Jurors see extra texts between Cassie and Diddy as prosecutors put together to relaxation case
Diddy’s trial was abbreviated this week. The proceedings have been successfully canceled Wednesday after a juror known as in sick, and federal courtroom wasn’t in session Thursday in observance of the Juneteenth vacation. However this morning, all the important thing gamers returned to the courtroom to listen to testimony from one of many rapper’s former private assistants.
Right here’s what it is advisable to find out about Day 27 of the trial:
- Brendan Paul testified in regards to the calls for of his job as one in all Diddy’s former assistants. He advised jurors he as soon as went with out sleep for 3 days. He recalled being requested to purchase hundreds of {dollars}’ price of medication. He stated the music mogul didn’t take “no” for a solution and in contrast his employees assistants to the U.S. navy’s SEAL Workforce 6.
- Paul, going through cross-examination from protection lawyer Brian Metal, agreed that Diddy’s ex-girlfriend “Jane” didn’t appear hesitant or apprehensive earlier than “freak offs.” Paul stated Jane gave the impression to be a keen participant within the sexual encounters — contradicting her testimony and the federal government’s narrative.
- U.S. authorities prosecutors walked jurors by textual content messages from Cassie Ventura to Diddy. In a single textual content, Ventura stated she didn’t should be overwhelmed by him. “That’s not love, that’s possession,” Ventura wrote, apparently referencing the 2016 lodge assault recorded on video.
- The protection once more tried to painting “freak offs” as consensual encounters. They entered into proof a March 2017 textual content message during which Ventura wrote: “I like our FO’s, once we each need it.”
🔎 The view from inside
By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas, Katherine Koretski and Jing Feng
Diddy, sporting a white sweater and black pants, appeared engaged in as we speak’s testimony. He appeared to pay shut consideration to prosecutor Maurene Comey as she questioned U.S. authorities abstract witness Joseph Cerciello, a particular agent with the Division of Homeland Safety.
Paul, the ex-assistant, struck an ambiguous observe as he concluded testimony for the day. When requested by prosecutor Christy Slavik how he feels about Diddy as we speak, Paul replied with two cryptic phrases: “It’s sophisticated.”
👨⚖️ Evaluation: On this case, the star witnesses are textual content messages
By Danny Cevallos
Cerciello, the Homeland Safety particular agent, testified about charts of proof compiled by prosecutors to substantiate they correspond to hundreds of pages of data, together with textual content messages.
Diddy will virtually certainly not testify. But it surely doesn’t actually matter. That’s as a result of in a contemporary prison case — particularly a federal prison case — prosecutors can get witnesses and defendants’ “testimony” in entrance of the jury with out them ever taking the stand. Combing by hundreds of pages of textual content messages is one thing at which particular brokers and federal prosecutors excel. It doesn’t matter {that a} single textual content message or a brief collection of messages may very well be taken out of context. Prosecutors will introduce it and add their very own context. In spite of everything, if the defendant thinks these statements are deceptive, he can take the stand and dispute them, proper? Besides, more often than not, the defendant doesn’t take the stand.
On this case thus far, the star witnesses have arguably not been the people. They’ve been issues like textual content messages, monetary data and different paperwork. For some cause, folks have all the time put issues in textual content messages as if they may by no means turn out to be public. We’re all responsible of that, too. All of us are possible a part of a textual content message “group” with our associates or household the place we are saying issues that, if publicly revealed, would trigger us lots of issues. Definitely for Diddy, these texts have brought on him lots of issues — arguably greater than the individuals who testified in opposition to him.
🗓 What’s subsequent
U.S. authorities prosecutors are anticipated to relaxation their case on Monday. Diddy’s protection workforce has signaled it can want round two days to current its case. If that tough timeline holds, closing arguments may happen Thursday.
PSA: Each evening throughout Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop particular episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you in control. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC Information’ Chloe Melas and particular visitors — proper in entrance of the courthouse. Hear right here.