The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ federal intercourse trafficking and racketeering trial wished to overview among the testimony from the hip-hop mogul’s former longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura through the second day of deliberations Tuesday.
The panel of eight males and 4 ladies continued deliberating the fees in opposition to Combs after not reaching a verdict on the first day of deliberations.
Choose Arun Subramanian started the day by addressing with the prosecution and protection a query posed Monday from the jury about one of many alleged racketeering acts — possession with intent to distribute medication — which pertains to the racketeering conspiracy cost Combs is dealing with. The jury despatched a be aware asking for clarification on the a part of the directions addressing drug distribution.
Subramanian mentioned he would remind jurors of the directions he gave them on that a part of the case earlier than they began deliberating on Monday. Combs’ attorneys had pushed for a extra expansive response, however prosecutors argued — and Subramanian agreed — that doing so might find yourself complicated jurors extra.
An alternate between Subramanian and Combs’ protection workforce bought slightly testy as they wrangled over the response.
“Are you able to do what I am asking or no?” the decide requested.
“In fact I can do what your honor is asking,” one of many protection attorneys responded.
About 75 minutes into Tuesday’s deliberations, the jury requested the testimony from Ventura, one of many prosecution’s most essential witnesses, when she gave her account of Combs allegedly beating, kicking and dragging her at a Los Angeles lodge in 2016 — an assault captured on now-infamous safety digicam footage. Combs apologized after the video surfaced.
The jury additionally requested to see Ventura’s testimony about an incident by which she mentioned Combs accused her of taking medication from him and kicked her off of their yacht on the Cannes Movie Competition in France in 2013. On their means again to the U.S., she mentioned, he threatened to launch express movies of her having intercourse.
As well as, the jury requested for Ventura and stripper Daniel Phillip’s testimony about her leaping into his lap at a New York Metropolis lodge after, as Phillip testified, he suspected Combs had been slapping and slamming her round an adjoining room.
“Her complete complete physique was shaking, like she was terrified,” mentioned Phillip, who was on the lodge for a sexual encounter with Ventura someday between 2012 and 2014.
Phillip testified that he requested Ventura why she was with Combs if he was hitting her and beating her. He mentioned he advised her she was in actual hazard. Ventura, he mentioned, “principally tried to persuade me that it was OK, it is OK. I am nice, I will be OK.”
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of intercourse trafficking, and two counts of transportation to interact in prostitution for allegedly arranging to fly intercourse employees throughout state strains.
The primary day of deliberations noticed a number of notes from the jury, in addition to Combs and his supporters bowing their heads in prayer within the courtroom. One of many notes got here not lengthy after jurors began deliberating and raised issues from a number of jurors about one other member of the panel. They advised the decide they thought “he can not comply with your honor’s directions.”
After a dialogue between the decide, attorneys for Combs and prosecutors, the decide reminded the jurors of their obligation to comply with the legislation and despatched them again to renew their deliberations, however mentioned if extra points ought to come up, the foreperson ought to ship one other be aware.
To assist them come to a verdict, jurors have been supplied with a laptop computer loaded with the entire displays proven in court docket, together with textual content messages, images and movies of the sexual encounters on the coronary heart of the case.
Five alternate jurors are additionally on standby in case they’re wanted to fill in on the principle jury.
The jury will sift by seven weeks of at instances graphic and emotional testimony concerning the rap, style and actuality TV impresario’s propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, together with drug-fueled intercourse marathons dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.” Defense lawyers argued that there was no conspiracy and that his conduct didn’t violate federal legal guidelines.
contributed to this report.
