Sean Diddy’s comb’s .x trafficking trial admitted to being familiar with allegations against hip-hop tycoons, seeing videos of him allegedly assaulting a woman and hearing a comedian joke about baby oil, prosecutors say it was found in his residence.
In the 26th floor court in Lower Manhattan, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian challenged 32 potential jurors one-on-one jurors, a process known as Voir Dire to enable a team of 12 jurors and six alternatives who were accompanied by both parties and impartially, despite the case involving major media coverage.
The open statement is scheduled for May 12.
Subramanian believes there are 19 eligibles for service — including two who said they were hip-hop fans of the 1990s — and the rest were dismissed. More interrogations will be filed on Tuesday, with the jury’s choice expected to end this weekend.
The judge’s goal is to select 45 potential jurors who are eligible to serve, and attorneys on both sides will have the opportunity to fire the juror without explaining the reason.
One juror said that with the comb wearing dark glasses and a goatee beard with salt and chili, they watched a video of the comb allegedly beating someone in a hotel. Subramanian believes that jurors, known as Jurors No. 5, are eligible for the panel after assuring that the judge will become a “blank into the court.”
A prospective juror was fired after writing in a questionnaire, and they saw a still image in the hotel corridor under the news headline of a woman on the floor, while the comb stood near her “probably hateful evidence.”
Last year, CNN attacked his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Casandra Ventura, in the corridor of a hotel in Los Angeles, promoting what he said was the 2016 incident. After the video was broadcast, the comb apologized.
The jury will be anonymous, which is often the case in high-profile trials, where the jurors may face threats or harassment when they know their identity.
Prosecutors said the incident depicted in hotel surveillance videos is evidence of how combs used force and threats over two decades to force women to participate in a day-long, drug-driven sex show with male sex workers, what the tycoon calls “freaks.”
Prosecutors said the Combs Business Empire staff helped “freaks”, including booking hotel rooms, buying controlled substances and other items used in sex, and helping him cover up the activity. The prosecutor said during the raid on the comb house, authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.
A prospective juror said they “loved” a video on social media where a comedian joked about combs and baby oil.
“I remember loving it because I thought it was fun,” the juror said. Subramanian decided that the jurors who they said were able to put the video aside and impartially were eligible.
Combs’ lawyers say the hotel surveillance video describes a domestic dispute about infidelity and is not evidence of sexual trafficking. They are expected to argue that the S£XUAL activity described by the prosecutor was agreed.
If convicted, Didi faces mandatory jail for at least 15 years and may face imprisonment.
