NEED TO KNOW
- The weeks-long trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs has included testimonies from several witnesses and alleged victims accusing him of abuse
- DeLeassa Penland, a special agent with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, took the stand this week
- Combs’ defense team has asked for a mistrial on at least two occassions
The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking and racketeering trial could start deliberating as soon as next week, Judge Arun Subramanian said in court on Tuesday, June 17.
Combs’ trial has so far included weeks of testimony from several of his personal and professional associates, some of whom have accused him of physical, verbal, mental or sexual abuse.
On Tuesday, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said the defense estimates their case could take between two to five days to present, but that they’re still making adjustments.
Judge Subramanian said the jury could be charged as early as next week — meaning he would give them detailed legal instructions on how to evaluate the evidence and apply the law before they begin deliberating. Agnifilo agreed to that timeline.
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DeLeassa Penland, a special agent with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, testified on Tuesday for the second day.
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On Monday, she reviewed hotel invoices, flight records, and text messages from October 2012, before the prosecution played a video of a “freak off” from around that time.
Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura — who is the prosecution’s star witness — previously testified that the video showed her and a man referred to as “Dave” engaging in a “freak off.”
On Tuesday, jurors watched portions of a separate video dated October 20, 2012, which Ventura testified showed her and a man called “Jules” during another “freak off.”
The footage — shown in three-to-four minute increments — totaled about 20 minutes across multiple videos from 2012 to 2014.
Combs has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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