Many witnesses have taken him to the position at the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who faces allegations of assault and sex trafficking while heading the entertainment empire.
Testimony from the trial began on Monday after the selection of ju judges from lawyers and the final stages of the opening statement. The comb, wearing a light gray sweater, gave his supporters a thumbs up in a courtroom in New York City, USA.
“For 20 years, the defendant committed a crime that he committed, with the help of his trusty inner circle,” U.S. Attorney Assistant Emily Johnson told the court. “That’s why we’re here today. That’s the purpose of this case.”
Many witnesses testified that they had experienced physical physical violence, threats and manipulation, but the rapper’s lawyer said he was accused of portraying the wrong categories of crime and “his pervertedness and sexual preferences” as evil.
Attorney Tenny Jelagos told the ju judge that while he might think the comb is “jerk” or “some average”, he has not been accused of being “mean or jerk.”
“This case concerns voluntary choices by competent adults in a consensual relationship,” Geragos said in his opening statement.
The woman, a US lawyer, said Johnson, had “viciously attacked” a woman who refused to join a party called “freak off.”
“They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms, the height of drugs, the days they dressed in costume to carry out the defendant’s sexual fantasies,” Johnson told the ju-degree judges of testimony from the victims of the incident.
“She was shaking.”
The court was quiet enough to hear as a video was displayed showing him be-hitting and kicking his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura in 2016.
A stripper named Daniel Philip testified that Combs threw a liquor bottle at Ventura before grabbing her with her hair, and she cried out and dragged her into another room.
“She literally jumped into my lap and she was shaking, like her whole body was shaking.
Geragos admitted that combs has a tendency to jealousy and committed an act of “terrifying, inhuman violence” in a video shown to the ju apprentice, but it is evidence of domestic abuse, not sex trafficking or assault at the heart of the case.
Prosecutors say that if he is convicted of all five felony he pleaded not guilty, the Comb, who faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence for 15 years, urges women to engage in drug-fueled political parties and blackmails them in a video of their encounter.
Combs’ status as a prominent entertainer has given him great attention to this trial, bringing about a greater debate about how powerful figures in sectors such as entertainment, business, sports and politics avoid accountability for abusive behavior.
As the case began, a ju-degree umpire, alternating men and six women sat in court. After the judge finished explaining the law related to this trial, the opening discussion began after he finished explaining the law, with the coincidence that a light breakfast would be served to the ju apprentice in addition to lunch.
The ju apprentices in this case are essentially anonymous and their identities are known to the courts, prosecutions and defense, but are not made public.
“We will keep your name and identity confident,” Subramanian told the ju referee.
In the case of the federal government, keeping ju umpire anonymous is a common practice to maintain anonymity, particularly on sensitive and well-known issues where the safety of ju umpire is concerned. The ju judge’s name was also protected from the public in a state court in New York last year in President Donald Trump’s criminal trial.
The Subramanian urged the ju judges to judge the case only based on the evidence presented in the court. This is a standard instruction, but added the importance of this prominent case being the subject of intense media coverage.
“Everything you saw or heard outside the courtroom is not evidence,” the judge said. “That must be ignored.”