his then ex-GF Hae Min Lee when State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced the previous prosecutors on the case had failed to pursue 2 other possible suspects in the case.

As a result, Adnan was set free ... but Mosby made it clear he could still be retried for Lee's murder. In fact, she appeared on "TMZ Live," and said it was likely a new trial would be scheduled.

Adnan has always maintained his innocence ... and now he'll remain a free man.

"Shahs of Sunset" star Mike Shouhed is no longer facing a domestic violence charge for allegedly roughing up his fiancée ... that is, if he follows through with a few classes, including a gun safety course.

According to court documents, Mike cut a deal with prosecutors that got a slew of misdemeanor charges dismissed from his domestic violence arrest. Most notably, domestic violence, battery and unlawfully attempting to dissuade a witness were all dropped.

Per the docs, prosecutors agreed to let Mike enter into a diversion program to close out his case -- meaning he won't have to plead to any charges as long as he successfully completes the terms of the program.

Mike agreed to take anger management and parenting classes, along with performing community service and completing a gun safety course.

Mike was also facing a handful of weapons charges -- including criminal storage of a loaded firearm and possession of an assault weapon -- so another condition is he's now barred from owning or possessing any weapons during the 2-year diversion program.

As we reported ... Mike was arrested back in March for allegedly getting physical with a woman during a fight, who was later identified as his fiancée, Paulina Ben-Cohen.

Mike and Paulina, who have been engaged since 2021, went to Los Cabos for a getaway only a few weeks after his arrest ... with Mike showing tons of affection to Paulina's kids during a day on the beach.

Mike's attorney, George Mgdesyan, tells TMZ, "In this case, the DA didn’t bring this case because they saw the facts like I did. If this case was brought to trial, the prosecution would not be able to prove it. All my client’s guns were legal, in his bedroom that was locked with a keypad. No one was allowed in the master bedroom."

He continues, "It was unfortunate that there was one weapon registered to my client before laws changed, and it was a technical violation. However, the City Attorney’s Office charged him with gun charges. In light of the offer, he was not convicted and will earn a dismissal that’s in his best interest because the domestic violence charges were dismissed. If the domestic violence charges were not dismissed, we would proceed to trial. It was a no brainer."

Actor Ray Buffer is being accused by a San Diego comic book store of stealing some pricey comics ... and the store says security footage appears to show him stuffing 'em up his shirt.

Southern California Comics in San Diego alleges it has Ray on video stealing $600 worth of comic books, and the store filed a police report with SDPD and is handing over evidence to police, including their security footage.

SDPD tells TMZ police took a report for petty theft and are investigating the incident.

The comic book store says it got even more evidence -- which it will be turning over to police -- after warning other stores about Ray in a Facebook post before he had been identified.

The owners tell us Metropolis Comics in L.A. sent them some eerily similar security footage from when Ray was there. In that video, the owner confronts him after seeing him pull the same move, and this time he puts the comics back and leaves as the owner threatens to call police.

Ray, who has appeared in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," deleted all of his social media accounts after the comic book store posted the video online.

Bookstores are always on edge about this kind of theft, because some comics are worth a lot of money -- we've reported about rare comics getting auctioned off for large sums. That's why most stores have such great security cameras.

A San Antonio police officer is out of a job after shooting a teenager who was eating a meal in a car parked outside a McDonald's ... and the incident is all on video.

The shooting went down Sunday night at a Mickey D's, but police just released bodycam footage showing the cop firing multiple shots into the car.

The officer walked up to a parked car, opened the driver's door and the teen behind the wheel freaks out in between bites of a burger. The kid then reversed to drive away and the cop started shooting.

Several gunshots ring out as the car drives off into the night, with the officer giving chase.

As it turns out, San Antonio PD says the officer was at the fast food joint for a disturbance call unrelated to the vehicle from the shooting.

Cops say the officer approached the car because he thought it was the same vehicle that allegedly evaded police the day before.

The teen reportedly suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He was initially charged with evading detention and assault on a police officer but those charges have since been dismissed, and the case is closed.

Gisele Bündchen left Tom Brady recently, declaring their marriage was over, but TMZ has learned this was NOT the first time.

Sources connected to Gisele tell TMZ ... Gisele has separated from Tom and threatened to divorce him several times over a period of years ... and it was all over football.

Our sources say the sticking point for years has been that Gisele wanted Tom to get out of the game ... and although she's publicly talked about her fear he would develop CTE, she's been very upset with his NFL schedule ... which takes him around the country for 6 months out of the year. We're told she simply hates it.

We're told Gisele has threatened divorce in the past -- each time over football -- but they were able to work things out. This time, however, we're told it's different.

Both have hired high-profile, family law attorneys in South Florida ... and her lawyer has repped a number of celebs in high-profile divorces. Our sources say the lawyers are already working on terms, including a property settlement.

Kanye West is letting the world know exactly he feels after a recent report his partnership with Adidas is "under review" on the heels of his controversial "White Lives Matter" fashion statement.

A statement apparently released from the clothing giant popped up Thursday that makes it clear its honchos are pissed about the T-shirts Ye unveiled in Paris. Adidas says, "All successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values."

The alleged statement says Adidas made repeated efforts to resolve issues with Kanye, privately, but eventually came to the conclusion -- "We have taken the decision to place the partnership under review."

They will, however, continue to work together on their current product during the review process. The statement notes, "The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry's history."

Kanye, obviously, was pissed at the news ... and blasted them on Insta -- claiming the company "RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS."

Adidas is pushing this partnership to the brink in response to Ye, and his pal Candace Owen, wearing the controversial T-shirts in Paris.

Probably didn't help that he doubled down on his fashion choice online soon after -- saying, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME."

Prince Harry and Elton John believe their phones were tapped and personal info was stolen ... and now they're teaming up to go after a major news outlet who they believe is behind it, though the company is flatly denying the claims.

The Duke and the British rock star are part of a group of plaintiffs taking Associated Newspapers to court, claiming the company behind the Daily Mail and other publications hired investigators to put listening devices in people's homes and cars and paid police to dig up sensitive info.

The group is also reportedly accusing the Daily Mail publisher of tapping into phone convos, impersonating hospital staff to access medical info, and even gaining access to bank accounts and finances through illicit means and manipulation.

The company has denied these allegations, a spokesperson tells us, "We utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears which appear to be nothing more than a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal concerning articles up to 30 years old."

"These unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims - based on no credible evidence - appear to be simply a fishing expedition by claimants and their lawyers, some of whom have already pursued cases elsewhere."

Other folks involved in the suit reportedly include ... Elton John's husband and producer David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence -- mother of a Black British teen who was infamously murdered.

Alec Baldwin's gotta be breathing sighs of relief over settling the "Rust" wrongful death lawsuit, and his first stop after the announcement is the Bronx Zoo ... with most of his kids.

Alec's pulling major dad duty Wednesday ... getting in some QT at the world-famous zoo with 4 of his 7 children he shares with his wife, Hilaria. The family outing came within hours of the news breaking about his settlement of the lawsuit over Halyna Hutchins' shooting death on the movie set.

As we reported, Matthew Hutchins announced he's dropping the wrongful death suit against Alec, the producers and the production company ... saying they've reached terms.

What's more, Alec is going to complete filming his lead role, along with the OG cast, for the movie. Meanwhile, Matthew is now getting an Executive Producer deal on the project.

Matt said filming will resume in January 2023 ... "I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the  entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

As you know, Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed on set by Alec Baldwin last year.

The Santa Fe County D.A. is still investigating Halyna's death and says it's still possible Alec, along with a few others, could be prosecuted in the case.

Matthew Hutchins' settlement in his wrongful death suit against Alec Baldwin and others from the set of "Rust" means production is back on ... but it doesn't mean the ongoing criminal investigation into the D.P.'s death is coming to a halt.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... the settlement will in no way affect the criminal probe ... a probe in which authorities say Baldwin and others could be charged.

The Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ, once the investigation is completed the file will be forwarded to the District Attorney, who will then decide who, if anyone, will be prosecuted.

As we reported, Baldwin and co. are picking up where they left off in the movie that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life last year -- because the actor's continuing in his lead role ... and other cast members will continue as well.

Halyna's husband Matthew announced he's no longer pursuing a lawsuit against AB or the "Rust" producers, saying they've reached terms and he's agreed to drop his wrongful death suit. Matthew has also signed on to be an executive producer for the project.

Attorney Jason Bowles, who is repping on set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, tells TMZ ... Hannah is grateful this settlement will benefit the Hutchins family -- adding they're hopeful the D.A.'s office will opt out of pursuing criminal charges.