Witness testifies that Diddy made threats, held her over Seventeenth-floor balcony
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Bryana Bongolan, a good friend of Diddy’s former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, testified as we speak to a terrifying second involving the music mogul in September 2016. Bongolan stated she was sleeping on the sofa at Ventura’s Seventeenth-floor Los Angeles residence when Diddy banged on the door. She went out to the balcony to smoke marijuana, and Diddy, who had gotten inside, “got here behind me and lifted me up and had me on prime of the rail,” she testified. He held her for about 10 to fifteen seconds, she stated, and “for a second, I believed I used to be going to fall.” She stated Diddy was yelling at her and he or she didn’t know why.
Right here’s what else to find out about as we speak’s testimony:
- Bongolan testified that whereas upset, Diddy as soon as threw a knife in Ventura’s path, and he or she threw it again; each their throws missed. In one other interplay, Bongolan stated, Diddy allegedly advised her one thing alongside the strains of, “I’m the satan and I can kill you.” She testified that Diddy had taken cocaine on the time he made the feedback.
- Throughout cross-examination, protection lawyer Nicole Westmoreland tried to discredit Bongolan’s reminiscence of the alleged dangling incident. Bongolan answered, “I don’t bear in mind,” a number of occasions when challenged.
- The federal government additionally known as Frank Piazza, a forensic video professional, who testified concerning the authenticity of the resort safety video of Diddy assaulting Ventura in March 2016 in addition to associated cellphone movies. The resort video, which has been central to the prosecution’s case, was not altered, in response to Piazza.
🔎 The view from inside
By Adam Reiss and Jing Feng
Diddy watched the jury carefully after they first took their seats. He was additionally attentive when it got here to the testimony. A lot of as we speak was spent taking a look at safety footage and cellphone movies, and he peered on the monitor in entrance of him.
Piazza’s testimony going over the movies could have appeared technical, however the lengthy stretch spent taking a look at Diddy assaulting Ventura might even have a cumulative impact on the jury.
In different information: Diddy’s legal professionals complained to Choose Arun Subramanian that though Diddy has 300 minutes for telephone calls, for some purpose, he can’t get in contact with legal professionals at night time. Protection lawyer Xavier Donaldson known as it “unacceptable.” Subramanian stated he would attain out to the jail and see what may very well be executed.
👨⚖️ Evaluation: Is the video related?
By Danny Cevallos
The final two days have featured testimony concerning the 2016 resort beating video. The federal government first known as a resort safety officer who testified that Diddy paid $100,000 in money in a brown paper bag in change for the video. Right now, prosecutors known as a forensic video professional, who narrated the occasions on display, body by body. So why is the video related if Diddy was not charged with the assault that was recorded?
The protection tried mightily to exclude the video, arguing, partially, that any relevance was outweighed by the prejudicial impact. It misplaced.
How the video matches into the federal government’s concept of the case seems to be this: Prosecutors allege the drug-fueled sexual encounters generally known as “freak offs” constituted business intercourse acts (for functions of intercourse trafficking).
The video reveals Diddy utilizing drive or coercion — one of many needed components of intercourse trafficking — to stop Ventura from escaping a “freak off,” as she stated throughout her testimony.
The money fee to resort safety is then an effort to hide that conduct. Plus, racketeering prices are sometimes a few boss corrupting his personal firm.
Lastly, the federal government may be very expert at discovering a approach to introduce probably the most devastating proof towards a defendant — which it is executed right here.
🗓️ What’s subsequent
Tomorrow: The protection plans to proceed cross-examining Bongolan as court docket resumes later than regular. Additionally, a Diddy accuser who will go by the pseudonym “Jane” is predicted to start a number of days of testimony. Jane, who was recognized as “Sufferer-2” within the prosecution’s indictment, was allegedly engaged in business intercourse acts “because of drive, fraud or coercion.”
PSA: Each night time throughout Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop particular episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you on top of things. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC Information’ Chloe Melas and particular visitors — proper in entrance of the courthouse. Hear right here. 🎧