Jurors partially deadlocked at Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
In a note sent out after 4 p.m., the eight men and four women on the jury said they had decided on one count of sex trafficking, one count of racketeering and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The note did not indicate what their verdict was on those counts.
The outstanding charge is a sex trafficking count tied to allegations by Combs' ex, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. Manhattan Federal Judge Arun Subramanian asked lawyers for the government and Combs' team to email him their proposals about what to do next. He said he could tell them to keep deliberating or accept a partial verdict.
Combs appeared shell-shocked in court and was seen dabbing his eyes after his attorneys received the note. The development came as a thunderstorm broke out amid darkening skies above the courthouse.
Earlier Tuesday, in a morning note, the jury asked to review the testimony of Ventura regarding Combs brutally assaulting her in March 2016 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles. Explosive footage of the assault shows Combs pummeling Ventura in a hallway, dragging her by the hair, kicking her while she curls up on the floor, and hurling a vase at her. Ventura on May 13 testified that the assault occurred after she tried to leave a 'freak-off' session after Combs punched her in the face.
Jurors also wanted to look back over Ventura's testimony regarding her interactions with Daniel Phillips, a former male revue performer, whom she and Phillips testified was hired multiple times to sleep with Ventura for Combs' sexual gratification between 2012 and 2013. The panel also asked to review Phillips' testimony, during which he said he was once directed to urinate on Ventura, that she was once so heavily drugged he could not sleep with her, and that the only time he communicated with her alone, she appeared 'terrified.' Phillips said he stopped meeting the couple after witnessing Combs physically assault Ventura.
The jury note also requested a review of accounts that Ventura shared about traveling with Combs to the Cannes Film Festival one year. In her testimony about the trip to the French film festival, Ventura said Combs had accused her of stealing his drugs and kicked her off his yacht without her shoes or her passport. After the tense trip, Ventura said she had swapped seats with someone on a commercial flight back to New York, but Combs switched them back. She said he spent the flight playing humiliating footage of her at freak-offs that she thought had been deleted, and then when they got back to the city, she felt she had no choice but to submit to another of the depraved events.
Combs, 55, could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He's pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office alleges Combs abused his notoriety and his wealth for two decades to sexually exploit women at weekly sex parties, directing them to perform sordid sex acts with a rotation of male escorts while high on his supply of drugs.
Prosecutors say members of Combs' Bad Boy Records empire helped organize the vile sessions and resorted to crimes like kidnapping, arson, witness tampering, and bribery to intimidate women into submission and terrorize anyone who threatened Combs' authority.
Combs, a New York native who launched the careers of iconic hip hop artists like the Notorious B.I.G., maintains that he never pressured women into sexual performances against their will, that he paid escorts for their time, not sex, and that his employees were not hired to commit crimes.
The trial continues Wednesday.
_____
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
50 Cent, Kesha, Aubrey O'Day and More Stars React to 'Diddy' Verdict: 'The Cultural Weight of This Decision Is Immeasurable'
Hollywood stars are reacting to the news of the verdict in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking and racketeering case that found him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Over the past six weeks, federal prosecutors have called numerous witnesses and presented evidence that ultimately did not convince the jury that the former hip-hop mogul was guilty of using his company as a criminal enterprise and conspiring with his associates and employees to traffic and abuse women. The prosecution's star witness was Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, Combs' longtime ex-girlfriend, who testified about years of alleged abuse, including coercion into nonconsensual sex acts, physical violence and control through threats. More from The Hollywood Reporter Foo Fighters Are Back With First Song Since 2023 to Celebrate 30th Anniversary What the Hell Happened With the Sean "Diddy" Combs Verdict? Sean "Diddy" Combs Denied Release on Bail After Mogul Was Acquitted of Most Serious Charges After the verdict was revealed Wednesday, entertainment industry figures took to social media to share their thoughts on the news. Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, a longtime rival of Diddy's, took to Instagram to share his thoughts. 'Diddy beat the Rico, that boy a bad man !' he wrote, adding, 'he like the Gay John Gotti.' Aubrey O'Day, who worked with the Bad Boy Records founder on his Making the Band 3 reality show centered on his label's group Danity Kane, shared a video on her Instagram Stories reacting to the verdict. 'Oh my God, not guilty on Cassie, not guilty on Rico, no way that Jane is gonna be guilty,' she said while filming a video of CNN reporters sharing the verdict. 'This makes me physically ill…. Cassie probably feels so horrible. Ugh, I'm gonna vomit.' O'Day posted a separate statement to her Instagram Stories: 'The cultural weight of this decision is immeasurable. It is heartbreaking to witness how many lives have been impacted by their experiences with Sean Combs — only for those stories to fall short in the eyes of a jury. I can only hope these jurors never have to watch someone they love endure what so many survivors have described.' Over the years, O'Day has been vocal in her distaste toward Combs. After joining Danity Kane, she was kicked out of the musical group in 2008, alleging on an episode of Call Her Daddy that the mogul removed her because she 'wasn't willing to do what was expected of me, not talent-wise, but in other areas.' She shared support for Ventura in her statement, adding, 'My heart is with Cassie. A woman who could've had a life and career free of fear and control. A woman who told her truth in a courtroom, only to have the world dissect her credibility instead of her courage.' 'Women, Nor men, Nor ANY ARTIST — are the property of those with the most wealth, fame & power. We are not disposable. 12 people on a jury will not be deciding that for us,' she concluded the post. Shortly after the verdict was announced, the singer appeared on Inside Edition where she said her reaction to hearing the news was 'a gut punch.' 'I'm floored by the jury's verdict,' O'Day added. 'The evidence is there. For me, it's all the way there.' Grammy-nominated singer Kesha, too, posted on X (formerly Twitter) in solidarity with Ventura. There, she wrote, 'Cassie, I believe you. I love you. Your strength is a beacon for every survivor.' Kesha announced last year that she was changing the lyric in her 2010 hit 'TiK ToK' to 'fuck P. Diddy' from the original 'feeling like P. Diddy' after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against Combs. Rosie O'Donnell shared her take on the verdict on Instagram, writing, 'i guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion – wow – they just think women stay because what? money – fame – 'they love the abuse' – what a fucking joke – this decision got me angry #cassie.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs Denied Release on Bail After Mogul Was Acquitted of Most Serious Charges
On Wednesday, the New York judge overseeing Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial ruled that Combs would not be released on bail while awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The decision to keep the fallen hip-hop mogul locked up in a Brooklyn federal prison comes after a surprise split verdict announced Wednesday that saw the rapper and mogul convicted of the lesser two of five charges in a federal indictment that brought one of the most sensational trials in years to a lower Manhattan courthouse. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Mozart Mozart': New Series Puts Composer's Forgotten Sister Center Stage (Exclusive Trailer) Foo Fighters Are Back With First Song Since 2023 to Celebrate 30th Anniversary What the Hell Happened With the Sean "Diddy" Combs Verdict? After the verdict was read Wednesday, Combs' lead defense attorney told the court Combs should be freed today, given that he was no longer under indictment for the major crimes the government said he committed. Prosecutors cried foul on this, arguing he was a flight risk and meddler, even while in the Brooklyn lockup he's called home for about a year. Both sides were instructed to write letters to the judge making their case for bail by 1 p.m. ET today. Prosecutors also stated that they would pursue an aggressive sentencing that could put Combs away for two decades. Judge Subramanian cited Combs' history of violence as a main reason for denying him bail. As prosecutors undoubtedly showed during his trial, he has a decades-long propensity for violence, particularly toward women, which takes place in private. The video footage of Combs beating Cassie Ventura, which was shown at least a dozen times in court, certainly displays this, and Combs subjected his girlfriend 'Jane' to a violent attack as recently as 2024, the court heard over the past few weeks. When this occurred, Combs had already been indicted and had his homes raided by authorities. All sides in the case were told by the judge to return to court on Oct. 3 for sentencing; that date could move up if the defense team and Combs seek to expedite his sentencing process. The defense is seeking a term of 21 to 27 months for Combs while the feds hope for 51 to 63 months. Combs will get credit for the time served. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Colorado man sentenced to life in prison for DUI that killed Air Force veteran, injured his children
A Colorado man who killed an Air Force veteran while driving drunk last year will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was found guilty of first-degree murder. Paul Stephenson, 57, of Castle Rock, was convicted in April of killing USAF Lt. Col. Matt Anderson and injuring his four children after he crashed his truck into their vehicle while driving drunk in August 2024. Stephenson was sentenced to life in prison plus 92 years. Anderson was stopped at a 7-Eleven gas station with his family following a trip to the Douglas County Fair when he was killed, according to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office. His wife was walking into the store when Stephenson drove his Chevy Silverado into their vehicle. While in court, Stephenson admitted to drinking a bottle of fireball whiskey and two beers before driving and his blood alcohol level was 2.5 times the legal limit, the DA's office said. Stephenson racked up his third DUI conviction when he was found guilty of killing Anderson. District Attorney George Brauchler said his office pursued the first-degree murder charge to "send a message to drunk drivers in Douglas County." Brauchler, who prosecuted the case, said it is a "bitter coincidence" that justice was handed down against Anderson's killer one day before July Fourth. "It is a bitter coincidence that the day before we celebrate our nation's independence, we have to confront the loss of one of America's great Patriots who died… Not at the hands of the enemy… But by the selfish conduct of one of us," Bruachler said. "The only appropriate sentence in this case is the one that will prevent things like this from happening again by scaring the hell out of those who would engage in similar behavior." Brauchler acknowledged that Douglas County is the most aggressive on drunk drivers compared to other jurisdictions in the area. Anderson's father said the verdict gives their family "a small amount of closure" and thanked the agencies involved in handing the sentence down. Senior Deputy District Attorney Nate Marsh commended the jury's decision and said it reflected how serious it is to drive drunk. "The defendant cared only about himself and showed a complete disregard for the value of human life. This was murder in the first degree-extreme indifference and the jury agreed. His life sentence will ensure he cannot rip anyone else from their family," Marsh said.
