New York (AFP) – The high-profile trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is approaching its final stretch, with both teams poised to rest their cases as soon as Tuesday. Closing arguments are tentatively expected to begin on Thursday, after which jurors will be tasked with deciding the fate of the music mogul who faces life in prison if convicted. The prosecution’s 34th and last witness is currently on the stand, and defense lawyers indicated Monday they do not plan on calling their own witnesses to testify in Manhattan federal court.
It’s not abnormal for defense teams to opt not to present a case; the obligation to prove guilt lies on prosecutors, and unless jurors decide they have, the defendant is presumed innocent. Over seven weeks of testimony, prosecutors drew connections across a web of witnesses, phone records, and travel bookings, a bid to show that Combs was the kingpin of an enterprise comprised of high-ranking employees that carried out crimes including bribery, arson, and kidnapping to enforce his power and satisfy his every desire. The prosecution said the artist and entrepreneur trafficked women and men for drug-fueled sexual marathons, sometimes days-long encounters dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.” Some of the events were filmed, and jurors have watched a number of sexually explicit clips. Government attorneys are closing their questioning by offering reams of text messages and other records for jurors to review, documentation of dozens of freak-offs that they say also shows arrangements for prostitution and trafficking.
The 55-year-old denies the charges. The defense’s decision not to call witnesses could indicate they believe their questioning of government witnesses could have cast enough doubt on the case against Combs. It could also mean they haven’t identified any witnesses who could help them. They did indicate they plan to submit some exhibits into evidence before resting. Lawyers for Combs have insisted that what prosecutors have called sex trafficking was consensual. Three women have testified in graphic detail of harrowing abuse that ranged from sexual, physical, to emotional.
The singer Casandra Ventura, Combs’s girlfriend for more than a decade, filed suit against Combs in 2023, a civil case that was settled out of court in less than 24 hours — but which opened the floodgates for a deluge of accusations against the one-time music industry powerhouse. She was among the key witnesses to testify at the trial, and jurors were repeatedly shown now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs violently kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel. A hotel security guard testified that he received $100,000 in a brown paper bag from Combs in exchange for the disturbing tape, which CNN published last year. Jurors are not sequestered but are instructed every day not to consume any media about the case — a mighty task, as news of the trial has permeated both traditional and social media.
© 2024 AFP
