Sean “Diddy” Combs arrives for the 2018 Met Gala on Might 7, 2018, on the Metropolitan Museum of Artwork in New York. As soon as hip-hop’s flashy impresario credited with commercializing the style, Combs has seen his star plunge as federal authorities raided his houses amid intercourse trafficking accusations and assault lawsuits. ANGELA WEISS / AFP
The high-profile trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is approaching its remaining stretch, with each groups poised to relaxation their circumstances as quickly as Tuesday.
Closing arguments are tentatively anticipated to start on Thursday, after which jurors can be tasked with deciding the destiny of the music mogul who faces life in jail if convicted.
The prosecution’s thirty fourth and final witness is at present on the stand, and protection legal professionals indicated Monday they don’t plan on calling their very own witnesses to testify in Manhattan federal court docket.
It’s not irregular for protection groups to decide to not current a case; the duty to show guilt lies on prosecutors, and except jurors determine they’ve, the defendant is presumed harmless.
Over seven weeks of testimony prosecutors drew connections throughout an internet of witnesses, cellphone data and journey bookings, a bid to point out that Combs was the kingpin of an enterprise comprised of high-ranking workers that carried out crimes together with bribery, arson and kidnapping to implement his energy and fulfill his each need.
The prosecution mentioned the artist and entrepreneur trafficked men and women for drug-fueled sexual marathons, generally days-long encounters dubbed “freak-offs” or “resort nights.”
Among the occasions have been filmed, and jurors have watched a lot of sexually specific clips.
Authorities attorneys are closing their questioning by providing reams of textual content messages and different data for jurors to evaluation, documentation of dozens of freak-offs that they are saying additionally exhibits preparations for prostitution and trafficking.
The 55-year-old denies the fees.
No protection witnesses?
The protection’s choice to not name witnesses may point out they imagine their questioning of presidency witnesses may have forged sufficient doubt on the case towards Combs.
It may additionally imply they haven’t recognized any witnesses who may assist them.
They did point out they plan to submit some displays into proof earlier than resting.
Legal professionals for Combs have insisted that what prosecutors have referred to as intercourse trafficking was consensual.
Three ladies have testified in graphic element of harrowing abuse that ranged sexual, bodily and emotional.
The singer Casandra Ventura, Combs’s girlfriend for greater than a decade, filed go well with towards Combs in 2023, a civil case that was settled out of court docket in lower than 24 hours — however which opened the floodgates for a deluge of accusations towards the one-time music business powerhouse.
She was among the many key witnesses to testify on the trial, and jurors have been repeatedly proven now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs violently kicking and dragging Ventura in a resort.
A resort safety guard testified that he obtained $100,000 in a brown paper bag from Combs in change for the disturbing tape, which CNN printed final 12 months.
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Jurors should not sequestered however are instructed day by day to not devour any media concerning the case — a mighty process, as information of the trial has permeated each conventional and social media.
