The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continued Monday in Manhattan federal court, where the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in marathon sexual encounters called “freak offs,” and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes.
Testifying on Monday were Dawn Richard, one of the singers of the girl group Danity Kane; Kerry Morgan, Cassie Ventura’s former best friend; and David James, Combs’s former personal assistant.
Both Richard and Morgan said they witnessed Combs physically assault Ventura, his former girlfriend, on multiple occasions. Morgan also testified that Combs choked her and hit her with a wooden hanger. “I had a concussion. I was dizzy. I vomited a few times,” Morgan said in her testimony.
Morgan and James said that Ventura felt she could not leave Combs because he controlled too much of her life. Last week, Ventura spent four days on the witness stand, telling the court her decade-long relationship with Combs was marked by violence and physical abuse. Ventura, who is eight months pregnant, described in detail the drug-fueled “freak offs” that would take days to recover from.
Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison. He is being held without bail in a Brooklyn jail. A jury of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates will decide his fate. The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks.
You can read our coverage of week one of the trial here. Follow the live blog below for the latest updates on the trial, culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including the Associated Press, CNN, NBC News and the Washington Post.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Find more resources here.
