The lawyers of Sean “Diddy” Combs 55, they left a court in Manhattan, New York, last Friday (9) after the jury selection at the Extortion and Sexual Trafficking of the Hip Hop Magnata was closed, scheduled to start over next week.
Last Friday, Comb lawyers said they planned to accuse the ex-girlfriend of the domestic violence singer when she testifies at the trial.
Combs declared innocent from accusations of conspiracy for extortion, sexual traffic and transport for prostitution – all serious crimes. He may face decades or even life imprisonment if he is convicted at the trial at the Federal Court of Manhattan.
During Friday’s hearing, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told the district judge Arun Subramanian that he plans to show that there was mutual violence between Combs and his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who is expected to give a statement as a key witness to prosecution lawyers.
Ventura’s lawyers refused to comment on agnifilo’s statements.
Subramanian seemed unlinked to allow the defense to introduce evidence of any supposed violence by Ventura, but said he will decide on the issue on Monday (12), when the selection of the jury composed of 12 New York is finished, before the initial statements of defense lawyers and promoters.
Combs, 55, was present at court on Friday (9), showing gray hair and wearing a sweater on a white shirt. He has been detained in a federal prison in Brooklyn since his arrest in September last year.
The rapper declared himself innocent of the accusations, which are: one of conspiracy for extortion, two of sexual trafficking and two of transportation for prostitution.
Over the course of three days this week, Subramanian questioned about 100 potential jurors on issues such as what they had heard about the case of Combs and any experiences they had with sexual aggression.
With the participation of defense lawyers and prosecutors, Subramanian dismissed the jurors he considered inadequate to serve and selected 45 qualified candidates to serve fairly and impartially .
Subramanian said the trial will last about eight weeks with the alternate jurors serving as substitutes if the holders cannot end. Any verdict must be unanimous.
*Production by Andrew Hoftetter, Roselle Chen and Christine Kiernan
See also: Video catches Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting woman
Sean Combs, P. Diddy: Understand the case involving the rapper
This content was originally published in Sean “Diddy” Combs: Jury selection for trial follows next week on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
