The ultimate part of jury choice within the high-profile racketeering and intercourse trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been postponed to early subsequent week, simply earlier than opening arguments are set to start. The choice got here Friday from U.S. District Decide Arun Subramanian.
Federal prosecutors declare Combs leveraged his superstar standing and affect throughout the hip-hop business to take advantage of and abuse girls over a span of twenty years, from 2004 to 2024. Arrested in September, the Unhealthy Boy Information founder has pleaded not responsible and stays in federal custody with out bail at a Brooklyn detention middle.
On the protection workforce’s request, Decide Subramanian agreed to delay the ultimate spherical of juror choice till Monday. That session will contain narrowing the present pool of 45 all the way down to 12 jurors and 6 alternates. Throughout this part, attorneys are allowed to dismiss potential jurors with out offering any rationalization.
READ ALSO: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs tells decide he’s “somewhat nervous” as intercourse trafficking trial begins
Protection legal professionals argued that putting jurors ought to solely take about 10 to fifteen minutes and advised it made extra sense to deal with the duty Monday when everybody will already be current in court docket. Whereas the jury pool had Friday off, Combs himself appeared within the Manhattan courtroom, AP reported.
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Prosecutors, nevertheless, pushed again on the delay. They warned that finalizing the panel too late may backfire, as jurors may rethink their participation in what’s prone to be an intense and prolonged trial. Some may even again out after being formally chosen, they mentioned, rattled by the general public scrutiny or the graphic nature of the proof.
Earlier within the week, potential jurors had been questioned on their means to stay neutral and whether or not they may objectively weigh proof—together with specific movies anticipated to be proven in court docket regardless of their disturbing content material.
Below the present plan, prosecutors on Monday can be allowed to strike six folks from the jury pool, whereas Combs’ protection workforce can take away 10, with the whole course of anticipated to final roughly an hour.
Ought to the 55-year-old rapper be discovered responsible on all counts—which embrace racketeering, bribery, kidnapping, arson, and intercourse trafficking, he faces a compulsory minimal sentence of 15 years, and will doubtlessly spend the remainder of his life in jail.
The federal indictment outlines disturbing allegations, together with so-called “Freak Offs”—drug-fueled intercourse events the place girls had been allegedly coerced into performing intercourse acts with male intercourse employees whereas Combs recorded the occasions.
READ ALSO: Potential Diddy juror excused after admitting it’ll be laborious for him to give up smoking marijuana throughout trial
Prosecutors additionally describe violent habits, portray Combs as bodily abusive. The indictment accuses him of attacking girls by choking, kicking, and dragging them by their hair. In a single alleged incident, he reportedly held somebody over a balcony.
The protection doesn’t deny Combs’ historical past of drug use, saying he has since sought therapy, however maintains the sexual exercise on the middle of the case concerned consenting adults. “They’re making an attempt to criminalize non-public habits,” his legal professionals argue.
Key proof contains video footage from a Los Angeles lodge in 2016 displaying Combs assaulting a longtime girlfriend. The footage turned public final yr when CNN broadcast it.
“I take full duty for my actions in that video. I used to be disgusted then after I did it. I’m disgusted now,” Combs mentioned in response.
The influence of the footage on jury choice has been clear. A number of potential jurors admitted to seeing the video, and a few had been dismissed after the decide decided they couldn’t stay unbiased.
READ ALSO: Why Diddy’s trial can’t be watched on TV not like different high-profile superstar trials
